# Shockwave Flash not responding. **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 20, 2016, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shockwave-flash-not-responding/752685 "2016-04-20T00:24:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2016, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shockwave-flash-not-responding/752685/1 "2016-04-20T00:24:04Z")
Tegularly, my Mozilla stalls and I often get the message that Shockwave Flash is not responding. I always click the stop plugin button and eventually things start working again–for a while. Repeat. Does any Doper know what is going on and what I can do. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Alley\_Dweller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alley_dweller/32/430_2.png) [@Alley\_Dweller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alley_Dweller)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2016, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shockwave-flash-not-responding/752685/2 "2016-04-20T00:42:11Z")
Click on the hamburger icon on the right end of the bar along the top of the Firefox window (that’s the stack of three horizontal lines). Then select “Add-Ons.” Then click on “plugins” on the menu down the left side of the screen. Locate Shockwave Flash on the screen and click the “options” button to its right. On the bottom of the options screen is a drop-down menu. Change it to “Ask to Activate.” You will find that half the web pages (including the Dope) that you visit will load in a small fraction of the time that they do now. And if you really want to view a Flash animation, just click on the picture and a little drop down in the upper left corner will ask you if you want to allow this web site to use Flash. Click “Allow.” Surfing the web will be _so_ much easier and faster and you will get rid of your annoying messages. ---
**Author:** ![codgerone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c37758/32.png) [@codgerone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/codgerone)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2016, 7:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shockwave-flash-not-responding/752685/3 "2016-04-20T07:24:30Z")
I have the same problem using Chrome. I can go to task manager and stop shockwave trying to load each time but I can’t figure out a way to prevent it trying to load at all. Any suggestions gratefully received. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2016, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shockwave-flash-not-responding/752685/4 "2016-04-20T16:29:57Z")
> [@Alley\_Dweller](#): > > Click on the hamburger icon on the right end of the bar along the top of the Firefox window (that’s the stack of three horizontal lines). Then select “Add-Ons.” Then click on “plugins” on the menu down the left side of the screen. > > Locate Shockwave Flash on the screen and click the “options” button to its right. > On the bottom of the options screen is a drop-down menu. Change it to “Ask to Activate.” > > You will find that half the web pages (including the Dope) that you visit will load in a small fraction of the time that they do now. And if you really want to view a Flash animation, just click on the picture and a little drop down in the upper left corner will ask you if you want to allow this web site to use Flash. Click “Allow.” > > Surfing the web will be _so_ much easier and faster and you will get rid of your annoying messages. I just did what you said and I will get back to you whether it cures the problem. It did say “always activate” and and I changed to “ask to activate”. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2016, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shockwave-flash-not-responding/752685/5 "2016-04-20T18:09:48Z")
I tried it a while now and it seems to work much better. No mysterious stalls. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Try2B\_Comprehensive](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/try2b_comprehensive/32/65_2.png) [@Try2B\_Comprehensive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Try2B_Comprehensive)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2016, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shockwave-flash-not-responding/752685/6 "2016-04-21T05:11:48Z")
> [@codgerone](#): > > I have the same problem using Chrome. I can go to task manager and stop shockwave trying to load each time but I can’t figure out a way to prevent it trying to load at all. > > Any suggestions gratefully received. Same here. ---
**Author:** ![lms4747](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e8c25b/32.png) [@lms4747](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lms4747)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2016, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shockwave-flash-not-responding/752685/7 "2016-04-23T12:42:58Z")
#3 here. (Two is company, three is a crowd :)) It only happens on here, by the way… ---
**Author:** ![codgerone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c37758/32.png) [@codgerone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/codgerone)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2016, 9:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shockwave-flash-not-responding/752685/8 "2016-04-24T09:13:26Z")
Further investigation seems to suggest that there is a conflict which sometimes arises between Chrome and Shockwave. I wont post the link here but if you Google “shockwave flash not responding” there are instructions on how to resolve the issue. ---
**Author:** ![lms4747](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e8c25b/32.png) [@lms4747](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lms4747)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2016, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shockwave-flash-not-responding/752685/9 "2016-05-02T14:35:38Z")
Further to my previous post, the problem now has disappeared (knock on wood!) without me doing anything about it. Was anyone else that lucky?