Adobe flash plugin keeps crashing. Please help!
So my adobe flash plugin apparently keeps crashing and this has been going on for awhile now. When I watch videos on youtube, the audio will stutter. Sometimes the video will crash too and whenever I watch a video on teennick.com, the video is constantly freezing and/or crashing. I've tried using the 'safe mode" version of firefox and the problem still happens. This is so frustrating, someone please help.
Chosen solution
acidhead, Thanks for reporting your solution to Flash lockups, which included reinstalling the Flash plugin after first doing a complete uninstall, including manual removal of leftover Flash files and folders.
For the benefit of others reading, Adobe includes instructions for uninstalling Flash on Windows in their own help article (linked from the Flash Plugin - Keep it up to date and troubleshoot problems Firefox article) which is:
Read this answer in context 👍 1All Replies (20)
Hi zxmon21, your crash report shows you have Windows 7 and the Flash Player protected mode is enabled. Disable it using the method described in this Adobe support article under the heading "Last Resort": Adobe Forums: How do I troubleshoot Flash Player's protected mode for Firefox? (For 64-bit Windows 7, see also: this post.)
Please report back on degree of progress making that change and exiting/restarting Firefox.
Hi kaylo2013, your crash report shows you have Windows 8 and the Flash Player protected mode is enabled. Disable it using the method described in this Adobe support article under the heading "Last Resort": Adobe Forums: How do I troubleshoot Flash Player's protected mode for Firefox? (For 64-bit Windows 8, see also: this post.)
Please report back on degree of progress making that change and exiting/restarting Firefox.
Hi johnkay, the forum software wasn't able to detect any crash reports that have been submitted to Mozilla's servers. You need to click a few of those links on about:crashes to upload the data to Mozilla before we can view your details.
bp-e8ae3d21-d4df-481e-bfdb-2bf032131003 10/3/2013 1:18 PM d14f0393-b853-491b-b85f-1917c0cc3959 10/3/2013 1:18 PM 682da507-42da-4d1d-adf4-349fb1cb5e05 10/3/2013 1:18 PM 258237df-ccd3-4aa1-8ed6-45e49bc5d523 10/3/2013 1:15 PM 6ddebe87-8738-4f40-94d5-e980263c076f 10/3/2013 1:12 PM
I have had problems with Adobe Flash and FF for a long time. I went back to the AF 10.x and that solved the problem. However, yesterday, I got the message while in FF: "Firefox has prevented the outdated plugin 'Adobe Flash' from running on entertainment.verizon.com. Update now." I updated and it seemed to work for the day. But, today, again, the problem returned.
Modified
Hi goddi1, your crash report shows you have Windows 7 and the Flash Player protected mode is enabled. This feature did not exist in the Flash Player prior to version 11.3.
Disable protected mode using the method described in this Adobe support article under the heading "Last Resort": Adobe Forums: How do I troubleshoot Flash Player's protected mode for Firefox? (For 64-bit Windows 7, see also: this post.)
Please report back on degree of progress making that change and exiting/restarting Firefox.
The only way I could seem to get FF to work with Adobe Flash was to put in the line, 'ProtectedMode=0', in the mms.cfg file. When this is not in the mms.cfg file, the mouse icon flashes and other similar problems occur.
I added the 'ProtectedMode=0' statement and installed the latest Adobe Flash and it seems to be working. Does this leave me 'unprotected'??? What does this mean???
Hi goddi1, I don't have the Adobe link handy, but protected mode creates lots of individual "sandboxes" that isolate different Flash media from one another. The more separate the more secure. However, this feature is buggy on some systems, so then you have to make a trade-off between using Flash less securely and using it at all!
I have this problem also with FF 24 and the latest Flash and shockwave updates. It happens on pages with graphics. I have not had a video problem but I do not watch a lot of videos.
Hi bobz6, since this thread has many posts, here is some standard guidance that addresses the most common reasons for Flash problems in Firefox. I'm sure you've seen some of it before, but just in case:
(1) If you use any recorders/downloaders that interact with Flash media, make sure they are as up-to-date as possible, or disable them temporarily.
(2) Disable hardware graphics acceleration in Firefox and in Flash
(A) In Firefox, un-check the box here and restart:
orange Firefox button (or Tools menu) > Options > Advanced > General > "Use hardware acceleration when available"
(B) In Flash, see this support article from Adobe: http://helpx.adobe.com/flash-player/kb/video-playback-issues.html#main_Solve_video_playback_issues
(3) Disable protected mode (Windows Vista/7/8)
See this support article from Adobe under the heading "Last Resort": Adobe Forums: How do I troubleshoot Flash Player's protected mode for Firefox?
Note: Most sites do not use "Shockwave for Director" content, so the key plugin is "Shockwave Flash."
My 5 latest crash reports are:
f4119dfa-40cf-4b23-8bce-c08ef3e2edd4 bp-5ad5ed8a-b3d0-48ce-b3d5-519272131006 d5e5bb2d-5905-476a-a5a1-de0a3d07fd59 5d8e2b18-2555-47c5-bc3f-7714d80ee1dd efe77918-4f1d-4e06-8df5-1c79f6e630bf
Sorry, I mean:
f4119dfa-40cf-4b23-8bce-c08ef3e2edd4
bp-5ad5ed8a-b3d0-48ce-b3d5-519272131006
d5e5bb2d-5905-476a-a5a1-de0a3d07fd59
5d8e2b18-2555-47c5-bc3f-7714d80ee1dd
efe77918-4f1d-4e06-8df5-1c79f6e630bf
Hi DynamicMCman2ALT
That is still a problem with the Flash plugin.
Did you already try the basic steps?
Try to disable hardware acceleration in Firefox.
- Tools > Options > Advanced > General > Browsing: "Use hardware acceleration when available"
- https://support.mozilla.org/kb/Troubleshooting+extensions+and+themes
You can check for problems with current Flash plugin versions and try these:
- disable a possible RealPlayer Browser Record Plugin extension for Firefox and update the RealPlayer if installed
- disable protected mode in the Flash plugin (Flash 11.3+ on Windows Vista and later)
- disable hardware acceleration in the Flash plugin
I followed your instructions. Steps 1 and 2 helped a little but did not prevent the crashes. I then went to Last Resort. This also did not work for me. I realize the problem is probably with Adobe and is annoying but I will live with it until there is a fix. If you have any more ideas, I would like to hear them. Thank you, Bob 10/8/13 Update: I went to the same sites today using FF24 and today I did not have any crashes of Flash or Shockwave
Modified
I followed your instructions. Steps 1 and 2 helped a little but did not prevent the crashes. I then went to Last Resort. This also did not work for me. I realize the problem is probably with Adobe and is annoying but I will live with it until there is a fix. If you have any more ideas, I would like to hear them. Thank you, Bob
I think I posted to the wrong response - sorry
Hi bobz6, since you mentioned pages with lots of graphics, it might be more effective to start a new thread and include your system information. You also can include your crash IDs. Hopefully these links will get you going:
- How to submit crash information and extract crash IDs for posting: Troubleshoot Firefox crashes (closing or quitting unexpectedly)
- To start a new thread (the form continues below the suggestions as you work through): https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/new/desktop/fix-problems
How do you start a new thread? I went to the site you suggested and asked a question about FF24 crashing with Adobe. Is that how you do it?
Today I went to the same sites that my flash and shockwave crashed on always but no crashes today?? I did all the suggestions that you have previously stated. Will see how this goes tomorrow.
Thank you for all your help. Maybe this will help others.
Hi bobz6, I don't see your new question on this site (usually your profile has links to all your questions), so maybe you put the ball in Adobe's court? I don't object to that. ;-)
For future reference, there's an "Ask a question" link at the top of every page here if the longer one I posted didn't lead you to the right place.
I asked a question but I do not see how to start a new thread. I get the same site when I ask the question as I have been to before. Thank you, Bob
Hi Bob, I see what you mean now. Each question starts a new thread on the forum. Question = Post that starts its own thread. Also, it's a multi-step form that provides solution suggestions as you provide more information, so you need to persevere through that before the question goes through.
The "ask a question" flow is constantly being tweaked, so if you have suggestions on how to streamline it, those are welcome.
I am at the point of giving up using Firefox and going to Chrome or Internet Explorer, neither of which repeatedly have this problem of Adobe Flash crashing. I too have updated Flash and Firefix but it makes no difference. It still gives problems. Yes, why won't Adobe or Firefox solve this problem. It is exasperating!