Flash in internet explorer

Question

Hi everyone. I just wanted to see if anyone has encountered
the same problem I'm having. Basically, I installed an update on my
computer like Microsoft wanted with their automatic updates. But
when I did that, now everytime I open internet explorer and go to a
site with Flash content, it puts a box around the content and says
that I need to click on it first to activate the control. It never
used to do that before and quite frankly it's really annoying and
senseless. Has anyone experienced this same problem and does anyone
have a solution to this? Why did Microsoft do that anyways? and Is
Microsoft aware of this situation and are they planning on coming
out with a patch for it? Thanks everyone.

Answer 1

> Hi everyone. I just wanted to see if anyone has
encountered the same
> problem
> I'm having.
Yes . .everybody who has latest IE 6 or new IE 7
> Basically, I installed an update on my computer like
Microsoft
> wanted with their automatic updates. But when I did
that, now everytime I
> open
> internet explorer and go to a site with Flash content,
it puts a box
> around the
> content and says that I need to click on it first to
activate the control.
That is correct. it also does it for any other ActvieX
control
> It never used to do that before
No it didn't.
> and quite frankly it's really annoying and senseless.
Yes .. you can thank EOLAS and the stupid US patent system
for that
> Has anyone experienced this same problem
Yes . .everybody who has latest IE 6 or new IE 7
> and does anyone have a solution to this?
There is a temporary patch from MS that will turn of the new
'feature' for a
short while, but that will not 'fix' the problem permantntly.
This is how
Internet Explorer will be from now on
> Why did Microsoft do that anyways?
So they did not infringe on a patent from a tiny company
called EOLAS who
never had a product but patented a general idea and then
years later decided
to sue Microsoft for having hte same idea in IE and wanted to
charge them an
exhorbitatnt license fee that would have killed IE as a fre
ebrowser etc
> and Is Microsoft aware of this situation
Of course they are. This is the best they can do to keep from
infringing
the patent
> and are they planning on coming out with a patch for it?
It IS the patch and it is how IE will be from now on.
Web developers will have to use different techniques in their
web pages from
now on to avoid the click-to-activate message. See
http://activecontent.blogspot.com
> Thanks everyone.
Next time, please browser or search the forum .. there have
been hundreds
(if not thousands) of posts on this very subject in the last
few weeks. And
you'll find Google a very useful tool .. many thousands of
sites talking
about this issue.
Jeckyl