Adobe Flash says it updated, but it actually didn't -- even though Firefox now says "up-to-date"
Instead of automatic updating, I always have Adobe Flash set to download updates automatically, but ask before installing. Today after my computer booted up, the Adobe notification appeared on my desktop saying a new version was ready for installation. (Since Firefox is my default browser, such updates are always applied to the Firefox Flash plug-in after I accept it.) So I accepted it, and the installation bar moved across, and I got the message that the installation was complete.
After this occurs, I then sometimes go to the Firefox Plugin check to double-check that Flash now shows as up-to-date, AND that it lists the same version number shown as latest-available for Firefox on the Adobe Flash website. IIRC that has always checked out OK until today. While the Plugin check said Flash is up-to-date, it showed the full version number as 21.0.0.18x (I forget the last digit), whereas it was supposed to be 21.0.0.197. I then looked in Windows 7 Programs & Features and it showed that the latest Firefox (NPAPI) Flash version was installed on 3-17-16 (a week ago), and was still version 21.0.0.18x. I tried closing FF and rebooting, but nothing changed.
So I downloaded the Flash standalone installer for Firefox from the Adobe Flash website, and installed it that way. NOW both the Plugin check and Programs & Features show the expected version 21.0.0.197. And Programs & Features now lists the install date as today (3-24) instead of 3-17.
Any ideas on why this might have happened? (I suppose it's at least partially an Adobe question instead of solely a Firefox question, but I thought I'd start here.) Thanks.
Wót Rick216
Wšykne wótegrona (3)
No ideas?
Firefox may report the wrong version if the newer installer didn't remove the old files. If Firefox finds multiple NPSWF32_21_....DLL files in the
C:\Windows\SysWOW64\Macromed\Flash
folder then Firefox may list them all on the Add-ons page, Plugins list, and the about:plugins page.
That's just a guess, but since you already solved the problem, it's hard to test any hypotheses.
Thanks. Although, Flash was not appearing twice on the Plugins list during the post-update period, unless perhaps I just didn't notice a second listing because it was greyed out. But that seems unlikely.