Member Avatar for Inlovewithnight

Hello,

Last evening I was trying to print from my computer and was prompted to download Adobe Flash Player (from Adobe site) in order to be able to print this particular item. After downloading and installing Adobe Flash Player, I noticed a problem with AOL. I am able to sign onto AOL, however the Adobe page I was downloading from in still there and I cannot access my mail or anything else on this AOL account. I cannot close the Adobe download page. If I try to open my mail, my favorites, etc. I get the hour glass and AOL keeps saying "not responding". I did uninstall Adobe, rebooted and the problem still exists. All other email accounts on my AOL are working fine. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by jholland1964

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Brief recap: experienced AOL Desktop becoming unresponsive after a Flash Player installation. ’s suggestion to remove Flash with the official Adobe removal tool resolved the immediate problem, according to the follow-up.

If the same symptom appears elsewhere, try this ordered checklist before doing anything drastic:

  • Use Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc) to end the browser/AOL process and any plugin-host processes, then attempt the official removal tool from Adobe’s support pages.
  • If the removal tool will not run, boot to Safe Mode with Networking and run it there, or use System Restore to roll back to a point before the install.
  • If AOL Desktop still hangs after Flash removal, back up mail/settings and reinstall the AOL client (corruption in the client cache/profile can keep it frozen).
  • Check Windows Event Viewer for error entries around the time of the freeze — the error codes can point to whether a plugin, driver, or the AOL client crashed.

Security and long-term notes:

  • Adobe ended support for Flash Player in 2020; modern browsers block it. Avoid reinstalling Flash unless absolutely necessary and only use official Adobe guidance.
  • Verify any installer’s origin and digital signature, keep the OS and browser updated, and run up-to-date anti-malware scans if an installer behaves oddly.

For Adobe’s official guidance on removing Flash and on its end-of-life, see Adobe’s support pages: and Flash Player end-of-life information.

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Member Avatar for jholland1964

How did you uninstall the Adobe Flash player? In order to uninstall the most recent versions of Adobe Flash player you must use their Uninstaller to do so.

Save the file to the desk top for easy locating.
Once it is downloaded and on the desk top close ALL running applications, including all Internet Explorer or other browser windows, AOL Instant Messenger, Yahoo Messenger, MSN Messenger, or other Messengers. Check the Windows system tray carefully to make certain no applications are still in memory which might possibly use Flash Player. This is VERY important to do this because the uninstaller cannot remove files currently in use.
Once all applications are closed then run the Uninstaller.
Once it is uninstalled, reboot the computer.

Member Avatar for Inlovewithnight

Thank you! I followed your directions and used the the Adobe uninstaller. AOL is back to normal. The Adobe download page has done away.

Member Avatar for jholland1964

Fantastic. Happy to help

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