[UFO]

[Ok, let me try typing this all over again. Another, separate problem: this POS Vista laptop's wireless keeps arbitrarily disconnecting. 'Back to Cat 5 cable, dammit. Anyway...]

There's a persistent problem I've been unable to solve after roughly a year since it first appeared. When I check Secunia PSI's reports I'm finding old versions of Adobe Flash Player listed as "Insecure" and "Update scheduled" - which will not uninstall with Adobe's own uninstall tool.

I went through a closed thread here at Techguy.org on the subject and went through the procedure described - basically downloading and running the Adobe Flash Uninstaller found here:
http://helpx.adobe.com/flash-player/...r-windows.html

After rebooting into Safe Mode and running the Flash uninstall tool (multiple times, just out of anal-retentive thoroughness,) I rebooted into standard mode. On opening Secunia PSI - but before running a scan - the list of insecure programs shows Adobe Flash Player 9.x, which hadn't even been there previously. After running the Flash Uninstaller again from standard mode, then running a new PSI scan, the 9.x version is no longer there but in its place is... 10.x (NPAPI), which when I click PSI's Scan Results detail page lists it as 10.0.32.18 (NPAPI).

This occurs regardless of whether or not I've got the current version of Adobe Flash installed on top of it all.

Could this be some kind of malware, or just Adobe's standard-issue crap-laden coding?

Thanks,
<***>
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[Triple6]

Did you do these steps as well:

Delete Flash Player files and folders.

Click Start > Run.

Copy and paste the following and click OK.
C:\Windows\system32\Macromed\Flash

Delete all the files in this folder.

Follow step 1 to step 3 for the following:
C:\Windows\SysWOW64\Macromed\Flash
%appdata%\Adobe\Flash Player
%appdata%\Macromedia\Flash Player

Are you by chance using a browser that has Flash built in? Such a Google Chrome? Are you using other browsers that may have a separate Flash plug-in? If you go and install/update Flash from the Adobe site does it then report only the new version?

[UFO]

No, I hadn't tried that - thanks. I just did it in Safe Mode, but one item in that first folder can't be deleted:

Flash32_11_3_300_268.ocx

It says it's "In use," "You need permission to perform this action" - and "try again" from the popup doesn'won't allow me to delete it either.

The second folder won't open - I get a popup with the red X and "Location is not available" and a message saying:
"C:\Windows\SysWOW64\ refers to a location that is unavailable. It could be on a hard drive on this computer, or on a network." (etc...)

Oh, hey - here's a new wrinkle: Your mention of browsers with built-in Flash got me thinking, so I ran another PSI scan. This time it showed Flash Player 9.x, but as an end-of-life program. I clicked the "+" beside it, and it lists both the 9.0.45.0 (NPAPI) and 10.0.32.18 (NPAPI) as components of an Opera USB Setup program. Neither Revo Uninstaller nor Windows' Add/Remove Programs shows that Opera is even on my system any more - but the folder is there. Shredding, via Advanced System Care 5....

Hmm, I found Opera lurking under Program Files, and I'm hitting a snag with the Program Plugins file inside of that - again saying it's "In use." I'll restart and try deleting it in Safe Mode, though I'm getting an annoying amount of messages telling me, the guy who bought this system, that I'm unworthy and Not Allowed. Grrr... Ok, just a minute...

Ok, done! The PSI scan is coming up clean, so I'll mark this one as Solved and remember next time to hit the "+" beside the offending file to find out where it's hiding.

Thanks Rob, for pointing me in the right direction!

<***>

[Triple6]

Glad to be of assistance.