Apple iMac and Flash Player woes

Quasar

I've just been setting up my new iMac but it won't install Flash Player (fort Mac of course). It keeps stopping half way during installation and tells me to quit Safari. I close the browser but no luck, it keeps asking to close it and I already have! I can't access my youtube material without Flash Player.

Any ideas?

macman

Try the same using another browser. Firefox or Chrome?

Quasar

macman wrote: »

Try the same using another browser. Firefox or Chrome?

I tried to download Opera on the iMac but it just stored it in downloads with an X against it and can't do anything with it. Not keen on downloading anything else really, but might try. I just find it frustrating that even though Safari is closed, Flash still thinks it's open.

Moneymaker

Quasar wrote: »

I just find it frustrating that even though Safari is closed, Flash still thinks it's open.

So, reboot the Mac.

Which operating system version?
Which version of Flash player are you trying to install?
Which version of Opera are you trying to install?
What happens when you drag the Opera installer to the trash?

Quasar

Moneymaker wrote: »

So, reboot the Mac.

Which operating system version?
Which version of Flash player are you trying to install?
Which version of Opera are you trying to install?
What happens when you drag the Opera installer to the trash?

Oh dear. I have no idea of the first three - I guess the latest? The iMac is the latest in the shops as I've just bought it and it's on display in the shops. The Opera download just disappears into the trash.

I will certainly reboot the iMac as I'm about to go to bed and will start again tomorrow after work.

Stratus

I thought the flash player installer gave the option to have the installer quit the Safari app for you.

Are you sure you are really quitting Safari and not just closing the window?

securityguy

Stratus wrote: »

I thought the flash player installer gave the option to have the installer quit the Safari app for you.

Are you sure you are really quitting Safari and not just closing the window?

Indeed.

For people coming from Windows to OSX this is a problem (for us bitter old Unix hacks, it's "the right way" so we don't get caught out).

On Windows, most applications die with their last window closing. There are exceptions, but they're rare, and the applications have to take special measures to allow them to continue running without at least one active window.

On OSX, applications continue to run even when all their windows are gone, and you have to write special code in order to have them die on last close. If you have the appropriate setting on ("Show indicator lights for open applications" in Dock Settings, which ludicrously now isn't the default) you'll see that if you start Safari and close the window, the little marker is there below the Safari icon to show it's still running. Windows user are used to the big cross meaning "quit"; on OSX, if you don't explicitly go "Safari->Quit Safari" it won't close, as the red button on the window frame just closes the window, not the application.

Quasar

The installer told quit Safari and I thought that meant closing it. I followed their link to troubleshooting which directed me to a security page where I could select 'allow plug-ins' which was ticked anyway.

Then, going to Safari > preferences I did indeed see the Quit Safari option and so, problem solved.

Thank you all for your replies, especially you security guy, as your answer would have sorted me. I'm really loving my new iMac

Handsome90

Although this isn't exactly relevant to the title of the thread but it might help OP. Here are some Mac OS videos for people who are new to the mac system. http://support.apple.com/videos/#macos
I definitely found it useful when I first bought a mac

Quasar

Handsome90 wrote: »

Although this isn't exactly relevant to the title of the thread but it might help OP. Here are some Mac OS videos for people who are new to the mac system. http://support.apple.com/videos/#macos
I definitely found it useful when I first bought a mac

Thank you so much. I'm getting on well now, but there are the few hitches and wrinkles which I get around to, but I'm sure there are quicker ways.

Mr_Toad

Quasar wrote: »

The installer told quit Safari and I thought that meant closing it. I followed their link to troubleshooting which directed me to a security page where I could select 'allow plug-ins' which was ticked anyway.

Then, going to Safari > preferences I did indeed see the Quit Safari option and so, problem solved.

Thank you all for your replies, especially you security guy, as your answer would have sorted me. I'm really loving my new iMac

Glad you're sorted.

A couple of things to remember is that you can press the Cmd and Q keys to quit an application. I always do this rather than right click > Quit.

You can also do a lot from the screen dock, if you right click on the icon you can quit from there as well as other stuff.

I know the concept of right clicking on a mouse with no buttons is a little odd but I'm sure you've discovered by now that if you click the mouse with your finger on the right side of it you get a popup list of options similar to when you use the right mouse button on Windows.

When installing downloaded programs there are two main ways to do this;

Double click on the downloaded file and drag the program icon to the Apllication folder, or.

Double click on the downloaded file and it will start the installation process in a similar way to a Windows computer.

Like securityguy I'm an old Unix hack so I make use of keyboard shortcuts all the time. I'd suggest that you find a list of them, there are loads out there and print it off as there are some really great time saving shortcuts you can use.