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How do I disable Firefox's automatic disabling of Flash? Please provide an answer, not a lecture on security.

  • 5 replies
  • 1 has this problem
  • 7 views
  • Last reply by James

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Is there an "about:config" option that will allow me to *completely* disable Firefox's blocking of Flash? Every site I use uses Flash, and since I have to clear all cookies and website data regularly, I *always* have to click on *TWO* annoying pop-up boxes where I have to say "Allow Flash". I need to disable this obscene annoyance, and just use Flash. I will risk the steganographic payloads, etc, etc. Is there some kind of option in the "about:config" parameters that can let me disable the auto-block of Flash? I need Flash to "just work". Recently one website that is critical to me, has started using an annoying spinning circle, which is Javascript+flash generated, and access to the website is blocked, if the stupid flash-driven spinning circle throbber is not allowed. There is too much gunk in Firefox now, but I need Flash to "just work" - no more nonsense. Do I have any other options to achieve this, other than downloading the source code, and building my own custom version of Firefox? I'd rather avoid that if possible (as I am doing something like this now, on another project - but for an emulator, not a browser.) Please only respond to this request if you can actually provide an answer. No lectures please - just answer, if possible. Thank-you.

Is there an "about:config" option that will allow me to *completely* disable Firefox's blocking of Flash? Every site I use uses Flash, and since I have to clear all cookies and website data regularly, I *always* have to click on *TWO* annoying pop-up boxes where I have to say "Allow Flash". I need to disable this obscene annoyance, and just use Flash. I will risk the steganographic payloads, etc, etc. Is there some kind of option in the "about:config" parameters that can let me disable the auto-block of Flash? I need Flash to "just work". Recently one website that is critical to me, has started using an annoying spinning circle, which is Javascript+flash generated, and access to the website is blocked, if the stupid flash-driven spinning circle throbber is not allowed. There is too much gunk in Firefox now, but I need Flash to "just work" - no more nonsense. Do I have any other options to achieve this, other than downloading the source code, and building my own custom version of Firefox? I'd rather avoid that if possible (as I am doing something like this now, on another project - but for an emulator, not a browser.) Please only respond to this request if you can actually provide an answer. No lectures please - just answer, if possible. Thank-you.

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Just an update: I am going thru all the "about.config" parameters. I have toggled & tested "Security.mixed_content.block_active_content" and "browser.flash_protected_mode_flip.done /.enable", but none of these worked. I **really** want to disable the automatic blocking of Flash plugin by Firefox. When I access a Flash-enabled website, I get "Firefox has prevented the outdate plugin "Adobe Flash" from running on ..." I *MUST* have this "autoblock of Flash" feature disabled, and there must be a way to do this. Please let me know what this is. If the only option is to build by own version of Firefox from source, I will do this. Thank-you.

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Sorry, there is no preference to disable the blocking of "block listed" add-ons. "Ask to Activate" is really the only choice that is provided.

Check your Inbox from the top of the forum pages for a PM I will be sending.

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I wonder whether preserving permisions.sqlite would be the answer. Or maybe creating a suitable edited copy of that file with just the domains set to use FlashPlayer

Not something I have studied closely but from looking at another problem it could be an easy workaround presuming that your list of domains is known in advance. Because it seems those saved per site permissions overide the FlashPlayer preferences.

Effectively you are creating the permissions programmatically equivalent to all the annoying clicking.

... I had not noticed before but the setting per site now seems to take precedence over the Plugin's settings in about:addons If I set Flash Player to never activate in about:addons It will still activate from a webpage such as adobe's page, if that is set to play. Note these permissions may be checked from each individual domain's webpage's page info button on the left of the addressbar. If you renamed permissions.sqlite whilst Firefox was closed Firefox would regenerate a file on restarting that would have default values. However you would have other changes, a better solution would be to edit the database itself to reset specific permissions.

P.S. Click on the Lego Brick icon on the left of the addressbar between the (i) button and the URL to see the FlashPLayer status.

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gemesys said

Is there an "about:config" option that will allow me to *completely* disable Firefox's blocking of Flash?

I don't think so.

Every site I use uses Flash, and since I have to clear all cookies and website data regularly, I *always* have to click on *TWO* annoying pop-up boxes where I have to say "Allow Flash".

First, if Flash is up-to-date, you can set it to Always Activate on the Add-ons page. In fact, that is the default setting until Flash gets out of date.

Second, If you have granted site-specific permissions to always allow Flash, you do not need to delete them when removing cookies, cache, history, etc. The way to avoid deleting them is not to remove "Site Preferences" when you clear history data. You'll see that checkbox if you click the Details/Settings button the next time before you zap data. (In the Clear Recent History dialog, click Details, and on the Options page, if setting Firefox to clear history when it closes, click the Settings button.)

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gemesys said

How do I disable Firefox's automatic disabling of Flash?

It is not automatic. The 24.0.0.186 for Windows, Mac and now Linux support was released on Dec 13. The Blocklist was updated on Dec 20.

https://addons.mozilla.org/blocked/ December 20, 2016: Flash Player Plugin 23.0.0.205 to 23.0.0.207 Flash Player Plugin on Linux 11.2.202.643 to 23.0.0.207

Adobe releases security bulletins on their products like Flash Player and Mozilla decides whether the security concerns were critical enough to warrant adding previous versions affected to the list for click to play soft blocking. https://helpx.adobe.com/security.html#flashplayer

There has been a number of occasions where a previous Flash Player version was not added to blocklist since Dec 2014 and was only added to list when a newer version range was added. The majority of updates were to fix critical security concerns since.

Modified by James