OK, fixed it. You need to manually update to Adobe Flash 16.0.0.305. Do this by downloaded the Adobe Flash installer, for WIndows with plugin browsers. Close Firefox, run the Adobe Flash installer, and restart Firefox, you should see the Flash plugin is now 16.0.0.305. I am using older Windows XP-SP3, on an older HP box. Seems to work ok now (video sites run streams without autoblocking engaging). Network traffic inspection shows smoother bandwidth usage also.

Steps:

1) Download latest Flash plugin installer, for Windows with plugins, if using XP-SP3. Try to get the full 18 meg Flash player install program. I followed a number of different links, and eventually got to a page which had several options for different operating systems and versions of the browser used. I chose the Flash installer for Windows with browsers which use plugins (as opposed to Windows IE/ActiveX). I can't find the exact URL that has the 16.0.0.305 plugin. I will post the URL as a followup post, once I find where Adobe has it.

The file you want is: "install_flash_player_16_plugin.exe"

Note, as of date Feb. 11, 2015, the version I downloaded called "install_flash_player_16_plugin.exe" is 18,129,584 bytes.

I ran "md5sum" on it, and got:

"1bca2e01063de6925c01b21abf9654d8" as the check value.

2) Download that prgm (the install_Flash_player_16_plugin.exe), and put it whereever you put downloaded .exe files.

3) Exit Firefox.

4) Either use the "Run" box option, or click a "cmd" icon to shell out to a C:\ prompt. Find the install program, and run it. It should update the contents of directory: "C:\windows\system32\macromed\flash"

5) You can confirm the contents of that directory are updated. Check the contents of file "mms.cfg". It has two lines, and controls whether Flash updates will happen automatically, and/or in background. (I am paranoid, and I disable autoupdate... Any autoupdate program is a perfect vector for virus insertion. Use this approach at your own risk.)

6) Restart Firefox, and confirm Flash plugin is now Ver. 16.0.0.305.

This should fix the autoblocking of Flash for plugin 16.0.0.235. - Rus

Adobe issued 3 new Flash 16 versions in January alone, then another new one - .305 - in February, along with one in early December. Five new versions in 2 months time. So with updating Flash "about 1 month ago", you are probably 2 or 3 versions behind the latest Flash 16 version. Note that Adobe has its own internal updater, which by default is set to check for an update (only) once a month. Adobe does their own updates for their software, Firefox just tells you when your version is on the blocklist due to known security issues with the version you have installed. It is up to you to do a manual update between the monthly update check that Flash does for your installation.

The "solution" is for Adobe to fix their stuff. Like maybe an updater that checks for updates more frequently, and not hide their updater user preferences where users don't know where they are and be able to set it for more a frequent update check cycle. [Firefox "checks" every time Firefox is launched, as does Chrome]. Or fix the code in Flash that leads to it being so exploitable, and not have to do 5 separate security fixes in as little as a 2 month time span. Flash went almost 2 years prior to Dec 2014 without Mozilla needing to blocklist it, and when Mozilla did first blocklist it in Dec it was / is a soft-block where the user can still use it by using Allow per Flash presentation.

My advice is to grab the Extended Support Release - Flash Player 13.0.0.269 from here - https://www.adobe.com/products/flashplayer/distribution3.html - over 3/4 down that page. IMO the best version for WinXP users, as the later versions have features for Vista and later versions of Windows - won't work on WinXP or may cause problems on WinXP.

Here is the URL for direct download from Adobe, of the Flash Player plugin version 16.0.0.305. I got this info from the Neowin website. This info is current as of Feb. 11, 2015. The filename looks to be "install_flash_player.exe" instead of "install_flash_player_16_plugin.exe".

http://fpdownload.adobe.com/get/flashplayer/pdc/16.0.0.305/install_flash_player.exe

This is the security note from Adobe, explaining why this update is needed. https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/flash-player/apsb15-04.html

Hope this is useful. - Rus.

Ok, copy all that. Thanx for the quick reply, "edmeister". I just read the security post from Adobe, and I feel suitably chastened. When it works, the Flash stuff is great. I will check out the Extended Support release. Thanx for the info and the URL.

gemesys said

About 1 month ago, I updated Flash and Firefox to most current versions. Firefox 34.0.5, running on WinXP, SP3, shows Adobe Flash plugin as ver. 16.0.0.235, but this is now being blocked again. No other versions of Flash are evident. When I choose option on Flash screen to check plugins are up to date, Firefox reports Flash plugin is up to date. This program behaviour is wrong and should be fixed. Checking at Adobe, current Flash is 16.0.0.305. Who or what is broken here? Is Firefox broken, and not reporting correctly that more current Flash plugin is available? I do not appear to have previous versions of Flash installed on system. This combo of software was working correctly for a while, and then became broken, without a proper path to allow users to resolve it. If Firefox is rigged to "Block" a plugin, then it *MUST* be configured to easily and **CORRECTLY** allow that plugin to be updated. Using most current software, my clicking on the "Check for updates" feature reports that Adobe Flash is most current version. Arrrrgh!! I am now back to "diagnose and fix broken Firefox+Flash" exercise, which I just went thru. Best solution here would be to allow user to easily override the "blocking" mechanism. This would assist users who only use Flash video access on trusted sites. If there is an obvious solution to this current Flash "BLocking" goofery, please inform. Otherwise, if and when I resolve this, I will post a reply to my own question here, indicating what I did to fix this, as it appears to be affecting other Firefox+Flash users, without a clear solution being posted.

Flash Player Plugin 18.0.0.203 (click-to-play) has been blocked for so i guess flash aint gonna work either

slappersid said

Flash Player Plugin 18.0.0.203 (click-to-play) has been blocked for so i guess flash aint gonna work either

This is a old thread.

Yes the 18.0.0.203 and older version of Flash 18 branch are blocked due to critical vulnerabilities proven in wild. The current 18.0.0.209 update from Adobe since early Tuesday is not on blocklist.

https://www.adobe.com/products/flashplayer/distribution3.html https://helpx.adobe.com/security.html https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/blocked/