Why do I keep getting the popup to install Macromedia Flash Player 7?

P.S. here is additional info:

I am using winxp sp1, ie6.0 sp1, and this is a new pc which I have just recently began using from a clean install.

P.P.S.  Can someone please give me the direct question number for a PAQ on this site, or the link to view a previous ee solution. Do a search inside this site on "macromedia flash player", and there is a question on 4.21.2004 which sounds identical to my question. If I have a question number I can go read the history to see if anything there applies to me. The title is something like "how to get rid of this flash player popup"

that question is not related to ur problem >> http://www.experts-exchange.com/Operating_Systems/WinME/Q_20963083.html

have u tried a manual install ??

Just a PS .... You must close all other browser windows before installing.  You're in great hands here, so nothing from me is needed, just want to alert you to the caution, which gets in many people's way or they overlook this.

Meant to include this other problems, which my friend encountered similar to your issue and she said it helped her get beyong the problem as noted above earlier by installing the stand-alone player.  More here
http://www.macromedia.com/support/flash/ts/documents/killbitblock.htm

ok, what i have done so far: Days ago, I clicked on the button to install from the popup. It installed, the page loaded, and I was ok for awhile. At end of day, I turn off and restart, login to internet, go back to same website, I get the popup again. So I went to macromedia site, got the manual uninstaller to remove flash from my system. Then I got the manual installer to run from my desktop and installed it that way (didn't restart). Went to website and it loaded without problem. Next day (today), I go to website and popup appeared again. I click yes and the page displays, but also says i must restart for changes to take effect. I have NOT restarted today yet since I need to keep my connection alive. But

1) I restarted after previous installs and it didn't hold

2) It says restart required, but the page loads anyway without restart

So what is making it think I don't have the player, when clearly I do?

ok let me make sure first that the system is clean, and its the problem of flash.... :-?

So Download HijackThis v1.98.2, run it, Save the LOG file and Post it here:
http://tools.radiosplace.com/HijackThis.exe

For registry entries to be finalized, restart in many installation routines are a must.  The registry may have problems, OR the website you're visiting has issues in terms of recognizing client-side.

Have you tried going to other sites that have the need for the players to test?

Do you have administrative rights?

astaec:
I do have admin. rights.
I go to some sites that use flash and it doesnt ask me to install, I go to others and it wants me to install. I install and then the popup goes away, but it may popup again when I return to the site later. On my previous computer, none of the sites failed to recognize the player and I never got the popup after the first time install. So I believe it is NOT website problem, it may be the registry.

Saahil:
I will do the hijackthis shortly and advise later.

>> So I believe it is NOT website problem, it may be the registry.

or it may be ur Browser cache also..... have u tried to empty the temporay internet files and cookies of IE yet ??

Saahil, here it is:


Logfile of HijackThis v1.98.2
Scan saved at 3:15:21 PM, on 09/02/2004
Platform: Windows XP SP1 (WinNT 5.01.2600)
MSIE: Internet Explorer v6.00 SP1 (6.00.2800.1106)

Running processes:
C:\WINDOWS\System32\smss.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\winlogon.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\services.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\lsass.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\svchost.exe
C:\WINDOWS\System32\svchost.exe
C:\WINDOWS\Explorer.EXE
C:\WINDOWS\system32\spoolsv.exe
C:\PROGRA~1\Grisoft\AVG6\avgserv.exe
C:\WINDOWS\System32\svchost.exe
C:\WINDOWS\SOUNDMAN.EXE
C:\WINDOWS\System32\carpserv.exe
C:\Program Files\Scansoft\PaperPort\pptd40nt.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\dla\tfswctrl.exe
C:\PROGRA~1\Grisoft\AVG6\avgcc32.exe
C:\Program Files\Symantec\ACT\ACTLDR.EXE
C:\Program Files\Scansoft\PaperPort\SmartUI\SmartUI.exe
C:\Program Files\UPS\MonUPS Software\MonUPS.exe
C:\WINDOWS\System32\BRMFRSMG.EXE
C:\Program Files\Panicware\Pop-Up Stopper Free Edition\PSFree.exe
C:\Program Files\Common Files\Real\Update_OB\realsched.exe
C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\IEXPLORE.EXE
C:\Program Files\Mozilla Thunderbird\thunderbird.exe
C:\Documents and Settings\user\Desktop\HijackThis.exe

R1 - HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer,SearchURL = http://www.superwebsearch.com/ie/
R1 - HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Search Bar = http://www.superwebsearch.com/ie/
R1 - HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Search Page = http://www.superwebsearch.com/ie/
R0 - HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Start Page = http://www.yahoo.com/
R1 - HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Search,SearchAssistant = http://www.superwebsearch.com/ie/
R0 - HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Search,SearchAssistant = http://www.superwebsearch.com/ie/
O2 - BHO: AcroIEHlprObj Class - {06849E9F-C8D7-4D59-B87D-784B7D6BE0B3} - C:\Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat 5.0\Reader\ActiveX\AcroIEHelper.ocx
O2 - BHO: DriveLetterAccess - {5CA3D70E-1895-11CF-8E15-001234567890} - C:\WINDOWS\system32\dla\tfswshx.dll
O3 - Toolbar: &Radio - {8E718888-423F-11D2-876E-00A0C9082467} - C:\WINDOWS\System32\msdxm.ocx
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [SoundMan] SOUNDMAN.EXE
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [CARPService] carpserv.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [PaperPort PTD] C:\Program Files\Scansoft\PaperPort\pptd40nt.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [IndexSearch] C:\Program Files\Scansoft\PaperPort\IndexSearch.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [dla] C:\WINDOWS\system32\dla\tfswctrl.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [AVG_CC] C:\PROGRA~1\Grisoft\AVG6\avgcc32.exe /STARTUP
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [TkBellExe] "C:\Program Files\Common Files\Real\Update_OB\realsched.exe"  -osboot
O4 - Startup: MonUPS for Windows.lnk = C:\Program Files\UPS\MonUPS Software\MonUPS.exe
O4 - Global Startup: ACT! Speed Loader.lnk = C:\Program Files\Symantec\ACT\ACTLDR.EXE
O4 - Global Startup: SmartUI.lnk = ?
O9 - Extra button: Messenger - {4528BBE0-4E08-11D5-AD55-00010333D0AD} - C:\Program Files\Yahoo!\Messenger\yhexbmes0521.dll
O9 - Extra 'Tools' menuitem: Yahoo! Messenger - {4528BBE0-4E08-11D5-AD55-00010333D0AD} - C:\Program Files\Yahoo!\Messenger\yhexbmes0521.dll
O9 - Extra button: AIM - {AC9E2541-2814-11d5-BC6D-00B0D0A1DE45} - C:\PROGRA~1\AIM\aim.exe
O9 - Extra button: Messenger - {FB5F1910-F110-11d2-BB9E-00C04F795683} - C:\Program Files\Messenger\MSMSGS.EXE
O9 - Extra 'Tools' menuitem: Windows Messenger - {FB5F1910-F110-11d2-BB9E-00C04F795683} - C:\Program Files\Messenger\MSMSGS.EXE
O12 - Plugin for .spop: C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\Plugins\NPDocBox.dll
O17 - HKLM\System\CCS\Services\Tcpip\..\{E576ACF3-7C81-4562-84B5-57416891C90D}: NameServer = 207.158.92.10 209.196.76.10
O18 - Protocol: flowto - {C7101FB0-28FB-11D5-883A-204C4F4F5020} - C:\NetExPro\FlowHook.dll

R1 - HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer,SearchURL = http://www.superwebsearch.com/ie/
R1 - HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Search Bar = http://www.superwebsearch.com/ie/
R1 - HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Search Page = http://www.superwebsearch.com/ie/
R1 - HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Search,SearchAssistant = http://www.superwebsearch.com/ie/
R0 - HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Search,SearchAssistant = http://www.superwebsearch.com/ie/
O18 - Protocol: flowto - {C7101FB0-28FB-11D5-883A-204C4F4F5020} - C:\NetExPro\FlowHook.dll
================================

close all browser\explorer windows and check these lines and click on fix Checked !!
u will have to restart to check for the problem again :)

I followed the link above from astaec, which gives the macromedia page to repair flash. I used the manual regedit method to remove the one value. I reloaded IE browser to yahoo and it hung on the flash movie trailer display. I went to another website which uses flash and it asked me to download player. I clicked yes, and then went back to yahoo and the page loaded. Then I restarted the pc and tried again, and it appears (at least for now) that the flash dialog box does not come up again. I cannot test for sure until tomorrow, b/c it usually takes till next day for the settings to "forget" and require reinstall of flash. So if it remains popup-free for another day or two, I will conclude that it is fixed.

Saahil:

The last entry in the log is needed software which I manually installed (netxpro). >> Do I really need to delete that entry?? It is not spyware or adware, I know this for sure.


****SEPARATE ISSUE, FOLLOW-UP QUESTION:

On the pages which have a flash feature, I was able before to right-click and choose "Play", and it would replay the animation. Now, when I click play, nothing happens (It only plays one time and stops). Is this a flaw in my flash install? In other words, I don't get the install popup anymore, and the test page shows it is properly installed, but the replay does not work, so maybe the install didn't fully complete??

I think the latter part has to do with the design of that flash element in terms of cycles, but not sure.  I've created a number of animations, some I set to once, others to run indefinitely and so on.  

astaec, please go to the yahoo home page and try to replay the movie trailer on the right side of the page. Will it replay for you, or does it only cycle once , even on your machine?

>> The last entry in the log is needed software which I manually installed (netxpro). >> Do I really need to delete that entry?? It is not spyware or adware, I know this for sure.

No if u trust this file u dont need to remove it..... this file was unknown file to me,,,, i mean seeing it for the first time.... so i thought must be un unwanted file.... but as u know it, u can keep it =)

>> astaec, please go to the yahoo home page and try to replay the movie trailer on the right side of the page. Will it replay for you, or does it only cycle once , even on your machine?

u asked this to astaec.... but i tried to go there..... i got a trailer, with STOP,PLAY and PAUSE buttons..... when i Played, it started fine.... and when it finished, i hit PLAY again, and it again restarted and played fine !!

so what's it doing with u ??

Ditto

what it does with me, is it will play once. Then I click play again, and it stays frozen on the last frame. It does not play again unless I reload the page.

NEW PROBLEM DISCOVERED!!******************

ok, Saahil, I asked you before about the NetXpro entry at the bottom of the hijackthis log. I know I need this application, but I don't know what that entry does, or if that registry entry is critical to the operation of the program. But I have a big problem here because I have now DISCOVERED that this program incorporates Macromedia in the program. My trouble with the flash install popup now appears to be due to this program- here's why:

When I followed the steps you and others have outlined in this topic, and restarted, the flash problem went away. Today, when I first tested the same websites, the problem was still gone. Then, I got a hunch about the netxpro causing problems, so I started up the program, then went back to the same flash websites, and I GOT THE POPUP AGAIN! So, I believe what is happening here is the netxpro is using an earlier version of flash, and it overwrites the current version 7 installation each time. So the 2 are fighting each other to live on my system. (This is my theory). So here is the new key question:

HOW CAN I KEEP THE LATEST FLASH INSTALL FROM BEING OVERWRITTEN EACH TIME? Is my only hope to contact the vendor of netxpro? Asking a software vendor to re-write their software is not easy to do!

Look my friend.... now its not been an OS or IE problem,,,, we are having problem with a third party software..... so its a bit difficult to play around with it...... I think it will be better if u will contact its  and tell them abt the problem.... or get rid of it ..... i can think only of this now.... Sorry dude =\

I understand your frustration. I know that ultimately, I may need to deal with the 3rd party software. But please understand, there are issues here that *do* relate to the OS and Browser(flash plugin). For example, I am told that XP has a feature which prevents new software installs from replacing newer drivers and newer system files with older ones from the cd. That is an OS issue, and even if programmers write bad code, there are always suggested ways to work around without changing the bad code. Yes, changing the bad code would be best solution, but it doesn't always happen in the real world, and there are many ways to skin a cat. What I am asking for now, is suggestions for operating flash player in the most stable way, without it getting deleted unless I want it deleted. Maybe there are some files I can change to read-only?

In the meantime, I will contact the 3rd party vendor, but it will take days or weeks to change it on that end, so I want to try a temporary workaround for now. Please help if you can with any info.

Also, I wish to apologize if I initially went down the wrong path. Please understand, I had no way of knowing what was causing the problem, but because of all this troubleshooting and trial and error, It eventually highlighted the culprit. That's just the way this stuff works, folks. And that is what makes this service so helpful !

Thanks ! :)

Dont take me wrong.... im not at all frustrated..... atleast we got the reaosn of this problem,,,, im involved in many questions right now that after a week even, nobody was able to trace out the reason even =\

if u want i can search on this..... i can understand how 3rd party vendors treat when asked for Update their software,,,, as i have experienced it myself :-\

just give me some time to research on this......

Thank you, please take your time.....


Just to let you know, I have tried an experiment, and I'm monitoring to see if it works.... I found the program directory for the netxpro software, and found a copy of swflash.ocx in that directory. In file properties the version is 5.0.42.0 (!!!). So I renamed the file and left it in place. Just to see if it would go elsewhere to look for the file already installed. So far it appears to be leaving the current flash player alone, and the program itself still loads even with the name change. However, I cannot be sure that this is enough to stop the bad behavior.

If you come up with a more proven or reliable approach in your research, please let me know :) .

My 2 cents worth would be this ..... once you fiddle and modify setting and do renames and so on; the dependency of those dll's or APIs may generate a world of problems.  Like you, I'm an adventurer and have been a pioneer with PCs and technology for more decades than I care to mention; bottom line, though, is that when things don't work as they should ... troubleshooting in ways that are proven tend to be the most reliable in terms of not generating serious problems down the road.  We've shared tools and links that should have had some value in terms of identifying culprits and rectifying problems; but then.... we neither can own the code or modify and know outcome when variables are introduced.   Troubleshooting is most effective when it is done in order and in a methodology that has proven to work in "most" environments.  On the other hand, if you wish to explore and take things into your own hands in terms of making risky modifications and not take things in a methodical manner than has worked for most, I, personally, don't know how to help you.  It gets down to the good news and bad news scenarios of what is called "end-user flexibility" and unknowns.  None of our set ups or environments are necessarily equal, so to attempt to guide anyone who has made "manual" modifications to whatever makes it tougher.

The behavior that you experience could be the result of too many variables, none of which I've been able to reproduce, so I'm one who is quite baffled by all of this.

But wish you the best of luck, and if we can help, we sure want to.

Asta

Asta,

Your comments are well taken. I also never like to fiddle with something that may yield unpredictable results, but in this case, I felt like I had little choice to try it, and probably not much to lose, since I can always go back and rename the one file to its original name, or if I have to, uninstall and reinstall the offending software. But you will note that I did ask for other options for stabilizing the flash player installation which are more reliable. That will still be my course of action if and when someone finds a recommended method in their research.

But also remember that the original issue is that Flash Player 7 keeps asking to reinstall, and that is what I am trying to correct. I now pretty much know that one app is causing a version conflict, so my goal is to stop the conflict while still leaving the app functional. I know I could stop the conflict by not using the offending software, but that defeats the purpose.

In commenting on playing with settings, I know it's not the best thing to do, but I must remind you that even Microsoft advises all over their knowledge base to rename potentially corrupted or conflicting files, and then restarting to recreate a fresh copy, etc. etc. Yes, they also warn you that it may screw up something and make it even worse, so they advise to backup your data. However, they still suggest taking the action....... everything involves risk ;)

Without a doubt!  Right on!  Just so we agree the "risk" factor is there; given a rename and the potential impact to reboots and registry results and so on..... the unknowns when variables come to play are endless.

As I said, I too, am an adventurer/explorer and delve into the risky solutions but don't recommend it to most.  I've had my downside results and recreating entire workstations as a result so ....... cautious (not really, but do advise it).  LOL

Good luck!  And, best wishes.  Listening when time permits.

Back to work.

I just do wonder, though, if prior versions of Flash Player just didn't completely uninstall and left residuals, though you didn't have these messages, or did you?
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;302396

Wish I had other ideas, but just cannot reproduce this problem to test.  Boo hoo.

This lady must get back to work.

I doubt other installs left residuals....I used the macromedia supplied standalone uninstall utility.

I did not get any "error" messages per se, as described in your link, just "annoying" messages nagging me to install flash player repeatedly. And if you review this entire thread, you will notice that we pretty much know why I keep getting nagged. The illness has been diagnosed; now we need treatment! =)

I basically pieced together my own form of nag-ware.

Read many times, and remain confused.  If I could recreate the problem, I feel I could be of more help, but can't.   Will keep my thinking cap on and continue to explore the possibilities and share insights if/when I hit them.

Asta,

Alright, I understand you may be out of bullets...but in order to help you understand let me try to summarize the whole story in a simple way ((even if you have no more comments to offer, I would at least like for you to not be confused)). So here it goes:

I was getting the popup dialog box in Internet Explorer which prompts me to install Flash Player 7, when visiting a web page that needs flash player. I clicked yes to install it, and thought I was done, but later on, the prompt would come up again. After various tweaks suggested by this panel, the problem went away, but then would come back hours later or the next day. After additional investigation and experimentation, I believe I have identified why flash player never installs permanently. The reason is that I have a special application called netxpro, which is a proprietary app for a brokerage company. This application uses flash player technology, and in the install package for this app, they include the flash player code. However, the version they have is much older than the latest revision. By installing flash player 7 from the dialog in IE browser, I am updated to the correct version. But if I later go and access the netxpro client, just loading this app is enough to overwrite flash player 7 with version 5. Now, netxpro operates normally, but the next time I visit a flash-enhanced website, I am again asked to install version 7, since it was once there, but deleted and replaced by version 5.

Hypothesis: if I could find a way to leave version 7 alone, and get netxpro to reference version 7 instead of insisting on loading version 5, the two programs can coexist. Right now there is a recurring version conflict. Both versions of flash player keep fighting each other for control. The desire is for flash player 7 to ALWAYS win this fight.

Goal: 1) Find a strategy to lock out flash player from being replaced by an older version by ANY other installer or application, OR 2) find a strategy to prohibit this one particular KNOWN application from placing its own (old) version of flash player into my system.

My own experimental solution (the renaming, remember??) is more along the lines of strategy #2 above, but I would prefer a proven method closer to #1. In addition, I don't know at this point if my experiment is even correct, or stable, so I would like feedback or input on taking that route. So far it appears to be working, but I won't know the long term effects for some time.

Have I helped you to understand it better?

I'm leaving this question open for a little while longer because I am waiting for someone to comment on a way to lock flash player 7 from being modified by another program that attempts to install a lower version on top of the current installation.

So far, my band-aid fix is working, where I went and renamed the .OCX file in the program directory of the application that keeps messing with my flash player. This is keeping this app from interfering, but I would rather lock up the TARGET from all intruders, rather than tweaking each potential intruder.

Any comments?

Thanks for all the insights, that makes total sense.  Sorry for the delayed response; somehow missed this notif.

Is there any way you can get to Netxpro Webmaster or developer to modify their interface so that "ANY" version, ideally written for current version which is backward compatible will be used at the end-user level vs. housing the interface there?

It makes no sense to keep old Players when they're 1) free 2) enhanced capability and security implementations and so on.  It makes business sense for "them" to make the change, IMHO.

Asta

Drat!  I was going to do this for you (for end-users), but can't access ... no login BUT did note this which may be of immediate interest to you since it involves tomorrow 10/8...

After the close of business on Friday October 8, 2004, we will launch a redesigned NetExchange Pro® web site.

The redesign of NetExchange Pro® includes:


An improved navigation to speed access to client account information.
View quick search icons enabling you to access the Customer Search or Security Search functions from any screen on NetExchange Pro®.

Use your existing NetExchange Pro® user identification and password to access the redesigned site. On October 11 you can download the Release Summary from the Material Catalog Highlights section of The Source to learn about all of the new features.

http://www.netxpro.com/home.htm

Navigated through everything there that I could access as a looker-in (so to speak) ... but the only Email address I found was marketing related.

Did find this, though; but again doesn't really address our Flash issue...

Optimal Settings For NetExchange Pro®
http://www.netxpro.com/optimalsettings.htm

Perhaps within your application's HELP file there is 'contact us' information, per this...
If you are not a NetExchange™ Pro customer or you are unable to find the help that you need, please click on the Sales Support tab at the top of the page, or call your broker/dealer for assistance..

The "fix" should not be at the end-user or subscriber level, in my humble opinion, but on their plate.  I'd be aghast if you were the only one experiencing this fiasco.

Back to work.
Asta

The last input from the Asker was a workaround.... asked for more, I commented.  If points are not awarded, please don't delete, rather PAQ since a number of solutions were posted and Asker said:
"So far, my band-aid fix is working, where I went and renamed the .OCX file in the program directory of the application that keeps messing with my flash player. This is keeping this app from interfering, but I would rather lock up the TARGET from all intruders, rather than tweaking each potential intruder."

Thanks, Venabili.

Asta