Getting nowhere - Win7 sp1 IE8

Question

  I have installed and removed /reinstalled Flash Player repeatedly (using the Adobe uninstaller and both the webpage and standalone installer) in my Asus laptop.   I've confirmed my activeX and scripting options each time, and enabled "Shockwave Flash Object" in ie8 "manage add-ons"...  Each time I uninstall it, i make sure the system32 and sysWOW64 folders are emptied, and I see them repopulate after every install. I also see it reappear in ie8 add-ons each time, yet Adobe's own webpage always says it isn't present, and visits to webpages with flash content always evokes a "this site requires flashplayer" notice...  I often use "Speedtest.net" to double-check, and get same result.  Just to see what would happen, I even repeatedly installed it on the Adobe webpage - and it let me!... What the heck is going on here?????  This all began recently after updating both flashplayer and receiving windows updates - (but I even tried uninstalling the windows updates, just in case - still no good!)  My system has been repeatedly scanned for viruses and rootkits by Avast, Malwarebytes, UnHackMeand superantispyware - all with negative results, and I have no other problems or anomalies in my web browsing...

Answer 1

1. Try repairing IE: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/318378
2. Try updating to IE10: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/internet-explorer/ie-10-worldwide-languages
3. Try another browser altogether:
Firefox (from Mozilla)
Opera (from Opera)
Safari (from Apple)
Chrome (from Google)
ANY of those will work where IE won't, with the Flash Player Plug-in (For all other browsers), and Chrome doesn't even need that because it has its own Flash Player plugin built in.