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Q: Shockwave Flash crashes Chrome browser

Every time I browse the internet or go to sites I use regularly, daily, at some point Chrome displays an error bar at the top of the browser page/window saying "Shockwave Flash has crashed". The choices offered by that yellow bar are to "Reload" or just close the error message. It happens multiple times in a session, and often apparently disables the page I'm viewing until I "reload" the crashed app. Almost without fail, after a "reload" the same error occurs and I have to do the same thing over (and over and over ad infinitum) again.

 

I have read elsewhere that Flash is not recommended nor needed for OSX. When I do a Spotlight search for "Shockwave Flash" I get no such thing listed. Yet, it constantly affects my use of Chrome, which is my default browser since I was unable to use Safari or Firefox to access and use features on websites I access daily, as both those browsers would crash (sites like Photobucket, for one; also a diecast car collectors' forum called Swifty's Garage; also, ebay).

 

I found a "help" page reference pointing me to Adobe's website for instructions how to disable "flash" in Chrome, but the instructions discuss things that aren't visible on screen when I attempt to follow them; for instance, the instructions say to find the plugin in a Chrome preference pane called "plugins" but there's no such preference pane in Chrome (Version 42.0.2311.135 (64-bit)).

 

I uninstalled a version of Flash Player a short while ago but that doesn't seem to have anything to do with the browser issues. I'm not sure what I would need Flash Player for anyway; I rarely use YouTube or any other online video sites.

 

Anybody have any ideas how I can stop "Shockwave Flash" from constantly crashing while I use Chrome?

Mac mini, Mac OS X (10.6.8), core duo

Posted on Aug 4, 2016 11:23 AM

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Q: Shockwave Flash crashes Chrome browser

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  • by think.different,Apple recommended

    think.different think.different Aug 4, 2016 11:27 AM in response to blick
    Level 3 (700 points)
    iPhone
    Aug 4, 2016 11:27 AM in response to blick

    Flash is built into Chrome, unlike Safari or Firebox, etc where it is an additional plugin.

     

    You could use another browsers that you know doesn't have flash installed by default? See if the problem still happens.

  • by blick,

    blick blick Aug 4, 2016 12:05 PM in response to think.different
    Level 1 (8 points)
    Desktops
    Aug 4, 2016 12:05 PM in response to think.different

    Thanks for the response. I stopped using Safari and Firefox a couple of years ago because both browsers crashed regularly, especially when my email or Photobucket were open in the browser; often, those crashes locked my entire computer up, forcing me to "Force Quit" the browsers if I could access that option (when the computer was locked up and the finder was inaccessible).

     

    I guess I can try the other browsers again, but I'm nervous about them due to past performance issues as noted above.

  • by lllaass,

    lllaass lllaass Aug 4, 2016 12:10 PM in response to blick
    Level 10 (187,967 points)
    Desktops
    Aug 4, 2016 12:10 PM in response to blick

    What OSX version?

  • by think.different,

    think.different think.different Aug 4, 2016 12:13 PM in response to blick
    Level 3 (700 points)
    iPhone
    Aug 4, 2016 12:13 PM in response to blick

    You could try Vavaldi, which is a new browsers built on Chromium that Chrome also uses. See if that does it to?

     

    https://vivaldi.com/

  • by blick,

    blick blick Aug 4, 2016 12:27 PM in response to lllaass
    Level 1 (8 points)
    Desktops
    Aug 4, 2016 12:27 PM in response to lllaass

    10.6.8. I'm using an older MacMini and the last time I checked the only OS upgrade available was one of the OSX 10.10.xx versions. At the time, the forums seemed mostly against updating to OSX 10.10.x with an older Mac like mine.

  • by lllaass,

    lllaass lllaass Aug 4, 2016 12:35 PM in response to think.different
    Level 10 (187,967 points)
    Desktops
    Aug 4, 2016 12:35 PM in response to think.different

    That browser requires for a Mac :


    Mac (10.9+)

    Vivaldi 1.2

    think.different wrote:

     

    You could try Vavaldi, which is a new browsers built on Chromium that Chrome also uses. See if that does it to?

     

    https://vivaldi.com/

  • by lllaass,Apple recommended

    lllaass lllaass Aug 4, 2016 12:41 PM in response to blick
    Level 10 (187,967 points)
    Desktops
    Aug 4, 2016 12:41 PM in response to blick

    If you really only have a Core Duo Mac (as opposed to Core 2 Duo) you can only go as high as 10.6.8.

     

    Have you tried uninstalling and reinstall the Chrome browser?

    Next you can install the 10.6.8 Combo update

    Mac OS X 10.6.8 Update Combo v1.1

    and then the Supplemental update

    Mac OS X 10.6.8 Supplemental Update

     

    Note that the current version of Chrome is the latest that will be compatible with Mountain Lion and later since this August Google will only update for Mavericks and later.

  • by blick,

    blick blick Aug 4, 2016 12:45 PM in response to think.different
    Level 1 (8 points)
    Desktops
    Aug 4, 2016 12:45 PM in response to think.different

    Ooops, I tried that......downloaded the app and only when attempting to use it found out that it won't work on OSX 10.6.8.

     

    Ah, well, I guess I can forgo driving or eating or generally enjoying life for a couple of months and buy a new computer instead.

     

    Thanks for the suggestion, however! The Vivaldi download page with its overview of the application looks pretty nice.

  • by blick,

    blick blick Aug 4, 2016 1:01 PM in response to lllaass
    Level 1 (8 points)
    Desktops
    Aug 4, 2016 1:01 PM in response to lllaass

    It is a Core 2 Duo MacMini.....

     

    It's been a while, but yes, I have uninstalled and reinstalled Chrome. The info pane for Chrome says it's "up to date", I presume from one of my reinstalls. I'm frustrated enough to try it again.....but it didn't seem to make a difference last time.

     

    I don't think I've tried those "update combos" you recommend, so I'll give them a shot, too, after I try the reinstall of Chrome.

     

    Guess I'll back up the 'puter first of all, then start with the advice given. Thanks!

     

    Oh, here's another interesting predicament: I don't seem to have the ability to "sign out" of my Communities account. The words "Sign out" and my user id are visible at the top of this window, but clicking on or near them has no effect....no "gloved finger" for my cursor, no action whatever when I hover over them or try to click them. Wonder if now I'm just always logged into my account......?!

  • by lllaass,

    lllaass lllaass Aug 4, 2016 12:58 PM in response to blick
    Level 10 (187,967 points)
    Desktops
    Aug 4, 2016 12:58 PM in response to blick
  • by blick,

    blick blick Aug 4, 2016 1:05 PM in response to lllaass
    Level 1 (8 points)
    Desktops
    Aug 4, 2016 1:05 PM in response to lllaass

    Mac mini (mid-2010)

  • by lllaass,

    lllaass lllaass Aug 4, 2016 1:15 PM in response to blick
    Level 10 (187,967 points)
    Desktops
    Aug 4, 2016 1:15 PM in response to blick

    I would upgrade to El Capitan. Your model also support the next OSX version, Sierra.

    Although Apple says that 2 GB is the min memory required a Mac with only 2 GB will be really to slow. 4 GB of memory is marginal for speed.

    You Mac supports 16 GB (2x8 GB). I would go with replacing one stick of your memory with one 8 GB stick.

    This place sells compatible memory and provides a video for how to replace it.

    https://eshop.macsales.com/shop/memory/Apple_Mac_mini/DDR3

    Macs are picky abut memory so only get memory from a place that guarantees it will work or money back

  • by blick,

    blick blick Aug 5, 2016 1:30 PM in response to lllaass
    Level 1 (8 points)
    Desktops
    Aug 5, 2016 1:30 PM in response to lllaass

    I'd like to upgrade from 10.6.8 to El Capitan, but there sure are a lot of people posing questions about loss of functionality when they upgraded to the latest version--which I presume is the only version available to me or anyone else upgrading to El Cap. I'm pretty worried about the leap from such an old version to the "latest and greatest" when there are 13 pages of help requests about upgrading to El Cap.

     

    I use a bunch of software that works okay in Snow Leopard, but some of it doesn't seem to have info available about compatibility beyond OSX 10.7......and that worries me.

     

    Does the Command-R (restore) function work for a return to OSX 10.6.8, should I run into problems with 11.6.xx?

     

    I'm gathering, from lack of info on the download pages, that I can't upgrade to anything except 11.6.xx......no other intermediate versions appear to be available. Is that correct? I can't choose to upgrade only to OSX 9.x.x, for instance?

  • by JimmyCMPIT,

    JimmyCMPIT JimmyCMPIT Aug 5, 2016 1:36 PM in response to blick
    Level 5 (7,013 points)
    Mac OS X
    Aug 5, 2016 1:36 PM in response to blick

    a list of apple systems that support recovery can be found here.

    About OS X Recovery - Apple Support

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