Well even the FP fix reply I got from Adobe is CRAP. Need a Masters degree in
CS to follow it. Anyway.. I read Kelvars recent reply in another thread and
tried it. It is a complete stand alone install for FP9. I had ununstalled FP
yesterday so nothing to perhaps interfere. I use XP, IE6 and dial up. I do have
Shockwave10.1 as I recall. It is worth giving it a go. It is working working
working!!!


http://www.softwarepatch.com/internet/flash.html

My aploigies to Kalvar I mispelled his name in the above post. Here is his post
direct to
evisu donna in the thread: Problems installing Flash.
Junior Member Posts: 1
Joined: 11/12/2006
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11/13/2006 02:56:54 AM
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Try using this link:

www.softwarepatch.com/internet/flash.html
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I understand your concern. When I did DL it, it poped up the usual security box
with the following:

Name: install_flash_player_active_x.msi
Type: windows installer package, 4.01mb
From: fpdownload.macromedia.com

After I DLed, I have had no issue with any FP content sight. No strange puter
events, pop-ups, funky applications on my system. It has worked for me and at
least one other. You can create a restore point before DLing and if something
happens you can go back to pre-install status.

Still (as I mentioned in another thread)...

this is complete stupidity on Adobe's part to assume anything other than
complete automatic and reliable updates - as they've done in the past.
Anything less is cause for end-user abort... and certainly they wont be able to
claim 96% browser penetration any more.

To come up with technote after technote of possible solutions for the customer
and to expect any kind of migration is retarded. Yeah, I can see it now
"here's the new simple 29 point instruction, install and reboot solution - so
you can see our glorious flash site!"

The big question is how long will we have to wait for the "right
answer/solution" from Adobe? Every day that passes without the Adobe "auto
fix" is catasrophic for those whose websites rely on Flash.

???

Mr Jekyl..Your point is very well taken. To counter... I have have looked at
alot of the adobe forums topics and threads and by far most of the submissions
have been regarding FP and install issues, the lack of response to cases
submitted regarding FP, the kind of response---the usual dog chasing it tail
circular reference to Technote, etc. Given this as a population sample, the
numbers speak for themselves as to how deep and widespread the issue is. It is
like the unemployment number. x number of claims made this week reflects the
unemploment figures. But this does not relflect those that have exhausted there
benefits and those that have given up looking for work. Untold numbers have
given up on FP, or cant understand the technicalese that Adobe posts. The
multitude of FP versions, the lack of seamless updates of FP. The "GOLD BAR"
crap, etc ARE ADOBES ISSUES TO SOLVE if it wants FP to remain the program of
choice. Just becase it is "FREE" to DL does not give them carte blanche to not
offer solutions. Many posts on this issue are from experienced systems users,
not afraid to tweak an OS. EVen they are stumped after following instructions,
going from tech notes to emerging issues ad nauseaum (sp). True that some of
these experienced users may have mucked up their systems to impact FP
operations and Adobe cant address all the individual muck ups. But NOT ALL ARE
experienced OS tweakers. They dont mess with the OS, they try to keep spyware
and virus out with Norton or Mcafee, etc and are at a loss as to why FP quit on
them or wont install or update.

Jeckyl... spoken with true ignorance.

[quoted text, click to view]
"Ok .. so maybe a couple of dozen people over the last couple of weeks with
player issue .. Not a very large group."

What ... are you living in your own little bubble??? 96% of all browsers (700
million) have flash... 35.9 % now have v.9 (according to Adobe - mature
markets) X how many internet households in the US (not mentioning the rest
of the world) = a friggin huge amount of people migrating *daily* to the new
v. 9 And you think it's limited in scope to a couple dozen?!?! Who are you
defending?

What you're seeing is just the tip of the ice berg,. as Reproman66 has
elluded. I would wager that 90 to 95% of the FP using population with this
issue aren't even aware of this forum (or if they are remember/think to use it).

I've been a flash developer since version 2, and professional web developer
since 1996, earning my reputation on building smart and ultra easy to
use/navigate web sites. I've built many sites using flash, some all flash.
And I have to constantly test site ease of use on all platforms, all browsers,
all connection speeds, and with and without the Flash Player.

So when all of the sudden Adobe moves to version 9 and I can't install it
"normally"... I've got a problem - my clients have a problem. And they don't
want excuses or "beanie head" answers. And if they don't like the long
solution, they want the flash elements on their site removed, in favor of more
reliable delivery methods.

A technote doesn't cut it - never will - not for total "ubiquity." If they
want to maintain 90+ % browser reach, common sense tells you nothing short of
near "automatic" is the only answer. And no word of mouth experience through
technotes will ever get "Uncle Ed" or "Grandma Bernice" to get fixed.

Final note... I went back and checked today... Adobe has fixed their auto
install/upgrade procedure. Although it did follow a slightly different install
path for me this time, but in 2 simple clicks - I now have v9 running correctly
on my system. I didn't check versions, but no doubt there was a slight tweak
for this fix.

SCW

p.s. We all know that Adobe (as do virtually all other smart companies with
forums) does monitor these threads. So our banter here helps them scope the
gravity of their actions (or lack there of).

For the VAST majority of users, Flash Player installs and updates
seamlessly.

Unfortunately you're one of the relatively few who have problems.

Adobe can't be responsible for all the weird things that can go on on every
machine in the world. All they can do is find solution for these minority
problems when they occur and post technotes on ways to overcome these
problems.

There have always been problems with installing Flash Player for someone
somewhere .. I don't think things are really all that much worse now.
--
Jeckyl

[quoted text, click to view]

Thanks

[quoted text, click to view]

The only place I see those sort of posts are in forums about player issue ..
so that's pretty much to be expected. In other places installation issues
make a small percentage of posts, mostly because the forusm are for people
who use Flash (the authoring tool) and already have the players installed
etc.

And, of course, there is that huge majority who have no problems. They are
not going to post threads in forums saying "My installation worked
perfectly, please help" .. its only the squeaky wheels we hear from :)

[quoted text, click to view]

Of course, remember that the forums here are only user-to-user community
forums. They are NOT here as a way for Adboe / Macromedia to provide
support. So the lack of response from Adobe is to be expected .. its not
how they give support. They aren't really supposed to be responding in
here. If you want help from Adobe, you need to contact them or refer to
their technotes etc.

[quoted text, click to view]

Ok .. so maybe a couple of dozen people over the last couple of weeks with
player issue .. Not a very large group.

[quoted text, click to view]

Given the enormous number of people that have it and have no problems, and
the few that have problems, those untold numbers (though untold) would not
be that large.

[quoted text, click to view]

Now THAT figure is probably an enormous majority. Very few people can
REALLY understand technotes :)

[quoted text, click to view]

Yes .. there have always been lots of Flash Player versions .. nothing new
here. As issues are fixed, new player versions are released. That is "a
good thing"

As for seamless updating, that is the case for almost everybody .. Again,
only a small minority seem to have problems. In an ideal world, there would
be noone having problems, but we don't live in an ideal world (I am thinking
of moving there one day, though).

[quoted text, click to view]

Adobe does .. that's what the technotes are for. That is Adboe offering
solutions. They also offer solution via support (but you need to pay for
that).

I understand your frustrations, and those of the 'untold numbers' who have
problems. All we can do is try the things suggested in technotes, and
listen to those who have gone before and learn from their experience. There
will always be problems .. there is no getting away from that. Its a matter
of finding the right solutions.
--
Jeckyl

There a MANY more problems than are reported here. I help out people with
various issues and I'd say about 25% don't have audio with Flash. When I ask
them when it went out, the general answer is "sometime earlier this year".
Uhhh, that's when Adobe took on Macromedia support (and I suspect began
thrusting their bloated development on the MM team too.)

I hate Adobe with every fiber in my body. I uninstall their products wherever
they are found and replace their PDF monster with alternatives. I wish that
Adobe would let the MM people develop and support Flash with NO Adobe input.

I agree with Guilden_NL. I work technical support at my organization too, and
we've talked with dozens of people that have problems with 9. Far more than
with 8 or 7. And I strongly doubt that everyone who has trouble is contacting
support.

As for my personal experience, when I go to the download page with IE, it
tries to autoinstall and reports "successful", but it shows that 9.0.16 is
still on the machine. If I download the installer with Firefox, even the
installer that is downloaded (in the Properties) says that it is the 9.0.16
installer. Should I have to uninstall and follow a link to an .msi on an
unknown site to download what Adobe's site says I should be getting?

Either this latest release is REALLY broken, my machine is a real anomaly, or
I don't know how to work my browser (which should be the threshhold of skill
required for the installers).

[quoted text, click to view]

Yes .. that problem is talked about in the forum as well. Obviosuly, if
you're helping people with issues, you'll only hear from those with issues
... the vast majority of people have NO issues.

[quoted text, click to view]

Adobe took over the products that Macromedia was already developing. I
don't think they went in and started adding bugs.

It is possible, though, that Adobe may have put additional pressure on
developers to get products released (perhaps too soon - but then, the same
sort of things would happened when it was MM), and there may well be
different standards and practices being adopted from Adobe.

Whether or not these have any bearing on the problems is hard to tell, just
because the problems got worse coincidentally with Adobe taking over
support.

I think it more likely that the technical issues are related to changes in
Windows (with Windows updates, changes to ActiveX activation, IE7
development, more DRM stuff appearing etc etc) rather than a change in
management.

[quoted text, click to view]

Sounds like you're prejudiced against them then. So anything that could be
remotely seen as possibly the result of the Adobe takeover will end up high
on your list of reasons for problems.

[quoted text, click to view]

I'm sure the people working on the old macromedia products are mostly the
same people who were doing it when their letterhead said "Macromedia". They
are just ultimately answerable to different desk-jockeys and managers etc
than before.
--
Jeckyl

[quoted text, click to view]

Wow .. dozens of people. Considering the enough size of Flash Player market
penetration, thats not very significant.

[quoted text, click to view]

Yes.. I also get the impression that there are more issues currently than in
years gone by. However, whether that is due to problems with Flash Player 9
itself, or whether it is due to changes in Windows and browsers since the
'good old days' when Flash 7 and 8 were released is difficult to determine.

Again, the vast majority of people do use Flash with no issues. Its just
the very small minority that is bigger .. but still a very small minority.

If and when it starts to become a significant minority .. or even a majority
... that will be a different story :)
--
Jeckyl

[quoted text, click to view]

No need to get rude

[quoted text, click to view]

No .. I'm looking at how many reports of problems there have been in this
forum. That's what you seemed to be talking about .. how to measure
unemployment you look at the number of people making claims for it .. so to
get a measure for number of people with installation problems, you look at
the nubmer of people reporting them.

[quoted text, click to view]

There you go .. and only a handful of people reporting problems here.
Thanks for illustrating my point that the number of people with problems is
relative tiny.

[quoted text, click to view]

Ahh . I see .. you were talking about YOUR ignorance in not reading my reply
correctly. I was talking about the small number of people reporting
problems, not a small number of people installing/updating Flash Player.
That seemed like it was fairly obivous (but apparently it wasn't)

[quoted text, click to view]

Noone.

[quoted text, click to view]

An interseting figure.

[snip stuuf about how good you are]
[quoted text, click to view]

Of course its a problem. Noone has said it isn't. But for the majority of
people there is NO problem. You just happen to be in the minority that
does.

If there really were large numbers of people unable to install / update
Flash, it would be BIG news .. there'd be articles on it, and Adobe would be
sending out press releases left right and centre.

[quoted text, click to view]

No . .everyone wants solutions. The difficulty is in determining what the
actual problem is in each situation, and finding the appropriate solution.
There's lots of fixes around, but it hard to know which one to apply.

Ideally there would be no need for installation fixes, because everyone
would have the same pc setup and everyone would be able to install and
update with no issues. But there will always be problems .. that's life.

[quoted text, click to view]

Well .. if that's what the client wants, and you can't talk them out of
using the most prevalent web based animation technology, nor explain how you
can make sites that can work with or without flash, that's their loss.

[quoted text, click to view]

It IS near "automatic" already .. but in a few cases, the near-automatic and
simple update mechanism fails. That's not really anything new. Although
with FP9 there do seem to be more issues than I remember from previous
players (but perhaps I've just fogotten how many there were in days gone
by).

[quoted text, click to view]

Congratulations. Glad its sorted for you.

[quoted text, click to view]

Yes .. there are Adobe people who will read what goes on (or at least some
of it). I've not said they don't read the forums.

But they do not offer support via these forums (but some Adobe employees do
post themselves here as individuals). So one cannot expect (with this type
of forum) to find any official Adobe solutions and responses to individual's
requests for help -- if they did that would mean noone would bother paying
for support. When one DOES find the occasional Adobe semi-official post,
its most welcome.
--
Jeckyl