How to remove Flash Player not listed in Add/Remove?

[Curt]

It has been impossible for me to get a reasonable answer from Adobe, so now I am asking you guys, dolls and magicians: How to remove Adobe Flash Player and ActiveX Plugin ?

They are of course not listed in XP's Add / Remove Programs.

The problem began with the flash player not working, so I updated from Major Geeks to the new beta version. But this didn't help - on the contrary: When I tried to uninstall, XP would say that these programs seemed not to be installed, so would I like them to be removed from the list? I answered YES. Maybe I shouldn't have, because now I cannot install, and I cannot uninstall, or repair.

So I have no flash, and yet I have it - if you know what I mean.

So how can I remove Flash Player and ActiveX Plugin from my XP, so I can make a fresh install, please ??

[PhilB66]

How to uninstall the Adobe Flash Player plug-in and ActiveX control

[sri]

I see Flash player and plug-in listed in zsoft uninstaller.

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[Darwin]

Interesting. I've always used the downloadable uninstaller that PhilB66 linked to, but note that Flash is uinstallable via not only YourUinstaller! 2006:

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but Windows Add/Remove as well:

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I no longer remember WHY I have used the downloadable uninstaller from Adobe in the past... perhaps the uninstallation routine is something that Adobe has added in more recent versions of Flash Player?

[Curt]

Sorry: I should of course have taken my time to explain in some more details.

Flash Player AND ActiveX Plugin used to be listed in Add/Remove Programs, but when they failed, XP asked if I wanted to remove their presence from the list. So they do come with an uninstaller.

I did ran the uninstaller which PhilB66 linked to, (Thank You, Phil!), but somehow Flash Player is still here, because when I then tried to install a fresh .60. BETA version from Major Geeks, the installer popped up and claimed that this was not the newest  version and I should go to Adobe to get the "new" (older) .47. version! This tells me that some Flash Player leftovers still remains somewhere at my PC, doesn't it.

So how do I remove leftovers from Flash Player and ActiveX Plugin, I guess I should ask.

[Darwin]

I wouldn't take it that way, Curt. I think that beta's installer is just checking for the latest "full" release - if you've run the Adobe uninstaller first, Flash Player should well and truly be GONE!

[PhilB66]

BTW, here's the path to the uninstaller %windir%\system32\Macromed\Flash

[Curt]

Hmmm... this is getting really bizarre, I think. I unistalled Adobe Reader, meaning there should not be any more Adobe or Macromedia programs on my machine. I then used RegSeeker to erase more than 500 Adobe- and 30 Macromed- entries from the Registry! I even removed the new Access Bridge from Sun, because it somehow is connected to Adobe Reader. Then I rebooted, and tried for the tenth time to install Adobe Flash Player and ActiveX Plugin, but the procedure failed again again!

Adobe is added to Trusted with everything alloved.

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@ Darwin. I have to take it that way, because the installer did not just "inform" me about the alledged "new" version. It simply told me to get a newer version, and closed!
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Not being able to install any version of Flash Player, no matter what browser I use, and with the registry cleaned from almost any presence of Adobe and Macromed, I have absolutely no idea what to do now. Do you have an idea, please?



Edit:
I closed almost every program on my machine, before installation.

[Darwin]

Hmm... that is worrisome (and no doubt highly annoying). I don't really know what to suggest beyond a format and reinstallation... Speaking from a load of negative experiences, I'd be REALLY careful using a registry cleaner as you did - you'll like regret that in the future, which leads me back to that format and fresh install of windows. I don't suppose you have a disk image that you could restore and try this again, by chance?

[tinyvillager]

Do you have adobe air installed ?

Check your common files in the Program files folder,i had a similar problem last week.Flash 9 wouldn't install on IE,drove me nuts.

I uninstalled adobe air,used adobe uninstalled flash programs,and scanned for anything named macromedia and flash
9 with RegSeeker.

I think between adobe air and all these flash beta's adobe is kind of making things clunky.

In short i would just sleuth through the whole machine,registry,windows system32 folder,C:\Documents and Settings,and kill anything to do with adobe,and macromedia.That's what fixed it with me.

[Curt]

YES, I would certainly like to repair XP, but NO, it's an OEM with no disc, and the backup disc is far too old to use already: I would loose some 300 programs... when I have had my CD Player repaired.....

NO, I have no Air... I have erased everything named Adobe or Macromedia.

And YES, registry cleaners are dangerous. Today I am convinced that it was a bad cleaning that started all the troubles many months ago!

[Curt]

By now it has been almost a full month in which I have had no Internet browser Adobe ActiveX flash player, and it is getting very frustrating to me.

I was not aware how often I watch flash movies one way or the other, but now I know it is every day. So many times I have been asked if I want to install Adobe Flash Player, and so many times I have clicked Yes, but to no avail: Each and every time I try to install, the Adobe installer will pop up at once and tell me that "this is not the newest version" and I need to go to Adobe to download a new version - and then the installer will abort setup with no further options than to give up installing.

Of course I have been using new versions only, both .47 and .64 Beta, from both this and that download link, - I even tried the newest of the old archive versions - but these stupid popup messages keeps saying my versions are too old.

I have again and again uninstalled the proper way, by using the newest official Adobe Flash Uninstaller, version 4.0.0.3, various copies.

I have tried to remove any traces of Adobe and Macromed from the registry keys
- I even removed Adobe PDF Reader just for the sake of it.

I have uninstalled and updated this and that, including Java, but so far without any luck.

[Edit: I should tell that when I try to install from Adobe's homepage, the installation is never successful.]

Adobe seems to have decided not to answer my cry-outs for help.

What can I do??



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[Lashiec]

format C:

Why don't you download the standalone installer from File Hippo? Be sure to select the stable version in the menu at the right side, as the most current one is a beta of the next major build. Or use Flash with another browser (last resort).

Or if you're brave enough, go hunt in the CLSID section of the registry (not recommended).

[Curt]

The picture in my previous post is showing a standalone version. And as I wrote earlier in the thread, the problem have so far been regardless of what browser I was using. Yes, the answer may be some CLSID, but where are the names to make certain you are handling the right one? No, you were right: "not recommended"; such action may call more for insight than for bravery.

[Curt]

... 5 minutes later: I found a Macromedia key in the registry that somehow escaped my previous cleansing, and the suffix was "Version". I deleted the key, and installed flash without any problems! Problem solved.

 

[p3lb0x]

Version? Holy crap, how can so small a thing fok up your installation