Unsolved
3 Apprentice
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15.5K Posts
0
515
February 2nd, 2021 06:00
Removal of Flash
I was among those people who found that, even after running the Flash Uninstaller on Win10, I still had files in Windows/System32/Macromed/Flash and Windows/SysWOW64/Macromed/Flash that were protected... I could NOT delete them. (It would prompt me for permission to proceed, but then couldn't follow-through.)
One of the files in each of those Flash subfolders was FlashUtil_ActiveX.exe ; it's another uninstaller. By running it, once from each of the Flash folders, it removed some of the files therein... but more importantly, removed protection from what was left over, so I was then able to delete them. Moreover, the Flash program icon in my Control Panel has also finally disappeared.
(Note: My EDGE Chromium had already been updated, so as to no longer access Flash.)
ky331
3 Apprentice
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15.5K Posts
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February 2nd, 2021 06:00
I just checked, and see that the page
https://www.catalog.update.microsoft.com/search.aspx?q=4577586
now offers Flash Removal for Win10 20H2 (3 separate versions for x86, x64, ARM64).
speedstep
9 Legend
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47K Posts
0
February 4th, 2021 04:00
A forensics expert who wakes from a coma with amazing new powers squares off against forces threatening the city in this live-action superhero romp.
unfortunately a windows feature update killed him immediately
RoHe
10 Elder
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45.2K Posts
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February 18th, 2021 17:00
I went through the removal process, but I'm still left with these 4 folders:
I can open them and double-click the FlashUtil_ActiveX.exe in each folder. Two of them run the Uninstaller and say "done" but nothing changes. I still can't delete the folder or its contents, because I don't have permission. Re-running the same uninstaller does the same thing.
The other two .exe say "failed to create temporary file" so I can't delete the contents or these folders either.
ky331
3 Apprentice
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15.5K Posts
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February 19th, 2021 03:00
Ron,
Two thoughts:
1) I'm assuming you ran the FlashUtil_ActiveX.exe from an administrative account... but it wouldn't hurt to try right-clicking on them to explicitly select Run as Administrator.
2) Microsoft is releasing another update KB4577586 to kill flash: Microsoft is pushing out Flash-killer update KB4577586 via Windows Update - gHacks Tech News
RoHe
10 Elder
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45.2K Posts
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February 19th, 2021 11:00
@ky331 - Yup, logged into admin account, right-clicked that utility in each folder, and ran as admin.
If I search the drive for "flash", every time I run that utility a new search result appears with a crash dump for that exe. "Faulting application name: FlashUtil_ActiveX.exe, version: 32.0.0.445"
I subsequently installed the MS update KB4577586, but it didn't remove those folders. And if I try manually, they all say I need permission from Trusted Installer, but I can't figure out how to do that...
RoHe
10 Elder
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45.2K Posts
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February 19th, 2021 17:00
UPDATE:
Hopefully, you won't need to do this to remove Flash...
This site gives 3 ways to take ownership of a file or folder that's protected by TrustedInstaller so it can be deleted.
I could not get method 1 to work. I could give ownership of the 4 Flash folders to my administrator account, but when I tried to delete the folders, I got a message saying I needed permission from that admin account now, instead of from TrustedInstaller. YRMV...
Method 2 at that site worked. CAVEAT: This method requires a registry hack so do it at your own risk, and be sure to set a System Restore point first!
Once the hack is done, right-clicking a folder or file showed a new "Take Ownership" option on the context menu. Select that and a CMD prompt window opens. Make sure it says "1 successful" and "0 failures". Then press any key to close the CMD window. Now right-click the folder/file to be deleted, select Delete, and it's gone.
I was also able to delete most -but not all- of 69 McAfee folders and files that got left behind by McAfee's own uninstaller and were being protected by TrustedInstaller.
Method 2 also provides a second registry hack to remove the "Take Ownership" option and I suggest you undo it for obvious security reasons when you're done...
RoHe
10 Elder
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45.2K Posts
0
February 21st, 2021 20:00
FWIW, I ended up with the same leftover folders and files when the MS update removed flash from my Inspiron laptop that's running Win 10 Pro, v20H2.
Made the registry mod offered at that link (above) to take ownership of those folders/files and deleted them. I then reversed the registry mod so ownership is no longer a right-click context menu option. At least this time, I knew how to do it, quickly.
I suspect a lot of PCs still have leftovers after Flash is removed...