Annoying problem with Adobe Flash, Mac OS 10.5.8, and Google Chrome - help please.

Factual Questions
1

I have an iMac running under OS 10.5.8 and I really, really want to keep using Chrome as my browser.

For several days now, many, perhaps most, of the web pages that I visit get loaded with an error message at the top of the page saying: “Adobe Flash Player was blocked because it is out of date”. To the right of that message, there are two buttons, one offering me the chance to “Run this time” and the other to “Update plug-in”.

I have repeatedly chosen the “Update plug-in” option and then proceeded to update my Flash Player. Many times! But, it makes no difference. Even after updating, I still keep getting the same error message when I load most pages, i.e. “Adobe Flash Player was blocked because it is out of date”. (And, just to be clear, I’ve never gotten any error messages or anything else to suggest there was a problem in downloading or installing the Flash player update.)

It is important to note that because I am using the “old” Mac OS 10.5.8, I am not able to download the latest version of Adobe Flash. Instead, the Adobe update site offers me a less recent version of its Flash player that is compatible with my OS, and that’s the one I’ve downloaded and installed repeatedly. Regardless, given that I still keep getting the same error message (i.e. “Adobe Flash Player was blocked because it is out of date”), I assume that even the version that I am instructed to download by Adobe is still considered “out of date” by Chrome.

On the other hand, if I choose to “Run this time” button, things seem to function normally while I am on the current page. But, I will need to choose that option yet again the moment I go to a different page. I know it’s trivial in the grand scheme of things, but I am tired of getting the same message time after time after time . . . and then having to manually choose “Run this time”, time after time after time . . . It’s really quite annoying.

So, my questions (an answer to either one would be great):

  1. Is there any way I can avoid having to click on the “Run this time” button for (almost) every page I visit and, instead, just have it set in advance to run the outdated version of the Adobe Flash player?

OR (even better)

  1. Is there a way of upgrading to a version of the Adobe Flash player that will not considered to be “out of date” by Chrome yet still works with Mac OS 10.5.8 (recognizing that, as stated, the Adobe site fails to give me such a version)

I do apologize about the length of this post for what really seems to be a pretty clear, and minor, problem. The bottom line is that I need a Flash player that works with Mac OS 10.5.8 and that Chrome accepts as not being out of date.

As always, thanks!

2

Chrome has a Flash player built in. You can disable the Adobe player by going to the URL


chrome://plugins/

. Does that help?

3

Sadly, no (assuming I did what I was supposed to). I checked “always allowed” for the native Chrome flash player. Is there more to it than that?

Thanks for your help!

4

Is the Adobe player listed? Disable it too.

5

No, that doesn’t seem to be an option. It’s not listed there.

6

That’s odd. I’d try uninstalling Adobe Flash altogether. But I don’t really know what’s going on there.

7

I may have to do just that. But, for now, I’m gonna wait and see if anyone else has an idea. I bet I’m not the only person who’s had this issue.

I really do appreciate your efforts, though! Much obliged.

8

Exact same thing happened to me. For awhile I avoided it by using Firefox, but Chrome is a better browser for me. You probably don’t want to hear this, but my solution was to buy the new OS 10.6.8 & install it, delete Chrome, delete Flash, reinstall Chrome, reinstall Flash, in that order. Now it all runs good.

9

The problem is simple: This is ["]a bug in Chrome](Google Product Forums[1-25) that Google refuses to fix because they are dropping support for Chrome on your OS. Rather than make sure that the last version for your OS actually works properly, they have decided to just ignore the problem.

The only work around is to make Chrome accept older plugins. To do that, you have to run it with the --allow-outdated-plugins switch. Unfortunately, Apple did not make it easy to add a switch to the icon you normally use to start Chrome. I don’t have a Mac, so I can only direct you to instructions elsewhere.

The directions in Option 2 under the first answer in this Superuser forum page are the ones that I believe has largest likelihood of working correctly. Replace the line

exec /Applications/Firefox.app/Contents/MacOS/firefox-bin -ProfileManager

with

/Applications/Google\ Chrome.app/Contents/MacOS/Google\ Chrome --allow-outdated-plugins

10

So, this is one of those ‘good news, bad news’ things. The good news is that it’s not just me and the bad news is, of course, your solution. Please say it ain’t so. What a pain!!

11

Thanks so much. This is very helpful, and on a number of levels.

Truth be told, I don’t have the confidence to make the changes you’ve detailed (there always seem to be unexpected little snags along the way that I have no idea how to deal with). So, looks like I’ll just have to grin and bear it (or switch back to Firefox:(). On second thought, I may need to embrace Ulfreida’s solution. Then again, after all the frustration this has caused me, I’m not sure I want to give Chrome my “business” anymore!

12

Well, I needed a new OS anyway. I said to myself.

13

Yes - sad to say, OS X Leopard seems bound for kitty heaven soon. Running Firefox, I now cannot update Flash far enough to suit many up-to-date websites. Even Apple insists I buy Snow Leopard from a third party if I want to update to Mountain Lion.

14

Here is the solution you guys are seeking: Google Chrome Community

Basically, it’s directions on how to create a new Chrome app launcher with allow-outdated-plugins enabled so you don’t have to enter it into Terminal every time. It uses applescript, an application pre-installed on OS X 10.5.8.

15

THANK YOU!!

It works for me and, like a stone in my shoe that’s finally been taken out, I feel . . . back to normal.

Much obliged!

16

I just noticed that you seemed to have joined our merry crew, today, just to post your helpful advice. That makes me all the more grateful. Very, very good of you!

17

Very glad I could be of help. Cheers :slight_smile:

18

As an added bonus, another tip I have for you is you change change your icon for your new ChromeScript launcher to the Chrome icon and add it to your dock if you haven’t already for convenience. Then it will really be like nothing has changed.

Directions on how to change icon:

  1. Right click on your new ChromeScript file and select ‘Get Info’
  2. Open a new Finder window and in your Applications folder locate your original Google Chrome app
  3. Drag the Google Chrome icon directly from your Applications folder and drag it over the scroll-looking icon in the Upper Left corner of the Get Info window. Then release your mouse button to complete the drag-drop.
  4. Viola! You now have your brand new ChromeScript app launcher with the original Chrome icon.

And as I mention in the tutorial, make sure to update Flash from the Adobe website roughly about every month or two to keep your flash player current. If you visit this page http://helpx.adobe.com/flash-player/kb/archived-flash-player-versions.html you can scroll down near the bottom to check for recent updates to the Flash version 10.3 series. Again, always my pleasure to help out fellow Leopard users.