This page aims to give help and advice to visitors who are having problems with downloading the Macromedia Flash Player. For visitors who are unable to download the required plug-in because they are using very old browsers, the Navigation Without Flash page provides an alternative method of accessing the most important pages within this site.

Most problems are a result of high security settings or damaged pre-installed Flash Players preventing the upgrade.

Pre-installed Flash Players
Internet Explorer and ActiveX Controls
Internet Explorer and Install on Demand
Windows NT or Windows 2000
Netscape 6
Firewalls

Further information is available from Macromedia Support.

Pre-installed Flash Players

Flash Players pre-installed in most popular browsers, if damaged, may prevent the upgrade to the latest player. These difficulties can be resolved by uninstalling the Flash Player, downloading the latest browser from the Internet and then, if necessary, downloading and installing the Flash Player from the Macromedia Download Centre.

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Internet Explorer and ActiveX Controls

Macromedia Flash content is displayed in Internet Explorer by using an ActiveX control. When you attempt to download the Flash Player, Windows encounters a request to download the ActiveX control. Depending on your security settings, you may see a Security Warning dialog box. Click Yes to accept the ActiveX control.

If your security settings are too high, they will not permit the ActiveX controls download. Therefore, the security settings need to be changed to allow the ActiveX control to download. For more information, use to help facilty in Interent Explorer and search for Setting Security Levels.

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Internet Explorer and Install on Demand

Internet Explorer features an option called Install on Demand, which allows the user to prevent the specified ActiveX control from ever installing in the future. If this option is selected when you encounter Flash Player ActiveX controls, future installation attempts of these controls will fail.

An executable that rectifies the problem is available from Macromedia Support. Once rectified, the Flash Player can be downloaded from the Macromedia Download Centre.

To change the Install on Demand selection, select Internet Options from the Tools menu, click the Advanced tab, and then click in the Enable Install On Demand check box.

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Windows NT or Windows 2000

If you don't have administrator access to Windows NT or Windows 2000, you may not be able to install the Flash Player successfully. Contact your administrator.

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Netscape 6

The Netscape 6 browser has unique issues that Macromedia and Netscape are currently working to resolve. Macromedia recommends using the latest available release of Netscape prior to version 6.

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Firewalls

If a Firewall is installed, it is possible that high security settings may be preventing communication. For more information, consult the user manual for your Firewall.

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