flashplugin-installer "Failure to download extra data files"

[Ol'manScratch]

I did an auto-update last night that it said came with a Flash player in the 26 item content. This morning shortly after I logged into Firefox and started viewing a slideshow this notice popped up:

"Failure to download extra data files

The following packages requested additional data downloads after package installation, but the data could not be downloaded or could not be processed.

flashplugin-installer

The download will be attempted again later, or you can try the download again now. Running this command requires an active Internet connection."

I've never seen this notice at any other Flash upgrade, so I'd like to know a: what it is, and b: should I follow the instructions?
I'm using Firefox 20.0 Mozilla Firefox for Ububtu cannonical running under Ubuntu 12.04

If this was supposed to be posted in a different forum, please excuse the error.
Thanks

[Impavidus]

Flashplugin-installer doesn't contain the flash player itself, but downloads it on installation. It seems that, when installing the packages, your computer was unable to reach the server from where it wants to download the plugin. If your system wants to try again later, just let it do so.

[ankita indeed]

This exact problem is repeatedly happening to my system as well.I am using ubuntu 12.04 and I am unable to watch videos on youtube because the youtube site says I need to upgrade my flash player version.In the updaate information dialog box which says failure to download extra data files, after I let the system run the action the terminal window popsup and after asking authentication displays this message in the terminal

flashplugin-installer: downloading http://archive.canonical.com/pool/pa...80.orig.tar.gz

then the terminal closes on its own and the problem continues to reccur

[Impavidus]

Have you tried pinging the server? The server may be down. It works for me (updated the flash player two days ago), but based on my location I may be redirected to a different IP.

In the meantime, many youtube videos don't need flash anymore. If you disable flash many will still play.

[jyris]

Are behind a proxy by any change? If you are the command bellow should succesfully install flashplugin for you:

sudo http_proxy=http://<proxy-server-name>:<proxy-port> apt-get --reinstall install flashplugin-installer

However, even after a succesful install the "Failure to download extra data files"-error keeps coming once per day and I have no idea how to stop that.

Does anybody have any idea how to tell update-manager that the package has already been succesfully installed and it can stop bugging the user? I am considering of disabling the whole update-manager for this.

[jyris]

Commenting my self ... the error can be stopped by:
sudo rm -f /var/lib/update-notifier/package-data-downloads/flashplugin-installer.failed

[arch0njw]

OMG, I'm really hoping this works for me. I ended up setting up a second account that can connect without the proxy, and then I install flashplugin-installer with a connection that does not require me to use a proxy.
1) What a pain.
2) Why can't the installer get fixed?

[arch0njw]

Rats. That didn't do it for me.

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2211669

[wgarcia]

I intervened in an error report (https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+s...e/+bug/1037662) which hasn't been closed yet, but somebody (don't remember who) told me that actually flashplugin-installer is not needed any more. So one can safely:

sudo apt-get remove flashplugin-installer

sudo apt-get install adobe-flashplugin

from a terminal. I did this some months ago and never had a problem with this again. In the error report some say that it is still needed, but as I said, I never got bothered by this since I issued the above-mentioned commands.

[arch0njw]

Well, hey... I'll give that a try and see what happens! Thanks!!