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Adobe Flash EOL killed a lot of screensavers

I knew Flash support was coming to an end. I really thought it was only going to affect web usage of flash. I didn't realize that today even desktop content will be killed off. All of my beautiful screensavers, some of which I've had for 20 years, just went blank today. I find this so horrible. And I can't seem to find a workaround. There is flashpoint for games, but I don't think this will allow for screensaver function.

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Sashi3 years agoWindows 7 x64, Firefox


9 replies

  • Flash has unfortunately been completely removed from the Windows operating system, not just from web browsers. This means that any program that relies on Flash technology will break. As you note, this includes a lot of screensavers.

    Once Flash has been removed from Windows by the update, it's practically impossible to install the Flash Player again. It's essentially blocked. I'm not aware of any workarounds for that at this time, but hopefully something comes along.

    We're working on labeling all the screensavers to indicate whether they require Flash or not, so that you can filter through the archive more effectively.

    Sorry for the inconvenience!

    Rob (Screensavers Planet)3 years ago

  • My workaround on a Windows 10 PC was to remove, then block the reinstalling of the Windows update that blocked Flash (KB4580325). I also found an installer for version 29 of the Flash Player, so I uninstalled 32 and went with 29. Obviously I understand the risks, but having just gotten my tablet PC set up the way I wanted it two days ago, I wanted to keep the Flash screensaver that I like. IF YOU FOLLOW THESE STEPS, YOU DO SO AT YOUR OWN RISK!

    Paul3 years ago

  • I forgot about another workaround that uses the Adobe Standalone Flash Player found here: https://labs.adobe.com/downloads/flashplayer.html. This player runs only locally, and can run any .swf file associated with a Flash screensaver. I first used it in order to run the fliqlo screensaver (I believe the actual file to run is movie.swf). However you have to manually launch it every time, or build an automated script using something like Autohotkey. I created a script that would run the movie file, then another script that would send a full screen command to the Flash Player and it worked quite well.

    Paul3 years ago

  • You may be onto something there, Paul. You could use Screen Launcher to effectively turn your script into a screensaver. This still breaks the ability to change a screensaver's settings, but many screensavers just consist of a single SWF file anyway.

    Would you share your script? You can post it here or via rob@screensaversplanet.com.

    Rob (Screensavers Planet)3 years ago

  • Hi Rob.

    The scripts were written with Autohotkey are pretty basic. The first one launches at start up and opens movie.swf. The second script then checks that the stand alone Flash Player window is active and sends a Ctrl-F command for open it in full screen.

    Run, C:\ProgramData\Screentime\Fliqlo\movie.swf

    IfWinExist, Adobe Flash Player 32

    {

    WinMaximize, Adobe Flash Player 32

    Send, ^f


    }

    Return

    Paul3 years ago

  • Thanks for sharing! I'll see what I can do to automate the process without having to rely on Autohotkey. It should be possible with the portable Flash player.

    Rob (Screensavers Planet)3 years ago

  • Sounds good Rob, thanks!

    Paul3 years ago

  • Hi Paul,
    I guess that would work with certain screen savers with separate swf. I have a lot of .scr files. I get the error flash.ocx missing on some of them now, and others just don't run. Any ideas for these type of screensavers?

    Sashi3 years ago

  • Hi Sashi.
    I briefly looked into demcompiling .scr files to see if they could be made to work, but I quickly lost interest. I'm now running Flash Player 32 that does not contain the kill switch, and I also disabled Flash Player from updating itself. Since none of my screensavers are allowed Internet access (I fully control all applications with my firewall), I'm not worried about any security issues.
    Rob might be able to chime in and provide a better answer...

    Paul3 years ago

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