Installing Flash

[fishmaven]

I'd like to watch flash from my Mac, not my PC laptop. I've tried installing the newest Flash 10.something and older Flash 9.0. It didn't install into Safari or Firefox. When I do a find I'm told that Flash IS installed but looking at Firefox plug-ins or apps in Safari I can't find that flash is installed. Following some instructions elsewhere, I removed Flash and re-installed it multiple times. Is the problem that I'm using OS 10.5.8 and Firefox 3.5.3? I understand that many have similar problems with Snow Leopard. Is there a fix? Thanks for reading this. Dan

 

[vansmith]

Flash is installed by default in OS X and works out of the box. So, it should work unless it's been removed or renamed.

In Firefox, if you type in "aboutlugins" in the address bar (w/o the quotation marks) and hit enter, you should be given a list of installed plugins. Do you see a section called "Shockwave Flash"? Are the plugins enabled (last column)?

 

[fishmaven]

Adobe Shockwave and Reader show up. Flash does not. Are you SURE Flash works "right out of the box"? I've been told you have to activate it by going into terminal or installing MAMP.

BTW, I DID have to reseat the ram when I got my mini. I don't think I re-installed the OS though. The Mini came with 10.5.7 and I updated to 10.5.8. I KNOW I didn't rename Flash.Dan

 

[vansmith]

If you're referring to the MAMP I'm thinking about, it has absolutely nothing to do with Flash. If you go to "/Library/Internet Plug-Ins" do you see the files "Flash Player.plugin" and "flashplayer.xpt"? To get to this folder, click on your hard drive and then the Library folder - don't look in the Library folder in your home directory.

 

[fishmaven]

Re MAMP: You're right. I'm working on a couple of problems and confusing myself and others.

I've looked under plug-ins in my Firefox floder and although Shockwave is there Flash is not. i'll look in the "library" though. Although, if it were there and the files i want to open are flash files, shouldn't they open when I click them? The files are .exe and when loaded into my PC are instantly recognized as Flash files. They start playing immediately.

Both files are there and I can see where the plug-in has been modified to 10.0 r32 today. Why doesn't it start playing the files?Dan

 

[vansmith]

Ah-ha! I thought you were having problems with Flash as a browser plugin but what you have is not something that runs in a browser. It appears that someone has taken a Flash file and made it into a Windows executable. Windows executable files (exe files) do not run natively on the Mac and as such, you will be unable to use them. What is it you are trying to view/use? Is their an alternative?

 

[fishmaven]

OK. Is there a way to save it on my PC and take it back to my Mac for viewing? My Mac has a bigger screen and a much larger harddrive. I don't want to clutter up the PC with stuff I'd rather use elsewhere. Thanks. BTW, if you do a Goggle search on opening .exe on a Mac you're told that Flash will open them if it's a flash file. Dan

 

[vansmith]

I've never seen that. If you have the swf file though and know that it will work in Flash 9, you can download the Standalone Player for Flash here (Intel Macs only). There doesn't seem to be one available for download for Flash 10.

 

[fishmaven]

Thanks for your help. Dan