Flash 11.3 crashes

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  • Revision id: 26712
  • Created:
  • Creator: PacmanJr
  • Comment: I added a new solution - "Disabling Hardware Acceleration" in Flash itself.
  • Reviewed: Yes
  • Reviewed:
  • Reviewed by: Verdi
  • Is approved? No
  • Is current revision? No
  • Ready for localization: No
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Some users have reported that a recent version of Flash 11.3 is crashing more frequently than previous versions of Flash. If you are experiencing excess crashes, please try updating to the latest version of Flash.

If that doesn't help, disable "Hardware Acceleration" - something which not all video drivers do well with Flash yet.

As a Last Resort, downgrading to Flash 10.3 or Flash 11.2 has been reported to work. However, youtube will nag and nag and nag you to update. Nag nag nag, we can't show you this video even though we haven't changed anything, we just demand that you use the latest buggy flash version.

Adobe has recently updated Flash to version 11.3. Some users have reported that this version of Flash is crashing more frequently than previous versions of Flash. If you are experiencing excess crashes, make sure your flash is up to date.

If that doesn't help, try to disable hardware acceleration in the Flash Settings. I don't own a mac, so I can't walk you through it, but it works for everyone else. Everyone else just right clicks on a youtube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6dXK2mJK1c and selects "Settings". Note that this is likely distinct from "Global Settings". From there, we find the Display tab - the one that's open by default! And uncheck the box for "Enable Hardware Acceleration" - the only item in that tab.

If a mac user can coherently walk someone through this process, please register. Once you're logged in, you'll see an item in the right-side menu of this very article to edit this. If you would, please fill in the missing details, and delete this paragraph of pleas for help.

As a Last Resort, downgrading to Flash 10.3 or Flash 11.2 has been reported to work. However, this may keep you from being able to use certain sites. Youtube may nag you to update flash before allowing you to watch anything.

Shame on you for not checking with your distro's forum first! If you did check there, well... it's simple. But seriously, Ubuntu Forums is a relatively idiot-proof place to find solutions. Arch's wiki is helpful even for other distros. And there's always Linux Forums. We've known about this one in the Linux Community for a while. If there's anything wrong with Flash video, this is the first thing to tell you, even without reading your problem. The only new thing here is that our solution apparently works for other people too. 
So, Disabling Hardware Acceleration.  Right Click on an active youtube video, hit "Settings" (not "Global Settings") and uncheck the "Enable Hardware Acceleration" box under the display tab.  The tab that is active first.  Yes, that one.  Wasn't that easy?

Oh, you got some weird right-click menu that didn't list "Settings"? Yeah, that happens on some people's channels. Try it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6dXK2mJK1c

Note: This article is specifically for crashes with Flash 11.3. If you are experiencing issues with Flash 11.3 such as video appearing black, white or grey and never playing, please see Flash 11.3 doesn't load video in Firefox.

Solution 1: Update to Flash 11.3.300.262 (released June 21)

Adobe has just released an update that they believe fixes this issue. To update Flash, follow these instructions:

  1. Go to Adobe's Flash Player download page and download the Flash installer.
    Caution: Adobe's download page may include a checkbox for optional software (such as Google Chrome or McAfee Security Scan) that is selected by default. If you do not clear the checkbox before downloading, that software will be installed on your computer when you open the Flash installer.
  2. When the download has finished, close Firefox. Click the Firefox menu Fx89menuButton and select Exit.Click the Firefox menu at the top of the screen and select Quit Firefox.Click the Firefox menu Fx89menuButton and select Quit.
  3. Open the Flash installer file you downloaded and follow the instructions.
Note: If you are having problems with the Flash installer from Adobe's download page, you can use this Flash Player installer link to directly download the full installer.
  1. Go to Adobe's Flash Player download page and download the Flash installer.
  2. Click the Firefox menu Fx89menuButton and select Exit.Click the Firefox menu at the top of the screen and select Quit Firefox.Click the Firefox menu Fx89menuButton and select Quit.
  3. Open the file you downloaded (i.e. install_flash_player_osx_intel.dmg).
  4. In the Finder, open the Install Adobe Flash Player.app to run the installer, then follow the installer's instructions.
  1. Go to Adobe's Flash Player download page.
  2. When prompted, save the file (i.e. install_flash_player_"version"_linux."processor".tar.gz).
  3. Click the Firefox menu Fx89menuButton and select Exit.Click the Firefox menu at the top of the screen and select Quit Firefox.Click the Firefox menu Fx89menuButton and select Quit.
  4. Open a Terminal window (in Gnome, click on the Applications menu, select Accessories, and then select Terminal.)
  5. In the Terminal window, change to the directory where you saved the file you downloaded (e.g. cd /home/user/Downloads).
  6. Extract libflashplayer.so from the file you downloaded with the command tar -zxvf install_flash_player_"version"_linux."processor".tar.gz.
  7. As the super user, copy the extracted file, libflashplayer.so, to your Firefox installation directory's plugins sub-directory. For example, if Firefox is installed in /usr/lib/mozilla, use the command sudo cp libflashplayer.so /usr/lib/mozilla/plugins and then enter your super user password when prompted.

    0a85171f1802a3b0d9f46ffb997ddc02-1260326970-447-1.png

Solution 2: Disable Hardware Acceleration

Step 1: Go to a youtube video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6dXK2mJK1c

Some youtube channels mess with the menus. This one works though. Open it in a new tab. Pause the video if you want.

Step 2: Right Click on the video and hit "Settings" on the menu that comes up

It is third from the bottom.  "Global Settings" is something else.

Step 3: Navigate to the "Display" Tab

For most, it's already up. The tabs are on the bottom. this time, because Adobe had to be "special" and disorienting. Its the tab all the way on the left.

Step 4: Uncheck the Box

Its to the left of some text that says, "Enable Hardware Acceleration". There reason I say "The box" is that its the only thing the Display Tab has. That's it. Nothing else. This was Soooo Important that it gets its own tab, and its the first one up.

Step 5: Close the Menu

The "Close" Button is on the bottom Right of this pop-up menu. Unless something is actually wrong, your Flash is now Fixed!

Solution 3: Pull Teeth by Downgrading to an earlier version of Flash

Step 1: Uninstall Flash 11.3

To uninstall Flash 11.3 on Windows, you will need to use the uninstaller provided by Adobe.

Note: You may want to write down these steps or print them out as you will have to close Firefox during this process.
  1. Download the uninstaller program from Adobe - uninstall_flash_player.exe (671 KB)
  2. Click the Firefox menu Fx89menuButton and select Exit.Click the Firefox menu at the top of the screen and select Quit Firefox.Click the Firefox menu Fx89menuButton and select Quit.
  3. Run the uninstall Flash program that you download and follow the prompts.
  4. When you are finished, start Firefox again and continue with the next section.

See the Adobe help article Uninstalling Flash Player on Windows for more details.

Step 2: Install Flash 10.3 or 11.2

Important: If you install Flash 10.3, you will get a player with all known security patches applied but without all of the features of Flash 11.2. If you install Flash 11.2, your player might not have all of the known security updates applied.

The following instructions will show you how to download and install Flash 10.3. If you wish to install Flash 11.2 instead, you can get it from the Flash Player Archive page. For more information about installing Flash 11.2, please see How do I revert to a previous version of Flash Player? on the Adobe forum.

Note: You may want to write down these steps or print them out as you will have to close Firefox during this process.
  1. Download Flash 10.3 from the Adobe site - install_flash_player_10_plugin.exe
  2. Click the Firefox menu Fx89menuButton and select Exit.Click the Firefox menu at the top of the screen and select Quit Firefox.Click the Firefox menu Fx89menuButton and select Quit.
  3. Open your downloads folder and double-click the file named install_flash_player_10_plugin.exe to start the installation.
  4. Follow the instructions in the installer. When the installation is complete you can open Firefox again.
Important: It will be important to install the update that fixes this issues as using the latest version of Flash is critical to keeping your computer safe.

Solution 1: Disable Hardware Acceleration

HELP WANTED

If you own a mac and are tech savvy enough to find this out for yourself, we need you to register and fill us in. Because I don't own one, I just found that this works on Windows. Its has long been the flash video solution on Linux and BSD. We don't even hear people out about what their problem is - they complain about "Flash Video", and we reflexively tell to do this.

It's part of how flash runs. This "Hardware Acceleration" features is what made the upgrade from 10 to 11 happen, or you'd still be running version 10. Too bad its just that buggy for everyone. Basically, Flash asks your video card to handle the video. And Flash doesn't always play well with your video card's drivers yet. So far, it looks like Adobe is content to leave this be for everyone, not just Mac users.

I Think this will work?

Go to a youtube video that isn't anyone's official channel or anything. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6dXK2mJK1c

It is okay to pause the annoying video. Hold Ctrl while you click on the video-box itself. On the menu that pops up hit "Settings" (not "Global Settings") and uncheck the "Enable Hardware Acceleration" box under the display tab. This tab should be up first. "Settings" is Third from the bottom for everyone else. If this works, please edit out my rambling.


Solution 2: Going around Robing Hood's Barn to trade one annoyance for another

Step 1: Uninstall Flash 11.3

To uninstall Flash 11.3 on Mac OSX, you will need to use the uninstaller provided by Adobe.

Note: You may want to write down these steps or print them out as you will have to close Firefox during this process.
  1. Download the uninstaller program from Adobe:
  2. Click the Firefox menu Fx89menuButton and select Exit.Click the Firefox menu at the top of the screen and select Quit Firefox.Click the Firefox menu Fx89menuButton and select Quit.
  3. Double-click the .dmg file that you downloaded to open a folder with the uninstall Flash program.
  4. Double-click the uninstall Flash program and follow the prompts.
  5. When you are finished, start Firefox again and continue with the next section.

See the Adobe help article Uninstalling Flash Player on Mac OS for more details.

Step 2: Install Flash 10.3 or 11.2

Important: If you install Flash 10.3, you will get a player with all known security patches applied but without all of the features of Flash 11.2. If you install Flash 11.2, your player might not have all of the known security updates applied.

The following instructions will show you how to download and install Flash 10.3. If you wish to install Flash 11.2 instead, you can get it from the Flash Player Archive page. For more information about installing Flash 11.2, please see How do I revert to a previous version of Flash Player? on the Adobe forum.

Note: You may want to write down these steps or print them out as you will have to close Firefox during this process.
  1. Download Flash 10.3 from the Adobe site - install_flash_player_10_osx.dmg
  2. Click the Firefox menu Fx89menuButton and select Exit.Click the Firefox menu at the top of the screen and select Quit Firefox.Click the Firefox menu Fx89menuButton and select Quit.
  3. Open your downloads folder and double-click the file named install_flash_player_10_osx.dmg to open a folder with the Flash 10.3 install program.
  4. Double-click the Flash 10.3 installer to start the installation.
  5. Follow the instructions in the installer. When the installation is complete you can open Firefox again.
Important: It will be important to install the update that fixes this issues as using the latest version of Flash is critical to keeping your computer safe.