Adobe Flash Player Update - Windows 10 Havoc

roguetraderx2

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Aug 15, 2012
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The latest Adobe Flash Player Security Update, which is being force-fed by Windows 10, has brought me to a standstill.

This update prevents ANY Microsoft Office application from running. Many more apps are blocked, including Google Chrome.

Microsoft Office and Windows support personnel are pointing the finger at each other. Adobe support is non-existent for their free product.

Has anyone else run into this problem? This is really getting to be a time-sink, what with uninstalling the update continually and doing system restores.
 
Solution
you can try this method to delete flash completely. https://eksith.wordpress.com/2015/08/06/how-to-remove-flash-from-windows-10/

have not done it with flash but used the same permission changes to get into the windows apps folder and delete what i wanted to. i assume it works the same way for a couple flash files as well.

i have no clue if windows update will put it back but so far it is not replacing the apps i deleted but those are not updated through windows update. give it a shot, if nothing else you learn how to change the permissions in those "you can't see this cause MS said so" folders.

roguetraderx2

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This sounded like a great solution, so I uninstalled Adobe Flash Player altogether. Only to find out Windows 10 still downloads the Security Update for Adobe Flash Player, and forces the install of same. (I have the home version of Win 10, which does not give you the choice of whether to install a Windows Update - it's mandatory). So I am back to uninstalling the update and restarting in order to be able to use the Office programs. Can anyone tell me how this is different than ransomware? If I pay Microsoft the $100 to upgrade to Professional, I can block this dysfunctional security update.
 

Math Geek

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flash is included with edge browser and since you can't delete edge it gets updated with everything else. this is why you're getting the update. there is not anyway in home that i know of to stop individual updates. it's the way MS wants it and the way they designed it.

this is something folks told MS during the insider beta's. if they are gonna force updates, they damn sure better make sure they are all 100% good to go.

even in pro, you can't block it forever, only put it off for a little bit. eventually, even pro users will have it forced on them after a few weeks i believe it is.
 

roguetraderx2

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I have not tried repairing Office (it's the 2010 version). I'll note that once I have uninstalled the Adobe Flash Player Security Update, Office works fine. As it did before this security update was introduced. I'll try your suggestions as time permits and report back. I'll note in passing that an emergency update was issued by Adobe on 4/7/16 as the program was being used as a vehicle for ransomware. I'm not sure whether that update will make things better or worse.
 

Math Geek

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you can try this method to delete flash completely. https://eksith.wordpress.com/2015/08/06/how-to-remove-flash-from-windows-10/

have not done it with flash but used the same permission changes to get into the windows apps folder and delete what i wanted to. i assume it works the same way for a couple flash files as well.

i have no clue if windows update will put it back but so far it is not replacing the apps i deleted but those are not updated through windows update. give it a shot, if nothing else you learn how to change the permissions in those "you can't see this cause MS said so" folders.
 
Solution

Math Geek

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let me know how it works out. never tried it on this particular file but have used it to remove and tweak a ton of other stuff. i have not heard of anyone else having the problem you are having and so far i have no clue what the conflict might be. they do not interact and should in now way effect each other. however, i can't deny that you're having the issue and uninstalling the update is clearly making a difference.
 

Math Geek

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actually they both use flash player, they are just built in and not downloaded separately. the built in flash for IE 11 is what he is trying to get rid of since it is causing troubles.

just cause you did not install it yourself does not mean it is not there ;)
 

roguetraderx2

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Math Geek, you get the prize. I reviewed the labor-intensive method, but opted for the script at http://www.howtogeek.com which was mentioned later at that site. It apparently achieves the same results, without as much pain. But it does work...Adobe is gone and not coming back; Microsoft Office is working 100%, as are all my other programs. I'll post back with any updates. Thanks for the solution!

Update 4/18/16: oops, looks like I spoke too soon. It worked for a while, then Windows 10 tried to install the Adobe Flash update but failed. Now, programs won't work (e.g., Quicken won't run). Back to the drawing board - I'm going to have to do a system restore. Any other ideas?
 

Math Geek

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i'm not really sure what else to try other than digging deeper and trying to figure out why flash is causing the issues. still have no clue why flash is even making a difference to office programs as they are not related.

i have not had the issue myself nor have i heard of anyone else having this issue. i'll do some looking around and see what i may be able to find out abut what the problem might be. i was hoping the update would not retry since flash is gone but it seems win 10 has other ideas.
 

Math Geek

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i forgot about this little tool from MS https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3073930

it allows you to hide an update for a while so it won't install. i used it a long time ago and am pretty sure it did what it was supposed to. this might be a temporary fix until they fix the patch that seems to be broken. run the cab file, select hide updates without the adobe update installed!!! and it will scan and see what can be installed and give you a list. block the flash one and it should not install until there is a newer version of the update. then it will install that one.

and another question is do you have windows update set to get updates to other programs? it's possible there is a patch for office that addresses this issue. just a thought anyway.
 

Colif

Win 11 Master
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I updated to 2016 last year as I figured my copy of 2007 needed a rest and I wanted to see what had changed in 9 years... not a lot. Just more web collaboration and access to onedrive. That and they more likely to fix bugs in the new version than my 9 year old one.
 

Math Geek

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i still use 2007 :)

if you need a temp office you can use them free online from https://www.office.com/ just sign in with your MS account and you can use office apps for free through your browser. right below the top banner is a bunch of icons for the apps. click one and it will open for you to use :)

but blocking the update for flash is probably your best bet for the ability to use the office you have paid for.
 

Colif

Win 11 Master
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I got 1tb of space on Onedrive with Office 365 so i thought.. i will back up my music to it.. then it copied all my music into my Onedrive folder on C drive and the idea seemed less sane after that. Now I have moved the Onedrive folder to a 1tb partition (its about only thing on there) so its not as much as a problem (ssd only 250gb, don't need 35gb of music on it taking up space (especially when i already had the same music in another location - why Microsoft, why??)))
 

roguetraderx2

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Edit: I had lost Quicken, but after a restart, it was able to run. Then, I lost internet, but after another restart, it came back too. Not the kind of stability we'd like to see. I have not done the system restore yet, and will reserve that until such time as I am dead in the water. I'll try the latest suggestions (thanks!) and keep you posted. I will also go back into the Windows directory to see if Adobe has any vestiges hanging around. Another alternative would be doing the system restore, then going back and doing it manually as in the first link posted by Math Geek. But it should have come out the same, unless I missed something.
 

Math Geek

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i'm having this same kind of fun with the win 10 insider builds right now. i figure out a fix for a problem and get some stuff configured the way i like and then they drop a new build which wipes it all out, changes how it works and leaves me right back where i started!! i'm really starting to hate win 10 when i initially liked it.

so many issues and so few fixes......
 

roguetraderx2

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Agreed...too many issues, not ready for prime time. I should be focusing on taking advantage of the big benefits, but...I'm just trying to stay up and running. Regarding system restore, perhaps it is turned off as a default, but I have mine turned on and have been using it to restore to back when everything is working (read: when the Adobe Flash security update wasn't installed). So I am hopeful it will work for this, if it gets down to that. Failing a system restore, I also have an image from just before I deleted the Adobe files. That will work.
 

roguetraderx2

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Final update (unless something blows up): still up and running, no further restarts required. Math Geek, your solution indeed worked. I'd still be interested to hear if anyone else has had this problem...can't believe I'm the only one out there affected.
 

Math Geek

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i'm assuming you speak of the windows updater hider as the one that worked? want to be sure since i am offering that a solution to a lot of win 10 update issues right now since they are so many. it's worked for me and seems to be working for a lot of others right now :)