flashplugin-nonfree doesn't work

[bcrowell]

Here's what I've done so far:

Enabled multiverse.

apt-get update && apt-get install flashplugin-nonfree

When I go to a page with flash content, it says I don't have the plugin installed.

Typing about:plugins in Firefox's url bar gives a bunch of java plugins, but no flash plugin.

I've seen people saying to make a symbolic link to /var/lib/flashplugin-nonfree/npwrapper.libflashplayer.so , but I don't have that file.

I've seen people saying to install nspluginwrapper, but the package doesn't seem to exist in any of the repos I have available (hardy, universe, multiverse).

This is all on hardy, 32-bit.

Can anyone help? Thanks in advance!

[snowpine]

Hi Bcrowell, at the risk of stating the obvious :) have you tried closing and restarting Firefox? You must restart your browser for the change to take effect.

[Andrew B.]

I think I might have the same problem. With me, I found that the problem was with Firefox. I am using Hardy 8.04 and I wanted to look at BBC iplayer, which requires the nonfree Flash player. I tried all sorts of things and read lots of Forum threads. In the end I installed Opera (from the Opera website, which had a self-explanatory installer) and then found that Flash was working fine.

I have no idea what the problem is but given that Flash works in Opera, and not in Firefox, I think it might be a problem with Firefox.

Does that help at all? Is the problem you have related to looking at streaming video on websites?

[wolfen69]

nspluginwrapper is used for 64bit hardy. the following worked for a friend of mine.
sudo apt-get purge flashplugin-nonfree then
sudo apt-get cleanthen
sudo apt-get autoremove then
sudo apt-get install flashplugin-nonfree make sure firefox is closed during this procedure. for good measure also do
sudo apt-get install libflashsupport

[Andrew B.]

Wolfen, I tried the things you suggested and they haven't fixed my problem, but thank you anyway.

[gandaran]

Here's what I've done so far:

Enabled multiverse.

apt-get update && apt-get install flashplugin-nonfree

When I go to a page with flash content, it says I don't have the plugin installed.

Typing about:plugins in Firefox's url bar gives a bunch of java plugins, but no flash plugin.

I've seen people saying to make a symbolic link to /var/lib/flashplugin-nonfree/npwrapper.libflashplayer.so , but I don't have that file.

I've seen people saying to install nspluginwrapper, but the package doesn't seem to exist in any of the repos I have available (hardy, universe, multiverse).

This is all on hardy, 32-bit.

Can anyone help? Thanks in advance!

look the best way to install packages is using synaptic, open the synaptic package manager, scroll down to flashplugin-nonfree, check if the package is really installed, if not mark for install and click the apply button.

if it's really installed, then one question, which firefox you running FF2 OR FF3? and check tools » addons » plugins, see if the flashplugin is enabled.

another thing. you only need to install libflashsupport if you have any flash sound problems.

[Andrew B.]

Gandaran

In my installation, in Synaptic the Flashplayer nonfree is shown as installed. In Firefox 3 addins, it is shown as installed (and the Gnash one is shown as disabled). But still BBC iplayer does not work in Firefox but does work in Opera.

What can it be if it works in Opera and not in Firefox, do you think?

[gandaran]

Gandaran

In my installation, in Synaptic the Flashplayer nonfree is shown as installed. In Firefox 3 addins, it is shown as installed (and the Gnash one is shown as disabled). But still BBC iplayer does not work in Firefox but does work in Opera.

What can it be if it works in Opera and not in Firefox, do you think?

I have answered you questions here http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=841613&page=3

[aysiu]

Can you paste these commands in the terminal (http://www.psychocats.net/ubuntu/terminal) and paste the output back here?
uname -m
cat /etc/lsb-release
cat /etc/apt/sources.list
ls /usr/lib/firefox/plugins
dpkg -s flashplugin-nonfree
dpkg -s mozilla-plugin-gnash
dpkg -s swfdec-mozilla

[bcrowell]

Hi, all,

Thanks for all the replies!


Hi Bcrowell, at the risk of stating the obvious have you tried closing and restarting Firefox? You must restart your browser for the change to take effect.

Yes, I did restart firefox.

Wolfen69, thanks for the suggestion, but that didn't help for me.

Gandaran, I'm running ff 2.0. I don't have a plugins under tools » addons, but if that's just a different way of getting to the about:plugins, as indicated in my original post, that page does *not* show the flash plugin as being installed, even after I install flashplugin-nonfree.

Here's the output from the commands aysiu asked for:


root@clifford:/home/bcrowell# uname -m
i686
root@clifford:/home/bcrowell# cat /etc/lsb-release
DISTRIB_ID=Ubuntu
DISTRIB_RELEASE=8.04
DISTRIB_CODENAME=hardy
DISTRIB_DESCRIPTION="Ubuntu 8.04.1"
root@clifford:/home/bcrowell# cat /etc/apt/sources.list
deb http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu hardy main restricted
deb-src http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu hardy main restricted

## Major bug fix updates produced after the final release of the
## distribution.
deb http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu hardy-updates main restricted
deb-src http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu hardy-updates main restricted

## Uncomment the following two lines to add software from the 'universe'
## repository.
## N.B. software from this repository is ENTIRELY UNSUPPORTED by the Ubuntu
## team, and may not be under a free licence. Please satisfy yourself as to
## your rights to use the software. Also, please note that software in
## universe WILL NOT receive any review or updates from the Ubuntu security
## team.
deb http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu hardy universe multiverse
deb-src http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu hardy universe multiverse
root@clifford:/home/bcrowell# ls /usr/lib/firefox/plugins
flashplugin-alternative.so
root@clifford:/home/bcrowell# dpkg -s flashplugin-nonfree
Package: flashplugin-nonfree
Status: install ok installed
Priority: optional
Section: contrib/web
Installed-Size: 164
Maintainer: Ubuntu MOTU Developers <ubuntu-motu@lists.ubuntu.com>
Architecture: i386
Version: 9.0.124.0ubuntu2
Replaces: flashplugin (<< 6)
Depends: debconf | debconf-2.0, fontconfig, libatk1.0-0, libc6, libcairo2, libexpat1, libfontconfig1, libfreetype6, libglib2.0-0, libgtk2.0-0, libice6, libpango1.0-0, libpng12-0, libsm6, libx11-6, libxau6, libxcursor1, libxdmcp6, libxext6, libxfixes3, libxi6, libxinerama1, libxrandr2, libxrender1, libxt6, wget, zlib1g
Suggests: firefox, firefox-3.0, konqueror-nsplugins, libflashsupport, msttcorefonts, ttf-bitstream-vera | ttf-dejavu, ttf-xfree86-nonfree, x-ttcidfont-conf, xfs (>= 1:1.0.1-5), xulrunner-1.9
Conflicts: flashplayer-mozilla, flashplugin (<< 6), xfs (<< 1:1.0.1-5)
Description: Adobe Flash Player plugin installer
This package will download the Flash Player from Adobe. It is a
Netscape/Mozilla type plugin. Any browser based on Netscape or Mozilla can
use the Flash plugin. This package currently supports the following browsers:
Mozilla, Mozilla-Firefox, Firefox, Iceweasel, and Iceape. Also Galeon and
Epiphany can use the Flash plugin. Konqueror can also use the Flash plugin if
konqueror-nsplugins is installed.
.
WARNING: Installing this Ubuntu package causes the Adobe flash plugin to be
downloaded from www.adobe.com. The distribution license of the Adobe flash
plugin is available at www.adobe.com. Installing this Ubuntu package implies
that you have accepted the terms of that license.
.
Homepage: http://wiki.ubuntu.com/FlashPlayer9
Npp-Applications: ec8030f7-c20a-464f-9b0e-13a3a9e97384, 92650c4d-4b8e-4d2a-b7eb-24ecf4f6b63a, aa5ca914-c309-495d-91cf-3141bbb04115
Npp-Mimetype: application/x-shockwave-flash
Npp-Name: Adobe Flash Player (installer)
Original-Maintainer: Bart Martens <bartm@knars.be>
root@clifford:/home/bcrowell# dpkg -s mozilla-plugin-gnash
Package `mozilla-plugin-gnash' is not installed and no info is available.
Use dpkg --info (= dpkg-deb --info) to examine archive files,
and dpkg --contents (= dpkg-deb --contents) to list their contents.
root@clifford:/home/bcrowell# dpkg -s swfdec-mozilla
Package `swfdec-mozilla' is not installed and no info is available.
Use dpkg --info (= dpkg-deb --info) to examine archive files,
and dpkg --contents (= dpkg-deb --contents) to list their contents.

[aysiu]

I'm baffled. That all looks good to me.

i686. 8.04. Good sources.list. The Flash plugin is in the plugins folder. Adobe Flash is installed. None of the other Flash players are installed.

I'm stumped.

[gandaran]

bcrowell
if you running FF2 on ubuntu hardy 8.04 32-bits, then you have to install flash manually, (won't work on 64-bits systems).
download the adobe tar.gz package to desktop here http://www.adobe.com/products/flashplayer/
extract the package, drag or copy the libflashplayer.so file to the hidden home .mozilla/plugins folder (no plugins folder there? make one) thats all, it'll work.
if you have more than one user account, then copy the file to /usr/lib/mozilla/plugins or /usr/lib/firefox 2/plugins, this way flash installed in the root file system (you have to be root for this) can be used by all users, remove the flashplugin- nonfree, this manually installed flash will also be used by firefox 3.

[bcrowell]

Thanks, gandaran, that worked!