delete or remove Software Installations in System Information App

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Level 1

16 points

delete or remove Software Installations in System Information App

A previous owner of Microsoft computer and am new to Apple. Have a OS El Capitan Version 10.11.6.

Several months ago I tries to install Adobe Flash. Did so four times but it never installed. I noticed that the four downloads are listed in theSystem Information app under Software > Installations, but do not appear under Software > Applications.

So today I decided to download and try installing Adobe Flash again. This one is installed as it appears on both the Software> Installations and Applications. I would like to delete the other four downloads that never installed as apps. Have been looking for information on how to do so, but have wasted the whole day and might and could not find anything. Can someone help me to do this? Am certain this has happened to others and am surprise that there is no info on the apple website. Thank you

iMac (21.5-inch, Late 2015), OS X El Capitan (10.11.6)

Posted on Oct 15, 2016 3:38 AM

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Answer 1

Barney-15E

Level 10

116,080 points

Oct 15, 2016 5:54 AM in response to Chick 72

The System Information window you are looking at is just that, Information. What you are looking at is the log entries for all of the installations you have done. It doesn't mean that anything is actually installed. It just lets you know when you did install and what it was that was installed.

As I edited my above post, I did find the Adobe Install Manager app that you have listed there. It is there so that you can uninstall Flash, so keep it around in case you want to uninstall Flash.

Every time you tried to reinstall Flash, it just replaced the previous install.

Go to the page you want to view the Flash video.
Open the Safari Preferences (cmd-, or use the Preferences command in the Safari menu).
Click on the Security Tab.
Make sure the Internet Plug-Ins checkbox is selected, then click on Plug-In Settings button.
In the window pane that opens, select Adobe Flash in the left column. In the right it should show the web page you are on and an option to turn it on/off or some other settings.

The setting at the bottom is for other web sites. You can turn on all website access to the Flash Plug-in, but it isn't advisable as Flash is constantly being exploited. That is why Apple makes it so difficult to use.

When a new exploit is found in the version you are using, Apple automatically disables that version. You have to update Flash to the newest, yet to be found exploitable, version before you can use it again.

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Answer 2

Barney-15E

Level 10

116,080 points

Oct 15, 2016 4:18 AM in response to Chick 72

Flash isn't an Application. It is an Internet Plug-in. I have no idea why it would show up under Applications in the System Information, but I don't have it installed to see if it appears on my Mac.

EDIT: The Application it installed is the Adobe Flash Installation Manager which is apparently Adobe's fancy name for the uninstaller. All it does is allow you to uninstall Flash.

The downloaded installers should be on disk images (dmg) in your Downloads folder.

It will also install a Preference Pane which you can find in System Preferences.

The previous installations will be overwritten by the newer versions, so there is nothing to remove but the installer disk images.

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Answer 3

Chick 72 Author

Level 1

16 points

Oct 15, 2016 5:00 AM in response to Barney-15E

Barney, thanks for your reply. I am a computer dummy, so please bear with me while I try to explain again what happened. I tried to install Adobe flash once, because it did not install, on separate days I downloaded it again two, three and four times, but for some unusual reason it did not install. Never got a msg saying it was installed or that it failed to install, in other words nothing ever happened and that is the reason that I downloaded a total of four times. So, I gave up, and because these did not download, I deleted the disk images in my downloads files. Then I happened to come across the System Information App and found the four Flash downloads listed in the Software > Installations. see screenshot.

These four downloads did not appear on the System Information>Software > Applications list. Several days later I downloaded the Flash uninstall app and ran it, but nothing happened either.

Yesterday night (I have not slept all night looking for troubleshooting info but could not find it) I decided to again download and installed the Flash app (or plug-in) and it this is what I see in the System Information >Software> Applications list (see screenshot)

The Flash app (or plug-in -I don't know the difference between these) is in my Utilities folder. (see screenshot). However, I just clicked it and it is the uninstalled, which I assume will only uninstall the one I downloaded and installed today.

You will note that it is also listed in Software>Installations above.

All said and done, i tried to see something on the web with Flash but it isn't working. If you cannot give me a solution, I will then uninstall the one I installed today and forget about it. But I do hope you can help this computer dummy. Thanks.

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Answer 4

Chick 72 Author

Level 1

16 points

Oct 16, 2016 11:01 AM in response to Barney-15E

Barney

Thank you so much for the info. Great to know there are people like you who are willing to help Mac computer dummies like me. I wish Apple wd have these instructions written somewhere in their website (maybe they do and I don't know how to do the search) so that I we would not have to spend hours and hours -sometime days- looking and ending up having to ask for help and sometimes really feeling like a dummy. I am one of those ppl who can read an instruction manual and follow it through without any problem.

Your instructions are simple enough for me follow when I get back home at 6 pm today. Will let you know.

I am grateful for your time and willingness to help.

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Answer 5

Oct 15, 2016 4:16 AM in response to Chick 72

The Flash installer is saved to the Downloads folder.

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