What Fixed IE8/9 No Flash For Me [Win7 x64]

Question

Read a lot of posts about people having issues with Flash not working in IE8 (or IE9) after a recent virus cleanup on a client's machine.
The basics that I tried didn't work;
-Kill bit didn't exist in the location people outlined in this forum HKLM/Software/microsoft/etc. etc.
-Uninstall/Reinstall (using both activex install and stand alone, and using uninstaller with or without wiping files in C:\windows\wowsys64\flash)
-Upgrade IE8 to IE9
-Malware was already cleaned, all scans kept coming up clean
-Reset IE settings
-Probably a few other things!
What ended up fixing it for me, on a Win7 64-bit machine was deleting this key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\ActiveX Compatibility\{D27CDB6E-AE6D-11CF-96B8-444553540000}
I didn't see this documented here as a kill bit location, possily because it would only exist on a 64 bit machine, but it indeed solved my issue completely!  Just deleted that key (of course backed it up first) and immediately opened up a page in IE and flash worked flawlessly.
Hoping this helps save someone the frustration I know these kind of issues can cause.

Answer 1

Hi, I think you misunderstood my concern. I was not saying that what you found that fixed your client's issue was wrong or not correct. It is something to consider as any Kill-bit is.
I read the article and commented on it and pointed out it was for FP vs 6 and also the instructions that Microsoft have for setting the Kill-bit. Also how Kill-bits can be set.
The only reason I even replied to your thread was my concern for users going into the Registry which is risky, especially those that are newbies. That is one of the reasons that Pat has the REG file to remove that Kill-bit, as a safe guard to the user. We stress for anyone to "look" only for that Key and not to DO anything.
My first reply to your thread was not even to you, it was to another user that asked how to delete that key.
Concern for the users that come here has always been a priority for me. I've seen many suggestions such as using System Restore for everything except what it is for. Also reformat your HD to fix Flash Player and worse.
That you found that Key and deleted it is great. Perhaps that Kill-bit Key is being created now for the 64bit OS and if so, that's good to know. I'm glad you posted the info, in spite of my concern for inexperienced users.
Thanks,
eidnolb