How to Find Directories Where Programs Are Installed

[BobH]

I've been irritated by what I think are flash cookies (Local Shared Objects). Googling to learn about how to control them, I found that there are settings in Adobe Flash Player that I can set to limit (and, with luck, eliminate) them. The problem is I can't find where Flash Player is installed in order to open the program and get to the settings.

First, I try to keep all software installations in subdirectories within a single C drive directory. Apparently I am not always successful in this discipline because there is only one Adobe subdirectory and Flash Player is not in it, only the Reader. If it was installed in the major directory, I cannot find it searching on "flash". I used File Explorer to try to locate the program in this way, but failed. Then I went the WindowsXP route clicking Start/All_Programs and looking through the lists. Again, even looking in all the drop down menus, I found no Flash Player by any recognizable name. At this point, I thought maybe I had not installed Flash Player - even though I obviously have the LSOs. I checked CP/Add-Remove_Programs and found entries for Adobe Flash Player 10x Active and Adobe Flash Player Plug-In.

How is it possible that I have programs installed that don't appear in the Start/All_Programs list? How can I find out if I have other software installed that I don't know about? And, how do I make sure that what appears in CP/A-R_P shows up in my Windows Start/A_P display?

[MalcolmWalker]

I see this on the Adobe Website (http://www.macromedia.com/support/docum ... nager.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;):

How do I get to the Settings Manager?
The Settings Manager is a special control panel that runs on your local computer but is displayed within and accessed from the Adobe website. Adobe does not have access to the settings that you see in the Settings Manager or to personal information on your computer.

HTH

Malcolm

[PaulB]

Flash is installed as an Active X plug-in for Internet Explorer and/or as a Netscape Plug-in for all other browsers.

The Active X module can be found at C:\Windows\SYSTEM32\Macromed\Flash\Flash10l.ocx and at C:\Windows\SYSTEM32\Macromed\Flash\NPSWF32.dll for the other.

[BobH]

Thank you, Paul.

Firefox is my browser. I found the plugin in the Windows/System32 subdirectory. There are only 3 exe files there: the plugin, the ActiveX and the Windows authentication files. When I try to open the plugin and ActiveX files, I get only the option to uninstall. Can you tell me how to get to the controls that will allow me to stop the LSOs? From what I found on the web, there is something called the System Manager but I don't know how to invoke it.

TIA

[PaulB]

You have to do this online at the Adobe Flash Settings Manager web site.

[BobH]

It took me awhile to figure out that the settings are done via the Adobe site. I've been through them and think that I have future LSOs stopped or they will at least ask me before proceeding. I deleted all the websites that have already stored them on my system and blocked all unvisited sites from having any space to write them. I will try to use CCleaner to get rid of any it finds. Then I'm going to watch to see how much push advertising I see based on my recent browsing activity. That will be the best measure of the effectiveness of my changes.

Thanks again for you help.

[HansV]

Also see the recent thread Flash Cookie Cleaner.

[BobH]

Thank you for help. I think I have flash cookies under control now.

Apparently, because Flash Player is a plugin and an ActiveX application, they did not appear in my All Programs list or my Programs directory or sub-directories; so the question I posed is moot.

Again, thanks for the help with LSOs.

[Hey Jude]

here's an interesting article relating to LSOs
http://www.mediapost.com/publications/? ... aid=140697