[SOLVED] Something confused me about Adobe Flash

[joe23]

I'm confused about how Adobe Flash works.
I know they dropped it and you can't play flash files anymore (well, there are work arounds).

But what I don't understand is even if you disconnect from the internet, how did they block all flash software like e-learning cds
from loading anymore? In other words, even when not connected to the net, if I load a e-learning cd software and try to start it up
flash no longer works. Why wouldn't it? How did Adobe know that I was loading a cd software? If I was able to use the cd software for years before with no problems and one day they decided to end flash but I'm not connected to the net, never installed some kind of "kill file" to disable all cds and softwares, how did they disable my cd from loading??

I even deleted flash entirely from my system and yet when I try to load a software/cd it still tells me this cd/flash is adobe flash player version 32 (the
latest one probably from 2020) yet the CD / software is made in 2010 or 2013.

It's creepy.

It's like they somehow injected a kill command to every software, cd, game, program, even if you weren't online. Usually if something online is discontinued
or ended, you can still use it offline / remotely / manually.

It's like if cassette players were discontinued and made obsolete due to CDs, they somehow made your home cassette player non-functional anymore and when you push the play button all stereo/radio/cassette players will no longer work. How the hell did they do that?

We all know that cassette players are no longer continued or made or supported. But that doesn't mean that if you have a cassette player still with a cassette, that you can't pop it into the player and press "play" and listen to music or the contents of the tape. We can still use cassette players and use the tapes today!

 

[Wolfshadw]

Not sure about this, but my first guess would be a Windows Security Update. Any attempt to load Adobe Flash programs is immediately shut down due to the security violation.

-Wolf sends

 

[joe23]

Good point! That sounds very reasonable and likely the cause. Any way to find which windows update it is so that I can remove it? Then flash should work again right?

 

[joe23]

Update: I tested it on a netbook I had not updated for over a year. Flash works 100% fine on it.
So you are right. It has to do with some sort of update that must've been installed in everyone's computers.

 

[Wolfshadw]

Looks like it was this Knowledge Base back in Oct 2020: KB4577586

Rumor has it, once it's been installed, it cannot be removed. If you REALLY need flash on a PC, restore to a point from before this KB was sent out or clean install Windows (assuming from an ISO before Oct 2020) and do not install this update.

Source

-Wolf sends

 

[cryoburner]

I believe Adobe may have also sent a patch that disables Flash when it checks for updates, so you may also need to disable automatic updates in Flash's settings. They likely did this so that they wouldn't have a liability on their hands if some exploit appeared for the software after it was no longer being maintained. Seeing as Flash was installed on most computers for years, it would likely be a major target otherwise.

Alternately, since some web browsers actually had Flash embedded within them, you might try running Flash apps in an older version of those browsers, and blocking them from updating. A quick search turned up at least one unofficial portable version of a browser set up specifically for that purpose, though obviously those browsers won't be getting any security updates, so they should probably only be used for running old Flash content if needed.