Adobe Flash Not Downloading

Cincinnatus

Member
I tried to update Adobe Flash on my system per the warning, and it just didn't want to install. The install utility launches, but when it connects to the Adobe Server, nothing downloads. I tried their uninstaller to remove the entire code from my machine, and it seems to have done the job, but that's hasn't fixed the inability of the install utility to download from Adobe. Any help on this?

Thanks!
 
I'm generally not one to use utilities like that. Sometimes they screw up more stuff than they fix. What's your opinion of Advanced System Care? It was strongly recommended by a friend.
 
I'm generally not one to use utilities like that. Sometimes they screw up more stuff than they fix.
Ccleaner? Generally it's pretty decent application especially as it's free. The only issue one could probably get using this app is the registry cleaner. I wish they would remove that bit as windows doesn't need the registry cleaning otherwise they would have included a registry cleaner with the operating system.
What's your opinion of Advanced System Care?
To be honest not much. This application can, as you say, cause issues. Also it's a lazy way to maintain one's computer your better off learning how to maintain it properly as opposed to installing the above.
 
Hi,
did you remember to disable any anti-virus or anti-malware (anti-spyware) or personal firewall programs (any and all) currently running on your machine?? Adobe web updates (any of the major 4) will not install nor uninstall while these programs are active and enabled. They all see Adobe web updates and reader as malicious attacks on your computer.

<<<BIGBEARJEDI>>>
 
Out of interest... what version of Flash i.e 6 or CC?
I do have CC installed, but only Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign and Acrobat.

Hi,
did you remember to disable any anti-virus or anti-malware (anti-spyware) or personal firewall programs (any and all) currently running on your machine?? Adobe web updates (any of the major 4) will not install nor uninstall while these programs are active and enabled. They all see Adobe web updates and reader as malicious attacks on your computer.

<<<BIGBEARJEDI>>>
No, I didn't disable Norton previously because all the Flash updates have always worked. I just now tried turning off the firewall and AV, used the cleaner tool, and tried to install again, but it didn't work.

Looks like CC Cleaner is going to be the next attempt.
 
Hi again Cincinnatus,

Well, just because the Flash Player worked or other Adobe stuff worked doesn't mean it didn't contribute to the instability issue you are now experiencing.

Next, I would suggest you try some other things before jumping to CCleaner. CCleaner generally is safe and doesn't cause problems, but in my experience on systems where Windows has destabilized, it can make things worse.

Prior to attempting any of our troubleshooting suggestions, YOU SHOULD ENSURE THAT YOU HAVE ALL OF YOUR PERSONAL DATA (SUCH AS DOCUMENTS, PHOTOS, MUSIC, MOVIES/VIDEOS, EMAILS ETC.) BACKED UP TO EXTERNAL MEDIA FIRST, IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY DONE SO!! Some of these commands can corrupt your Windows if they don't run properly or you have other pre-existing problems, so this is a Standard Precautionary Warning!!

I would try these 3 things first:
1.) Attempt a Windows SYSTEM RESTORE to a point in time before the Adobe problem started. Say 1 week or 1 or 2 months ago. You didn't tell us whether your computer had W10 pre-loaded on it when you bought your computer or you performed an upgrade from an earlier version of Windows such as Win7/8/8.1/8.1.1. [This is important information and we'll need to know this if none of these suggestions work.]
2.) Attempt to performa Windows repair; there are usually 2 commands done in the Command Prompt Administrator windows to solve Windows instability problems; they are the CHKDSK /F command, and the SFC /SCANNOW command. Both of these can take considerable time to run, so make sure that you let them run to completion and DO NOT INTERRUPT them while running. They can render your computer unbootable if interrupted. The SFC command has 5 stages and the CHKDSK has 3-5 stages as well; they may also generate a reboot during the process, so don't panic if your computer reboots on your during either command.
NOTE: If you have a laptop, do NOT run either of these commands while running from your battery alone, rather you must have the laptop plugged into a continuous power source such as a Wall Outlet(MAINS) the entire time. Doing so can permanently damage your hard drive.

If these items above fail to resolve your problem, you should consider more serious remedies. I would consider calling Adobe Tech Support and purchasing a one-time Support call to help resolve your Adobe problem. Adobe will charge you from between $35-$49 for this call and their Techs will remote into your computer and help you to resolve the problem. I have used this on Customer computers several times, they are quite skilled at resolving problems on their own products.

If this isn't a possibility, the next thing I would do is to test my hardware, and then perform a Windows Reset or Window Reinstall to fix the problem. It's critical to check your hard drive first, as if you don't and reinstall your W10 from scratch, and the problem is a hardware failure in your disk drive, the problem will follow to your reinstalled Windows and still be there.

Here's a document on what you need to do there:

START WITH TESTING YOUR HARDWARE HERE:

Occasionally, the RAM sticks also go bad, and can cause Windows corruption. To test your RAM memory, download the free MEMTEST (you can Google it), and create a bootable dvd disc similar to method used for the SEATOOLS drive diagnostic. Boot your Netbook into MEMTEST and run the test on each RAM stick individually for a minimum of 8 passes. If MEMTEST returns any errors, your RAM stick(s) have failed and must be replaced.:waah:

Next, begin testing your hard drive. Go to seagate.com and download the free SEATOOLS drive diagnostic program. This is an ISO image file, so you will need to burn to a blank DVD disk using the free IMGburn program (you can Google it) to create a bootable test disk with which to test your hard drive.
Once you have your SEATOOLS disk, boot your computer to it and run BOTH short and long tests on your drive. If SEATOOLS returns any errors, your hard drive has failed and must be replaced. :waah:
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The second one, is what we call a WINDOWS REINSTALLATION or a WINDOWS RESET. This requires that you have or create a set of factory discs (on an OEM computer such as Dell, HP, ACER/Gateway) that will be printed and labeled with the computer manufacturer's name & logo on the discs. If you have a self-built or custom-rig, this step won't be an option. That's why we need to know your System Specs!! If you don't have any discs, most modern computers, made 6 years ago or sooner (2009) have built-in rescue software for Windows Reset on a hidden partition on the hard drive. But, that doesn't always work (only works about 30% of the time). These same OEM computers usually have free software such as DELL MEDIA CREATOR which lets you make a copy of these factory reset discs; usually onto blank DVD discs or onto a single USB flash drive. Bear in mind if your computer is an HP, and you attempt to use their utility and you get a message: "You've already created 1 set of factory Recovery Media--no more can be created" or similar, HP only allows 1 set of these discs to be created; if you get this message it's already been done, either by the Dealer you bought the computer from, or by a previous owner of the computer if you are not the original owner. This sucks, as you can never make another set.:ergh: You have to call HP to buy a replacement set for $29-$99 US. If you have a different brand computer and you can't make your Recovery discs or the Recovery Partition fails to restore your computer, you can buy a set of Recovery discs from them as well for about the same price. They will be shipped to you in 2-3 weeks typically. Very few non-professional home users are aware of this.

This is a very long post, and I might suggest you print out a hardcopy of this post on another working computer or one at a friend's house or at your local library. There is a lot of information here, and this process of troubleshooting takes me 2-3 days. Most home Users we advise to follow this takes 1-3 weeks or longer depending on how much time they have to devote to fixing their computer, if it's their ONLY computer or they have another one to use in their household, amount of patience with technology, etc.

Post back your tech specs on that computer, and let us know how it goes. If you get stuck, remember there are no stupid questions! We are here to help.

Best of luck, :thumbs_up:
<<<BIGBEARJEDI>>>
 
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Well, just because the Flash Player worked or other Adobe stuff worked doesn't mean it didn't contribute to the instability issue you are now experiencing.

Thanks for the suggestions, but I think we might be well into 'overkill territory' on some of them. I'd rather just live without Flash than to go through a reinstall - that's just not the answer for me. As to the rest:
  • System was a clean install of W10
  • I don't enable system restore to conserve space on my SSD
  • SFC came up clean
  • Hardware is all fine
Hardware Specs:
HP Envy 15T CTO
16GB RAM
2GB Video Ram / Nvidia independent card
256GB Samsung 840Pro

Looks like I'll probably take a system image and give CC Cleaner a shot to see where it takes me.
 
Sure, you're very welcome.:) Thanks for your reply back and your responses. So, I see from your Model information, that it's an HP laptop. HP provides options to purchase SSD's when you buy the laptop new; did you get the Samsung SSD in your laptop new, or did you replace it yourself? As you say, you can live without Flash Player--I can't do this due to need for Netflix and YouTube videos alone, not to mention other instructional technology videos I need to work with.

Also, when you say your hardware is all fine--what software tool specifically, did you use to test your SSD drive? Some tools like Seagate's SEATOOLS drive diagnostic will not properly test your SSD. Neither will the built-in HP drive test diagnostics. I don't mean to be picky--but, SSD technology is new, and not everyone is aware that it can be very trick to test and diagnose.

Let us know how it turns out.
Best,:cool:
<<<BBJ>>>
 
Also, when you say your hardware is all fine--what software tool specifically, did you use to test your SSD drive?
Well, immodestly stated, the 'tool' I'm using is intuition based on 20+ years in the IT business which suggests to me that if there were hardware failure, it would be manifesting itself in other ways. I'm seeing no such behavior on the system.

Turns out it was simpler than I thought. I tracked down the full Flash installer executable, and all is well.

Thanks to all for the help!
 
That's Great! Glad you got it fixed. :pride: And thanks for sharing your final result with the rest of our forum members.

Have a Good weekend! (what' left of it).
<<<BBJ>>>
 
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