flash and graphics

i don't know if i've got this in the right forum or not, but here's my problem :

flash doesn't work. it used to, but sometime last year it just stopped. whenever i click on a link to video, it says i need to download the latest version, and gives me a link. so i go to that, and follow the instructions. i get to the page that says 'when you see the graphic above the download is complete' (or something like that). but the graphic doesn't load, i just get the outline of a box - and nothing else happens, no pop-up to install it. i've tried this loads of times, but it doesn't ever download, because when i click a video link, it just tells me to download the new version again.

problem, part two :

i can't see animated graphics online. all i see is the first frame, so animated gif pictures, icons, smileys, text, everything, i just see a still image. when they first stopped working (about a year ago, maybe more) if i saved them to my own computer, i could see them, but now if i right-click and go to save-as, it only gives the the option of saving as bitmap, so obviously any animatedness is lost!

i don't know much about computers really, so i don't know if the inability to load graphics is related to the flash problem, or whether they're two different things which need fixing seperately. i'd be really grateful if anyone could tell me how to get flash to work, and how to get animated stuff to show, or both if they're the same problem.
just, don't tell me to re-install windows. cos i'm not doing that, i have too much stuff to lose. so if that's the only way to fix it, i'll keep putting up with it being broken

i'm on windows XP home edition, broadband, using windows explorer as my browser (but i've also tried viewing animated stuff and downloading flash in the AOL browser, and nothing happens there either). if you need to know any more about my computer and what i've got installed, you'll have to tell me how to find that out, because i don't know much about these things..lol

Hi, you can download the complete stand alone package for flash here http://www.softwarepatch.com/internet/shockwave.html then install it when you are ready instead of trying the online update.

Do you use Zone Alarm firewall or a pop up stopper? These can interfere with animations. If you are using ZA go to the privacy section/ad blocking/custom and untick animation.
Also check internet options/advanced and scroll down to play animations. Make sure this is ticked. You may have to close IE for the change to occur.

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thanks, the flash download worked just fine like that, i haven't tested it yet but the graphic to say it was loaded, loaded, so i presume it's going to work now

also, it was just the 'play animations' box that needed ticking, i haven't a clue how that got unchecked in the first place, cos they used to play and no-one else uses this computer, so no idea why it suddenly decided i didn't want to see them anymore.

thanks very much for your help - the internet is alive again! i need to get used to seeing all the moving smileys again now, they look odd and distracting after so long of everything being...still..lol

Glad its working ok for you now.

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i spoke to soon, i tested the flash this morning by clicking on a video link and it still says :

This video requires Flash 8 or newer. Go to http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer to get it!

so i shall sulk at the uselessness of my computer yet again...lol

Not really sure why its having trouble with flash 8. Have you tried a 3rd party free flash player like this to see if they work? http://www.eolsoft.com/freeware/flas..._movie_player/

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i just tried that, downloaded it, but it says that to run it needs a flash plugin which is not found on my system, and when i click ok to get the plug-in, it takes me back to that link which doesn't ever work for me. i think my computer is missing some vital understanding of how the whole thing should work, thanks for all the help but it seems i'm just going to have to carry on being flashless..lol

Have a look in tools/internet options to see if allow 3rd party extensions and enable install on demand are ticked. It might be one of these stopping the original download. http://www.macromedia.com/software/flash/about/

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i just looked, they're both enabled.
i did what it said on the flash site and downloaded the uninstaller, took out the flash i've got, and used the first link you posted to install it again. it installed just fine, went all through the setup, then loaded the image at the end to say it was all done. then i clicked on a video link, and it just went right back to the 'you need flash 8, click here to get it' message it's been giving me all along.

i think i should just give up now. thanks for all the suggestions, on any other computer they'd have worked!

You're using Internet Explorer as your internet browser? Have you tried a browser like Slimbrowser? http://www.flashpeak.com/sbrowser/ It works off IE but a lot less trouble. I haven't used IE in years. Would be curious to see if it works in another product. Could be IE related?

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