TechNote

Troubleshooting system registry issues that prevent Flash Player installation

Issue

Flash Player may fail to install if the Windows system registry is damaged or if you do not have the correct permissions.

Reason

The Windows XP system registry may be damaged or you may not have the correct operating system permissions to update or install Flash Player. To install or update the player, you must have write access to certain registry items and Windows directories.

Solution

Before you complete the steps below, please see Common Adobe Flash Player install issues (TechNote tn_19166).

Warning: The following solution involves the Windows System Registry. Editing or manipulating the registry incorrectly can result in serious system damage which may require re-installation of the operating system. If you are not comfortable editing the registry, then take your system to a professional. If you choose to proceed, then it is essential that you create a complete system backup and a Windows System Restore Point before proceeding. Adobe Systems cannot be held responsible for damage resulting from this information.

Please login as the administrator and follow these instructions to open the registry and navigate to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT.

This example will focus on the HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT because the majority of the registry issues that will prevent the Flash Player from installing occur here.

Select Start.
Select Run.
Type: regedit
Right-click HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT.
Select Permissions.
Select Advanced.

The image below shows HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT with a new installation of Windows XP Pro:

Compare the HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT in your registry with the image above. An example of a registry issue may be a missing Group or User Name (for example, you are running Windows XP Pro and you don't see Power User). This may prevent you from installing Flash Player. In this situation, you may want to add Power User.

You may also notice other differences when you compare your HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT to the example above. It is important to understand that the registry may be incorrect or damaged for reasons that are unpredictable, but comparing your system registry with a working system registry may help you identify these problems.

If this is a registry issue and you are unable to resolve it by adding a missing Group or User Name or by modifying permissions, Microsoft offers a program that can be used to repair the system registry. Please see the following article for more information: Download SubInACL from Microsoft to fix permission issues that prevent the Flash Player Installation. (TechNote fb1634cb)