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Help I'm Having Flash Player Problems!

Macromedia Flash is one of the defining applications that has shaped the internet into the dynamic and interactive experience that it is today.  Just as Shockwave and JavaScript helped shape the interactive experience, Flash has become the standard that is the most commonly used today.  Macromedia Flash powers online games, photo galleries, movies, audio clips, and even basic applications such as file upload scripts or contact forms.

As a user it can be a very frustrating experience when you begin to experience Flash player problems.  This may result in a host of problems, from websites failing to load to your computer locking up as your internet browser hangs on the non-responsive Flash application.  Luckily, Flash is not enabled on all websites and hence you are able to diagnose and troubleshoot your Flash player problems relatively quickly.

Signs that You are Experiencing Flash Player Problems:

Unlike a typical computer error, which seemingly stems from just about anything and/or everything, a Flash player problem will only present itself when Adobe Flash attempts to load, or attempts to load a specific portion of an application.  You may be experiencing some (or all) of the following symptoms:

• Flash will not initialize - If Flash doesn't load due to an error there may be several reasons for this:
  
• Incorrect code by the programmer - If this is the case there is little that you can do.  It is up to the programmer to correct their code to prevent the Flash error from occurring.
  
• A corrupt or damaged Flash installation - If your Flash plug-in installation has become corrupted or damaged it may result in a failure for Flash to function correctly (or at all).  Uninstalling and then reinstalling Flash will rectify the problem if this is the case.

• Flash will not load certain applications - This may be the result of incompatibilities between the programmers' version of Flash (the version of Flash they programmed for) and the version of Flash player that you have installed on your computer.
  
  Updating to the latest version of Flash will likely solve this problem.  If it doesn't it is due to the Flash application being outdated and posing a security risk as a result.

• The internet browser freezes/locks up - This will occur when Flash attempts to load.  If this is Flash-specific it will only do so when trying to load a Flash-enabled website.  Uninstalling and then reinstalling Flash may resolve this issue.  Other issues, such as spyware/malware, may also be causing this to occur.

Fixing Your Flash Player Problems:

Typical of any application developed for Windows, a simple uninstall/reinstall is often all you need to solve your Flash player problems and their associated woes.  However, it is imperative that you follow the correct procedure when uninstalling Flash.  Doing so incorrectly may result in errant registry entries and shared files being left on your computer, potentially causing errors down the road.

To uninstall and reinstall Flash, follow the steps below:

• Uninstall Flash via the Adobe uninstall tool - Found here (http://kb2.adobe.com/cps/141/tn_14157.html), this tool is the only way to completely remove Macromedia Flash from your system.  Choose the version that is appropriate for your operating system, download, and then run the program.
  
  Once the program has run it will have completely removed Flash from your computer.  You can verify this by trying to visit any Flash-enabled website.

• Reinstall Flash - Once Flash has been completely uninstalled, reinstall Flash by visiting the Adobe Flash website (http://www.adobe.com/products/flashplayer/).  Be sure to download the latest version (as of this writing it was version 10).