Difference between revisions of "Adobe Flash Player Full Installer"

Revision as of 12:33, 13 November 2014

Adobe Flash Player Full Installer - stand-alone installer - offline installer

August 2014 Update- Adobe has not posted the latest full installer (offline installer) on the archive page like have have been doing for past versions. It is unknown if this is an oversight or another way to discourage people from not using their latest incarnation of GetPlus. A discussion on the Adobe community forum explains how to get the latest version.

Full Install File

Download Adobe Flash Without Adobe Download Manager - Adobe DLM - GetPlus - GetPlus is a software Adobe uses to put the Adobe Flash Player on your computer.

Adobe is not a reputable trustworthy company. Ever since they have acquired ownership of the Flash player browser plugin, they have used customer dependency on updates to the plugin to get their other products onto your computer. They have even went so far as to develop a virus like application that secretly installs on your computer along with the Flash Player plugin.

Due to mass criticism by industry experts and the media, Adobe has scaled back their push of PUP malware (malware type unwanted programs), namely inclusion of their Adobe GetPlus DLM Vulnerability. However, they still have PUP malware addons in the installer.

The best way to install updates to Adobe Flash is to get the latest full standalone installer, which is not the small web installer on their primary download page. Once you obtain the full standalone installer, make sure you uncheck any boxes to ensure you do not add additional unwanted programs to your computer.

Obtaining the Adobe Flash Player full standalone installer is sometimes difficult. The location of it is a moving target. Adobe obfuscates information about the whereabouts of the installer.

Obtaining the full installer file from a 3rd party web site other than adobe.com also has risk. Anything from a 3rd party could be modified to contain a virus or rootkit load.

Here we try to keep up with where Adobe has moved the Flash standalone full installer and share that information with you, along with a link to the installer file from Adobe.com. This way you are obtaining the file you need, directly from the vender, as to minimize your risk.

Installation Instructions

These instructions are for people using Mozilla Firefox or Opera as their primary browser, or any other browsers besides MSIE and Chrome. This will install FLASH for Firefox and MSIE.

STEP 1: Locate and download full install file.

Tip: You should always close all web browsers including all tabs and windows of the web browsers before running the installer.

!Warning - SOME VERSIONS OF THE INSTALLER will try to trick you into installing some McAfee (Firefox), or Google Toolbar (Internet Explorer), unless you untick a checkbox every time you update. It is recommended that you DO NOT INSTALL these piggyback programs. Make sure to uncheck the appropriate box within the installer interface. That box is checked by default, you will need to manually change it.

STEP 2: Run the installer by clicking on the executable file

Close all your web browser windows before you run the installer.

The installer will be an executable contained within the zip file that you downloaded. It looks something like: file flashplayer[...]win.exe

The file name will have "win.exe" at the end. The version number will also be in the file name. Click it to run.

Start the install process, but observe the next step before completion.

STEP 3: Tell Adobe Flash NOT TO AUTO INSTALL UPDATES

This is to avoid any PUP grayware. PUP (potentially unwanted program) software and toolbars are sometimes included with versions of Adobe Flash. By telling Adobe you want to manually install updates, you have an opportunity to opt-out of any future PUP malware that they attach, including their GetPlus.

See Illustration:

Other Browsers

Google Chrome provides it's own version of Flash Player. Flash Player is integrated with Google Chrome as Pepper plug-in. If you have installed Flash Player using Mozilla Firefox or Safari, Google Chrome displays it in the plug-in list. You can enable this plug-in in Chrome.

If installing for Internet Explorer, run the installer with "winax" in the file name. For Windows, running the executable that ends with .exe is recommended.

What is a Full Install File?

A Full Standalone Install File can be burned onto a CD and used to install Flash on other computers without needing access to the Internet. If you go to get.adobe.com/flashplayer/‎ you will be downloading only a small installer program that is useless if moved to other computers that do not have Internet access, because it has to connect to the adobe web site and actively download flash during the installation process. It is a useless piece of extra software that can be avoided. You will not be able to get the full installer directly from get.adobe.com/flashplayer/.

The full install file differs from the installer on the Adobe web site. Adobe wants you to use a pointless Download Manager which itself has had security issues and which is a similar size to the actual thing it is downloading. (The installer itself will download the latest version, and doesn't include the code itself, so there is still a download manager in a way, but it's not something that plugs into your web browser for no reason, and it makes sense to ensure you're installing the latest version even if the installer itself is older.) They do provide standalone installers/updaters but they keep moving around the links (and sometimes the files themselves) in an ever-changing maze of web documents.

• source: http://www.pretentiousname.com/flash_links/

Determine Flash Version

The Adobe web site has a tool that will display the current version of Flash Player on your system.

• http://www.adobe.com/software/flash/about/

The page at that link will show you which version of Adobe Flash Player you have installed as well as the current version available from Adobe.com. This is the easiest way to compare version numbers and see if your browser plugin is up to date.

Adobe Flash Player Distribution

The Adobe Flash Player Full Installer is referred to by several names:

• Adobe Flash Installer
• Flash Offline Installer
• Flash Standalone Installer

Adobe would like for you to obtain a Adobe Flash Player Distribution License before you get the full installer. This shouldn't be necessary for home users that simply want to stick the full installer on removable media so they can have it on another computer in their home, a computer that may not have an Internet connection.

Current Adobe Flash Player Distributions are sometimes available on the URL below, which is an official Adobe.com page.

That link was verified as still valid as of November 2014. However, don't count on it always being there. Adobe likes to move these locations around as part of their obfuscation efforts that frustrate consumers.

Adobe Community Forum Discussion

The Adobe Flash full installer is always on the move. To help keep up with where Adobe has relocated the file to or changes in the URL there is frequently discussion on their community user forum. Here are some useful and relevant threads on the conversation.

• Downloading offline (standalone) installer of latest Flash player?
• Where can I find the "Extended Support Release" of Flash Player for Windows or Macintosh?
• Stand-alone Flash player/projector
• Adobe Flash Player Distribution (offline installer)

Legacy Information

There previously was two options to download Adobe Flash without the Adobe Download Manager. Keep in mind that there are different versions of Flash depending on the web browser that is used to access the website.

The old Adobe Flash download links are no longer active.

• Adobe Flash Player Internet Explorer download
• Adobe Flash Player Other Browsers download

The second option is to download a developer release of Adobe Flash from the Flash Labs website. Those are often pre-releases which can contain bugs. Versions for all operating systems are offered.

• Developer Release

Get Adobe Flash and Reader without GetPlus in Firefox

From this source article, you can install Adobe without the GetPlus software.

• Next look down on the page below ‘Thank you!’ and find the line “If it does not start, click here to download”. Click on the link that is “Click here to download”

Adobe Installer on the Move

Adobe Corp didn't like people circumventing the GetPlus installation so they changed the way Flash player downloads. Adobe has updated their site and you can get find the direct link to the installers.

Adobe’s updated their site and the work-around is no longer an option.

Additional Information

additional links

• http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer/otherversions/
• http://helpx.adobe.com/flash-player/kb/archived-flash-player-versions.html#main_Archived_versions

Avoid the Adobe GetPlus DLM Vulnerability and Download Adobe Flash Without Adobe Download Manager - Adobe DLM - GetPlus - GetPlus is a software Adobe uses to put the Adobe Flash Player on your computer.

There are basically two options to download Adobe Flash without the Adobe Download Manager. Keep in mind that there are different versions of Flash depending on the web browser that is used to access the website.

To download Adobe Flash directly use the setup file direct links.

• Adobe Flash Player Internet Explorer download
• Adobe Flash Player Other Browsers download

The second option is to download a developer release of Adobe Flash from the Flash Labs website. Those are often pre-releases which can contain bugs. Versions for all operating systems are offered.

• Developer Release