Flash Player | Windows registry permissions

Note: Visit the Adobe Flash Player Help and Support page for assistance with top issues. Uninstall Flash Player, restart your computer, and install the latest version of Flash Player before continuing with the recommendations in this article. For more information, see Troubleshoot Flash Player installation | Windows.

A damaged Windows system registry or incorrect registry permissions settings can prevent you from installing Flash Player.

Symptoms can include:

• After installing Flash Player, web pages with rich media content work properly until you restart your computer. Flash Player automatically gets uninstalled after you restart the computer.
• During installation, you see the error message, "Failed to install." For troubleshooting, see Installation problems | Flash Player | Windows.
• Your Flash Player installation finishes with no error, but you cannot view rich media content in Internet Explorer.
• Some sites tell you that you do not have the correct version of Flash Player, even though you have installed the latest version.
• Some sites tell you to reinstall Flash Player, but after you do so, you see the same message.

Permissions can be tricky, but in most cases, you can install and use Adobe Flash Player if you are logged in to a Windows Administrator account. For more information, check with your system administrator, or read your Windows documentation.

If you are a system administrator, see the Advanced Troubleshooting section of Troubleshoot Flash Player installation | Windows. This document has information about permissions and registry key issues that can block the installation of Flash Player. 

Warning! By following the directions below, you modify the Windows System Registry. A mistake could cause serious system damage, which could require you to reinstall your operating system.

If you are not comfortable editing the registry, get assistance from your system administrator or another IT professional.

If you choose to proceed, first back up your entire hard disk, and create a Windows System Restore Point.

Adobe Systems cannot be held responsible for damage resulting from your following these instructions.

In this video, Chris Campbell of Adobe Systems explains how to fix the Windows registry problem that results in automatic uninstallation of Flash Player.

1. Download and install Flash Player.
2. Make sure that you are logged in to a Windows Administrator account.
3. Download SubInACL from the Microsoft Download Center to a location on your computer.
4. Double-click the subinacl.msi file. Follow the installation instructions. Make sure that you install SubInACL (subinacl.exe) to the following folder: C:\Program Files\Windows Resource Kits\Tools.
5. Download the reset_fp11.bat.zip file.
6. Open the reset_fp11.bat.zip file and extract the reset_fp11.bat file to the following folder: C:\Program Files\Windows Resource Kits\Tools\. Note: Make sure that the reset_fp11.bat file and subinacl.msi file are in the same folder.
7. On Windows Vista and Windows 7, right-click the reset_fp11.bat file, and select Run As Administrator. On Windows XP, double-click the file. A command window appears with the following message: "This should only take a few seconds to complete." Wait for the file to complete the operation.
8. Download and install Flash Player.
9. Visit the Find Version | Flash Player page to confirm that Flash Player installation is successful.
10. Restart the computer and verify the Flash Player installation by visiting the Find Version | Flash Player page.