Windows 8 comes with built-in Adobe Flash!

[ciHnoN]

Did you that Windows 8 comes with built-in Adobe Flash? I tried to remove this thing, almost impossible. You cannot uninstall the crap. Once you do actually manage to take the security lock from the files deep inside the Windows folder and remove this thing, IT WILL COME BACK with a Windows update again!

And why the f*** is this thing installed INSIDE the Windows system folder? It is just a DLL. WHY does it need administrator right in order to show come YouTube video?

I don't want Flash and don't want to install it in my system. Why is the OS forcing me to install Flash? WHAT THE F***?

I want a CLEAN OS where I choose what to be in it or not. IT IS MY PC!

Windows 8 is not an OS. It is an abomination.

1995 called...

[Tripredacus]

What is the file named? Is this on a tablet or desktop?

[ciHnoN]

Do you mean where the flash is in Windows 8? I have tried this on desktop. It is in Windows\System32\ um... somewhere there, Macromedia folder.

By the way, I use Opera and flash doesn't need to be installed in order to work. I only use the DLL-file and put it inside opera ( I manually update it ) so this way, flash dll has no admin rights. ONE DLL.

EDIT: (OT, but can you believe for only ONE dll, Adobe asks administrator rights to your system? *lol*)

Edited January 22, 2013 by ciHnoN

[Tripredacus]

You are right, looks like a 32bit Flash Player. You can configure the one in System32\Macromed from Control Panel. YOu can block everything. Maybe even use that Deauthorise button on the advanced tab, but I'm not sure what that would do. If Opera is anything like Mozilla or Chrome, alternate install locations for the Flash files should be allowed.

[ciHnoN]

Yes. Although, even if you delete these disgusting flash files from Windows 8, not only it will try to reinstall them with a Windows Update. The control panel item will still be there for some reason. Basically, the flash is almost uninstallable unless someone finds a way to remove this thing totally, kind'a like nLite. So frustrating.

[Tripredacus]

Well I did some playing around and make it so Flash won't work. Of course you can control whether or not it updates from the Control Panel icon. Deauthorizing the computer doesn't do anything really, seems to be more aimed at DRMed content. In my testing example I used 2advanced.com to verify Flash in IE10.

Warning: The following commands will effectively "disable" Flash, after trying to view the test page in IE, IE and Explorer.exe crashed. So this is just the tip of the iceberg it would appear. Test it in a VM if you'd like, I wouldn't recommend it on your actual computer.

takeown /f c:\windows\system32\macromed\flash\FlashUtil_ActiveX.dll
icacls c:\windows\system32\macromed\flash\FlashUtil_ActiveX.dll /deny "BUILTIN\Users:(RX)" /t

[ciHnoN]

Excellent, thank you very much! ...and yes, VM is always the first choice.

[MagicAndre1981]

You can use DISM/pkmgr to kill the Flash package and next use the official flash installer (Win7 compatibilty Mode) to setup a newer flash version.

[ciHnoN]

You can use DISM/pkmgr to kill the Flash package and next use the official flash installer (Win7 compatibilty Mode) to setup a newer flash version.

It seems that DISM replaced the pkmgr. Do you happen to have any more specifics how to actually remove flash from the Windows install?

Thanks

EDIT: Hm... weekend read I guess:

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh825042.aspx

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh825239.aspx

Edited January 23, 2013 by ciHnoN

[MagicAndre1981]

Use this to kill it: