Can I use Flash Player plugin version 11.2.202.228 with my Firefox ESR 10.0.7 instead of the most current Flash Player plugin?
I am trying the Tor web browser software pack and it comes with Firefox ESR 10.0.7.
Right now, I'm trying to install a Flash Player plugin because it doesn't have one in this Firefox ESR 10.0.7 already, or this browser just doesn't see the slightly older Flash Player 11.2.202.228 plugin that I already have already installed on this machine.
Is there a way to make this Firefox ESR 10.0.7 browser see the Flash Player plugin 11.2.202.228 that I already have installed on this machine without installing the newest, possibly problematic Flash Player plugin?
I already have the Flash Player 11.2.202.228 plugin installed on this machine, a PC with Windows 7 ULT, because the most current versions of the Flash Player plugin had some problems and they wouldn't allow Flash content to play at all, so I reverted back to a slightly older version of the Flash Player that was reliable, crash free, and most importantly, it works.
But when I try to play any Flash content in this Tor-Firefox ESR 10.0.7 browser it tells me I don't have a Flash Player on this machine, or installed as a browser plugin or add-on, and it wants me to install the most current Flash Player on this machine, which I DO NOT want to do for the reasons I stated above.
My other Firefox browser, along with Google's newest Chrome browser and a newer version of the Safari browser for Windows, plus an older Internet Explorer 8, all WORK JUST FINE with the Flash Player 11.2.202.228 that I have installed on this computer and Google Chrome and Safari didn't even require having newer Flash Player plugins installed at all... they just see the Flash Player 11.2.202.228 plugin that I already have on this machine and they play all Flash content perfectly.
So can I just make this Tor-Firefox ESR 10.0.7 browser see the existing Flash Player 11.2.202.228 plugin that I already have on this machine?... and if so, how do I do that?
Thanks for any help.
Also, I'm not able to find an actual community help forum for Tor, even via their "Torproject.org" website... is there one?
Thanks,
numetro
All Replies (12)
You should actually be using Flash 10.3 (11.2 is insecure).[[Flash 11.3 doesn't load video in Firefox#w_solution-2-downgrade-flash|Solution 2:Downgrade Flash]].
Also, is there a reason you are using Firefox ESR? It's mean for organizations, and doesn't include all the security and stability fixes that Firefox latest (15.0.1) has.
Tylerdowner,
Thanks for your reply.
As I said, I'm trying the Tor browser ( https://www.torproject.org ) software and it automatically comes with Firefox ESR 10.0.7.
This is the most recent Tor browser package that is available for Windows and I just downloaded it and started working with it yesterday.
To send me back further to an even older version of Flash, to version 10.3, seems to counter everything that Adobe says about their Flash players... they always say that only the most current versions are secure and they even freak out when I say I want to use version 11.2.202.228, yet just one or two versions back Adobe had a debacle where the newest version of their Flash player didn't work at all on most Windows machines and they screwed up millions of peoples' Flash capabilities with their forced Flash player downloads. So I figured out how to set my machine so it wouldn't automatically check for and download the newer, non-working Flash players.
I'm asking if I can make this Tor-Firefox ESR 10.0.7 browser see the Flash Player version 11.2.202.228 plugin that is working just fine with 4 other browsers on this machine.
Thanks.
numetro
Edeziri
First, 11.2 isn't being used by your other browsers. IE uses an ActiveX version of Flash which is totally different, and Chrome has Flash built in.
As for the 10.3 vs. 11.2, Flash 10.3 is currently Adobe's Extended support release of Flash. 112. doesn't receive security updates anymore, so 10.3 is the most secure version that doesn't have the stability issues that 11.3 and 11.4 have.
This is great to know, but it still isn't addressing my issue.
And I have another version of Firefox on this machine that was installed previously that is working from the Flash 11.2.202.228 player plugin quite nicely.
So let's say I use Flash 10.3 like you say is best... how can I get this Tor-Firefox ESR 10.0.7 browser to install that?
When I go to install a Flash Player plugin through this Firefox, it only gives me the option of installing the newest Flash Player plugin - ONLY.
Thanks.
See https://www.torproject.org/torbutton/torbutton-faq.html.en#noflash
(Firefox on Linux uses 11.2.202.238 because Adobe doesn't have a Flash 11.3 or later version for Linux)
When I go to the Add-ons manager, and I click on "Plugins", it has a button that says, "Learn more about add-ons".
When I click that button, it takes me to the Mozilla Firefox Add-ons page, where, if I do search for FLASH PLAYER or FLASH PLUGIN, it does not find the current or any Flash Player plugins or add-ons... it just finds a bunch of other add-ons like "Flashlight", "Flash Resizer" and "Download Flash and Video" add-ons, which are only fluffy little add-ons for doing tricks, and not the basic Flash Player.
So the Add-ons page that the Plugins tab in the Add-ons manager in Firefox can't even find a basic Flash Player plugin at all.
When I try to play a flash video or a page with Flash graphic content, I get the message bar at the top of the page that says, "Additional plugins are required to display all the media on this page - Install Missing Plugins...". And when I click that button, it gives me a panel that only gives me the option to install the newest Flash Player version 11.4.402.265, and no other options to either install a different Flash Player plugin or to make it work off of the existing Flash Player plugin that is already installed on this machine.
Now, I know where to go to download any Flash Player that I want from the Adobe Flash Player archive page... that's where I got the version 11.2.202.228 Flash Player that I have installed on this machine now.
But if I am to use the Flash Player 10.3 that you are suggesting I use, Tylerdowner, then how can I make this Firefox browser see that plugin?
Thanks.
cor-el,
I am on a Windows machine... and I wrote that above... I never said anything about Linux.
Also, as I wrote, this Tor-Firefox ESR 10.0.7 browser is giving me the option to download and install the newest Flash Player... but I don't want that and Tylerdowner is now recommending the Flash Player 10.3 for this set-up.
But what no one is telling me is how to get an existing Flash Player that's already on this machine, whether it be the most current Flash Player, or version 11.2.202.228, or version 10.3 to make this browser play Flash content.
Yes, I know that you are on Windows.
I wrote that sentence to indicate that Firefox 11.2 is only maintained on Linux and not on Windows.
It doesn't matter which Flash version you have.
The Firefox version bundled with Torbutton doesn't support plugins, so you will have to install a second Firefox version if you want to make use of plugins.
https://www.torproject.org/download/download.html.en https://www.torproject.org/torbutton/torbutton-faq.html.en#noflash
<snip>you can enable plugins by going into the Torbutton Preferences->Security Settings->Dynamic Content tab and unchecking "Disable plugins during Tor usage" box. If you do this without The Amnesic Incognito Live System or appropriate firewall rules, we strongly suggest you at least use NoScript to block plugins. You do not need to use the NoScript per-domain permissions if you check the Apply these restrictions to trusted sites too option under the NoScript Plugins preference tab. In fact, with this setting you can even have NoScript allow Javascript globally, but still block all plugins until you click on their placeholders in a page. We also recommend Better Privacy in this case to help you clear your Flash cookies.
The Tor Browser Bundle does not work with Flash or other plugins by design. If you wish to run these plugins over Tor, you need to install Tor and configure your own instance of Firefox.
cor-el,
You wrote: "I wrote that sentence to indicate that Firefox 11.2 is only maintained on Linux and not on Windows."
But I NEVER said I was using Firefox 11.2... I said I'm using the FLASH 11.2.202.228 plugin. And I said I'm using the Tor-Firefox ESR 10.0.7 browser... can I write any more clearly?
And I read the instructions at the link that you included (thanks) and I did go to Torbutton Preferences->Security Settings->Dynamic Content and I unchecked the "Disable plugins during Tor usage" box, then I restarted this browser and it still just wants me to install only the newest version of the Flash Player plugin... it still WILL NOT see the existing Flash plugin that I already have installed on this machine.
Which takes me back to my original question... which can be seen at the top of this thread in my first post.
You wrote: "If you wish to run these plugins over Tor, you need to install Tor and configure your own instance of Firefox."
cor-el, I have already installed Tor and I AM configuring my own instance of Firefox... that's what we are discussing right now... how to configure my own instance of the Tor-Firefox ESR 10.0.7 browser so it will see my existing Flash Player plugin version 11.2.202.228 that is already on this machine.
I understand that this browser comes configured so it will not work with the Flash player, but now I have set it so it should in the Torbutton prefs and the topic here, as it has been from the beginning, is how to make this instance of Firefox see the existing Flash Player plugin that is already on this machine in the same way that my other NON-TOR Firefox saw the Flash Player plugin version 11.2.202.228 after I installed it without making me install the newest version of the Flash Player.
Since I know that my other Firefox on this machine was and is capable of seeing a slightly older version of the Flash Player after I uninstalled the newer, broken Flash Player and then installed the Flash Player version 11.2.208.228, then it follows for me to assume that this version of Tor-Firefox should be able to be made to see that same Flash Player plugin once I have the Torbutton prefs set to allow that, which is what I've done now, but IT STILL WILL NOT SEE MY EXISTING FLASH PLAYER PLUGIN.
Thanks.
Edeziri
I think what cor-el means that the Tor Firefox version doesn't play Plugins and that Flash 11.2 is not supported (he mistyped Firefox 11.2). So, why do you keep trying ot use 11.2? Either use 11.4, or 10.3, 11.2 is not at all secure or supported, so 10.3 is the best option.
Wow, are we all speaking different dialects here of what?
This Tor-Firefox WILL use the Flash plugin as long as I have the Torbutton prefs set to use plugins... even cor-el states that, but apparently ONLY by way of installing the newest Flash Player plugin which would overwrite my existing Flash Player plugin.
But the newest Flash Player plugins, the last one's I experienced a couple months ago, DID NOT WORK... that's why I'm trying to stick with the Flash Player plugin 11.2.208.228, remember?
And my question is, how can I make this Tor-Firefox ESR 10.0.7 browser see my existing Flash Player plugin the way that my other regular Firefox did after installing the Flash Player 11.2.208.228 a couple of months ago after the newest forced installation of the newest Flash Player plugin didn't work because of some known issue that Adobe was writing about on the help forum?
I don't care if the Flash Player 11.2.208.228 is "supported" by Adobe or not... it works with my other Firefox, so it should work with this Firefox.
And again, what you haven't answered is (in addition to the actual question stated at the beginning of this thread) if I went and installed the Flash Player 10.3 as you are so insistent on getting me to do, how would that make this Tor-Firefox ESR 10.0.7 browser see that plugin 10.3 Flash plugin when otherwise it seems that the only Flash plugin this browser will see is the newest Flash plugin by way of installing the newest Flash Player 11.4 through the browsers installation panel... which brings me back to the same problem with the newest Flash plugins not working at all.
Am I in some kind of alternate universe where I'm speaking a different language than you guys and now Tylerdowner is assuming that cor-el made a typo that Tyler is explaining for him?
If this browser has NO WAY to see an existing Flash plugin, regardless of whether it is Flash Player 11.2 or 10.3 or version 17, then just say, "Firefox 10.0.7 cannot use an existing Flash plugin of any kind, you have to install the newest Flash Player plugin via the browser's own installation panel".
And if this is true, then, Tylerdowner, your continual insistence about using the 10.3 Flash Player plugin makes no sense at all... see what I mean? No?... okay... then just tell me that you don't understand what I'm saying and I'll try writing it over again.
This Tor-Firefox WILL use the Flash plugin as long as I have the Torbutton prefs set to use plugins... again, even cor-el states that and it is stated in the Torbutton FAQs at the link that cor-el linked for me...
https://www.torproject.org/torbutton/torbutton-faq.html.en#noflash
QUOTE:
"If you are not concerned about being tracked by these sites (and sites that try to unmask you by pretending to be them), and are unconcerned about your local censors potentially noticing you visit them, you can enable plugins by going into the Torbutton Preferences->Security Settings->Dynamic Content tab and unchecking "Disable plugins during Tor usage" box."
UNQUOTE
Okay?... thanks.
Here are the solutions.
1) Apparently Mozilla put the plugins folder in Firefox Portable ESR in the wrong place. You need to make a new "plugins" folder in the same folder that the tbb-firefox.exe file is in, so your plugins folder actually needs to be at this path... Tor-Browser>FirefoxPortable>App>Firefox>plugins and not in the location that the stock plugins folder is in that came in Firefox Portable... seems someone at Mozilla really screwed the pooch on that little error.
2) Apparently any version of the Flash Player plugin can work in this folder that you've newly created at the path shown above.
3) You need copy and paste the Flash Player plugin files that are already installed on your computer in to this new plugins folder that you've created at the path shown above. Go to the Windows system folder for the Flash Player plugin files that are already on your computer at this path... C:>Windows>System32>Macromed>Flash.
4) Copy the files flashplayer.xpt and npswf32.dll and paste them in to your new plugins folder in Firefox Portable. If your main flash player .dll file is named something like NPSWF32_11_2_202_228.dll, then change its name to just npswf32.dll.
5) If you have a 64 bit system, replace 32 with 64 in all of the instructions above.