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Are there plans to fix the problem of Adobe Flash crashing in Firefox?

  • 6 cavab
  • 16 have this problem
  • 3 views
  • Last reply by Patti

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I have read that the current advice is to disable protected mode if Adobe Flash is constantly crashing in Firefox. This is not really a solution, as the instructions to do this readily admit it makes my computer more vulnerable. I much prefer Firefox to Internet Explorer, but do not want to compromise my computer security, and Adobe Flash works fine in IE at the moment.

Are there any plans at Mozilla to actually fix the problem beyond telling us to disable the security setting? Thanks for any insight!

I have read that the current advice is to disable protected mode if Adobe Flash is constantly crashing in Firefox. This is not really a solution, as the instructions to do this readily admit it makes my computer more vulnerable. I much prefer Firefox to Internet Explorer, but do not want to compromise my computer security, and Adobe Flash works fine in IE at the moment. Are there any plans at Mozilla to actually fix the problem beyond telling us to disable the security setting? Thanks for any insight!

All Replies (6)

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Hi Pattit,

Adobe flash player is no longer required to watch videos on browsers, I uninstalled mine a while ago and have not had issues with watching videos on firefox. Try it, you can always reinstall if necessary. One reason for the crashes though is an outdated flash player, try updating your Adobe.

Good luck.

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Hi madmagic! I appreciate your response.

Unfortunately, I am using the most current version of Flash, in fact, it started crashing when I updated it because of the security warnings. And, while it is not needed for many websites, it turns out that one of my favorite sites uses it almost exclusively - for the games. 8-( And a job site my son was accessing used Flash too for an instructional test! Guess I will have to stick with IE.

Thanks for taking the time to respond!

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If protected mode being enabled/disabled is the difference between crashing/not crashing, then your choice is pretty stark. If you have been submitting crashes to Mozilla (a crash reporter dialog may appear after a crash), you could add the comment PROTECTED MODE ENABLED! to the crash so those are easier to spot. Otherwise, it may not be clear whether that setting was involved.

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Protected mode is enabled by default, right? I have not disabled it since hubby would rather I don't - hence my switch to IE.

When it crashes, which is every single time, it also always says "no crash report available." Pretty frustrating, kind of like the messages you get when Windows blue screen of death's you.

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You are correct, protected mode is enabled by default. Did you test disabling it to see whether that is the issue? I think this page is safe for testing: https://www.adobe.com/software/flash/about/

I'm not sure what causes "no crash report available."

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Hi again jscher2000!

I have now tested turning off protected mode, and after a Firefox restart, the Flash player no longer crashed. I know you said that Protected Mode likely would not help against the exploits, but it makes me nervous nonetheless. So, for now I will stick with IE when I need to use Flash.

I truly appreciate your help!