About that Flash-zapping patch, KB 4577586? One leeetle problem. It doesn’t remove Flash.

Topic

New Reply

Earlier today Microsoft released KB 4577586, the “Update for the removal of Adobe Flash Player: October 27, 2020.” As Susan notes in the entry below,
[See the full post at: About that Flash-zapping patch, KB 4577586? One leeetle problem. It doesn’t remove Flash.]

9 users thanked author for this post.

Microfix, Elly, jburk07, lmacri, geekdom, rontpxz81, Fred, HiFlyer, GreatAndPowerfulTech

Reply | Quote

Replies

[gborn]

Made also the experience, that Adobe Flash files was left in WinSxS – found them with a search. Was able to execute FlashUtil_ActiveX.exe as administrator from WinSxS folder. An Adobe uninstaller window is shown – but the uninstaller didn’t do anything. I’m confused.

Also I received feedback from a user, that the update for Windows Server 2012 R2 wasn’t installable.

Update KB4577586 removes Flash in Windows 8 – 10/Server

Ex Microsoft Windows (Insider) MVP, Microsoft Answers Community Moderator, Blogger, Book author

https://www.borncity.com/win/

• This reply was modified 4 years, 4 months ago by gborn. Reason: typos
• This reply was modified 4 years, 4 months ago by gborn.

5 users thanked author for this post.

jburk07, lmacri, Great Lake Bunyip, HiFlyer, woody

Reply | Quote

“Applying this update will remove Adobe Flash Player from your Windows device.”

I think you missed the point. It (probably) intend to remove installed Flash not the embedded flash in IE/Edge.

Two weeks ago after a restart I got big notice on my screen from Adobe advised to remove Flash, which I did. I don’t have Flash any more. This uninstall had nothing to do with Flash in browsers.

5 users thanked author for this post.

jburk07, abbodi86, lanceboil, Geo, CAS

Reply | Quote

It’s because it only removed the ActiveX version used by IE11 and Edge Legacy. Edge Chromium includes its own bundled version of Flash (like Chrome). This is removed in Edge 88, which should reach stable channel in January.

2 users thanked author for this post.

jburk07, abbodi86

Reply | Quote

[RDRguy]

Well, if one really wants to remove the IE/EDGE embedded Flash now, one could try to use @ch100’s method of removing the embedded (built-in) flash in Windows 10 & 8.1 as previously documented in Sep 2018 in AskWoody’s post How to remove the built-in version of Flash in Win10 and 8.1.

Maybe someone here could automate @ch100’s method via batch or PowerShell script 🙂

Win7 - PRO & Ultimate, x64 & x86
Win8.1 - PRO, x64 & x86
Groups A, B & ABS

• This reply was modified 4 years, 4 months ago by RDRguy.
• This reply was modified 4 years, 4 months ago by RDRguy.

2 users thanked author for this post.

jburk07, HiFlyer

Reply | Quote

I was on my older 8.0 Pro computer when I read this. I had zero problems getting rid of Flash on this far superior (to Windows 10 garbage on my newer computer) version of Windows.

Right after I read this thread, Adobe kindly flashed a big screen on my computer and told me to uninstall Flash and thanked me for using it all these years.

It uninstalled cleanly. It is completely gone on this computer. NO SIGN of it as an installed plugin on Basilisk, Fx or IE or anywhere else on this computer.

I haven’t been using this computer much recently but I plan to use it a lot more as Windows 8.0 Pro is superior to Windows 10 1809 I have on my newer computer.

I have NEVER gotten a message from Adobe on the Windows 10 computer about uninstalling Flash. Flash is set to “Ask” on all Windows 10 browsers so I’m leaving it for now as I am curious if Adobe will get around to eventually giving me the same screen on Windows 10 that it did on Windows 8 telling me to uninstall Flash.

2 users thanked author for this post.

jburk07, rontpxz81

Reply | Quote

KB 4577586 is not applicable to Windows 8 so you won’t see it.

cheers, Paul

Reply | Quote

These is a version for win 8.1 https://www.catalog.update.microsoft.com/search.aspx?q=4577586

Reply | Quote

Mele20 says he has Windows 8.0.

cheers, Paul

Reply | Quote

In our tests, though, Adobe Flash Player remained installed after installing the update

That quote at BleepingComputer now reads:

In our tests, the Flash Player (32-bit) version bundled in Windows 10 and managed via the Control Panel is removed by this update.

4 users thanked author for this post.

jburk07, lmacri, wavy

Reply | Quote

[Geo]

I use Firefox.  I went into add on’s  plug in’s  and deleted flash. Browser only  not embedded version.

• This reply was modified 4 years, 4 months ago by Geo.
• This reply was modified 4 years, 4 months ago by Geo.

Reply | Quote

What a clickbait article 🙂

it’s like Lawrence Abrams uses Windows for the first time, and does not know the difference between inbox Flash Player for IE11 (and legacy Microsoft Edge), and the “external” Flash Player plugins for other Browser

this update only uninstall the inbox Flash, which is under Microsoft responsibility

and it’s doing it using the exact same method used to remove Windows Journal with update KB3161102
that’s by superseding flash components with higher-version empty components, causing it to be removed from System32 directory

yes, it will still exist in WinSxS directory
if you want to remove that too, simply run Dism /ResetBase

3 users thanked author for this post.

AlexEiffel, jburk07, lmacri

Reply | Quote

The Flash Player bundled with Windows is located in C:\Windows\System32\Macromed\Flash directory. After I installed this update, the folder has become clean, no reboot required. Now in IE 11 addons there’s no Flash.

So in my test, all is ok, by installing KB 4577586 flash was removed and windows cannot use it anymore.

P.S. Yes, you could find it in WinSxS folder and run manually, but this is not the default windows behavior 🙂

1 user thanked author for this post.

jburk07

Reply | Quote

Just a suggestion; before you delete Flash from your browser, think about any important sites that may require it’s use. Thankfully, before I deleted Flash from Firefox, I checked out my online banking site and, without Flash I couldn’t log on. (I have an add-on called Flash Block (Plus) that lists all the sites that require Flash, so it was easy to find them.) There are several other important sites that wouldn’t operate without it, as well. So, for me, Flash , in it’s disabled status) remains on Firefox and IE 11, notwithstanding the fact that I installed the patch that removed it from Win 10.

CAS

 

2 users thanked author for this post.

AngryJohnny75, jburk07

Reply | Quote

You need a new bank. At this point, only incompetence, laziness, or outright contempt for users’ security would lead a bank to continue using Flash.

Group K(ill me now)

4 users thanked author for this post.

wavy, CAS, AlexEiffel, agoldhammer

Reply | Quote

Believe it or not, I deleted Flash from Firefox today I had no problem connecting to my bank. Not so yesterday. Go figure?

CAS

Reply | Quote

Totally agree with you CAS. I stated something similar in the other thread. Some vendors, training sites, and even some banks are still using it today. Our IT department can’t dictate to the business which banks or vendors we can deal with just because that entity uses some out-of-date technology for some business critical functionality. Our IT department can’t make the changes for that slow moving third party vendor, either.

Some people are asking us what happens if someone demands access to Flash after the eol date?

Like I stated previously, I have a feeling that when Flash goes away altogether, the aftermath will be much worse than Y2K was.

Reply | Quote

I just ran the update for Win 2004 and it did just what MSFT promised, removed Flash from the System32 folder.  Wow, an update that worked first time!!!

Reply | Quote

It DOES remove it from Windows 1809. I just did the Cumulative Update for Oct for 1809. Then I ran Belarc Advisor and it complained that Flash Player ActiveX version was outdated. So, I installed this patch to remove Flash. Then I ran Belarc Advisor again and it’s happy now. It shows no outdated Flash or any Flash on my system.

Then I ran Agent Ransack which found four Flash Player files still on my system. They are all zero bytes. I had already removed it from my gecko based browsers. So, I checked Vivaldi and Brave and it is removed from them also. Then I checked IE 11 (which I almost never use) and checked Adobe’s Flash Help page. Flash Player is NOT installed in IE 11. It IS still installed in Edge Legacy but is disabled (which is default).

Reply | Quote

Wonder how this patch affects DISM and SFC?
Will the DISM online restore health switch may re-introduce flash!?
Anyone run SFC after installing this patch?
I’m leaving flash blocked as is, and has been for years, and wait until WU offers a killer patch.

If debian is good enough for NASA...

1 user thanked author for this post.

DriftyDonN

Reply | Quote

It is official CBS package, totally compatible with Dism and SFC

and it’s permanent
nothing will restore Flash except previous restore point (if any)
or uninstalling the update with workaround

2 users thanked author for this post.

Microfix, PKCano

Reply | Quote

Bit the bullet and run the patch which was successful in removing the MS integrated version of Flash on three Win8.1 devices and W10 1909. Extraneous remnants were removed using 3rd party cleaner. SFC all good, bye bye flash! yes!

If debian is good enough for NASA...

Reply | Quote

What Extraneous remnants? 🙂

Reply | Quote

I can’t remember, think it was a small ocx file and a registry key

If debian is good enough for NASA...

1 user thanked author for this post.

geekdom

Reply | Quote

For those concerned about Flash being left behind in the Windows side by side folder, and not comfortable running a command line utility (as the one mentioned a few posts above this one) or a PowerShell command, why not run the Windows Update Cleanup feature of the Disk Cleanup utility?

After all, I thought the purpose of WU Cleanup was to thin out the WinSxS folder by getting rid of superseded and/or uninstalled stuff that ordinarily would stay in the folder creating a massive folder, like it did in Win 7 before WU Cleanup was introduced. After running the update mentioned in this thread for the removal of Flash, I would think that it would then be considered superseded by WU, and then be removed by the WU Cleanup part of Disk Cleanup.

By the way, I’m on Win 10 Pro x64 version 2004, and I found 4 separate flash folders in the amd64 folders section (folder names start with “amd64”) of the WinSxS folder alone, so there may very well be several folders within the WinSxS folder that contain the four files that will bring Flash “back to life” if they’re run somehow. As an added note, each one of these folders that I found contained a different version of Flash with the four key files needed to run that particular version.

1 user thanked author for this post.

geekdom

Reply | Quote

Windows Update Cleanup will not remove it in Windows 10, because ResetBase is disabled by default
it will mostly just delta-compress it (i.e. become not execuatable)

this apply to the inbox RTM version
other version can be removed when you uninstall Flash Updates

Reply | Quote

I clean early and often. Here is a partial list of remnants:

On permanent hiatus {with backup and coffee}
offline▸ Win10Pro 2004.19041.572 x64 i3-3220 RAM8GB HDD Firefox83.0b3 WindowsDefender
offline▸ Acer TravelMate P215-52 RAM8GB Win11Pro 22H2.22621.1265 x64 i5-10210U SSD Firefox106.0 MicrosoftDefender
online▸ Win11Pro 22H2.22621.1992 x64 i5-9400 RAM16GB HDD Firefox116.0b3 MicrosoftDefender

1 user thanked author for this post.

abbodi86

Reply | Quote

[Alex5723]

You can cleanup WinSxS folder with dism.exe

Dism.exe /Online /Cleanup-Image /AnalyzeComponentStore analyzes the WinSxS folder to determine how much disk space the folder is actually using.

Dism.exe /Online /Cleanup-Image /StartComponentCleanup will clean up the WinSxS folder.

Reclaimed 3.5GB after WinSxS cleanup

• This reply was modified 4 years, 4 months ago by Alex5723.

1 user thanked author for this post.

Microfix

Reply | Quote

I just used DISM++ on Win8.1’s job done, complete gutting out of redundancy that was either supeseded or removed, (use it once every 6 weeks or so) nice clean winSxS folder thereafter as well as a few other accumulated junk from .NET assemblies. One of my top utilities for Win7 & 8.1

If debian is good enough for NASA...

Reply | Quote

Did you check to see if amd64_adobe-flash-for-windows folder(s) are all removed afterward?

2 users thanked author for this post.

geekdom, Microfix

Reply | Quote

Just checked, it’s still there..so stuck an incoming/outgoing FW rule on the flash executable for now within the winSxS amd64_adobe-flash-for-windows folder.

If debian is good enough for NASA...

1 user thanked author for this post.

geekdom

Reply | Quote

I’m going to see if I can take ownership and delete the files.

On permanent hiatus {with backup and coffee}
offline▸ Win10Pro 2004.19041.572 x64 i3-3220 RAM8GB HDD Firefox83.0b3 WindowsDefender
offline▸ Acer TravelMate P215-52 RAM8GB Win11Pro 22H2.22621.1265 x64 i5-10210U SSD Firefox106.0 MicrosoftDefender
online▸ Win11Pro 22H2.22621.1992 x64 i5-9400 RAM16GB HDD Firefox116.0b3 MicrosoftDefender

Reply | Quote

I would just leave them..part 2 patch may kill them off..who knows with MSFT?

If debian is good enough for NASA...

1 user thanked author for this post.

geekdom

Reply | Quote

Neither DISM nor DISM++ remove Flash remnants after KB 4577586, the “Update for the removal of Adobe Flash Player: October 27, 2020″ was applied.

On permanent hiatus {with backup and coffee}
offline▸ Win10Pro 2004.19041.572 x64 i3-3220 RAM8GB HDD Firefox83.0b3 WindowsDefender
offline▸ Acer TravelMate P215-52 RAM8GB Win11Pro 22H2.22621.1265 x64 i5-10210U SSD Firefox106.0 MicrosoftDefender
online▸ Win11Pro 22H2.22621.1992 x64 i5-9400 RAM16GB HDD Firefox116.0b3 MicrosoftDefender

Reply | Quote

What about using the / ResetBase switch mentioned above by @abbodi86 ?

Reply | Quote