Install Flash Player on Firefox - Ubuntu Gutsy

Resolving Flash Player Issues in Firefox on Ubuntu Gutsy

A recent upgrade to Linux on a Mac Mini proved successful until a frustrating error surfaced in Firefox: a message indicating that "Additional plugins are required to display all the media on this page." Repeated attempts to resolve the issue through the built-in wizard were unsuccessful.

The root cause lies within an underlying problem in Ubuntu Gutsy related to its package management system. The effective solution involves a direct installation of Flash Player 9 from the Adobe website.

Installing Flash Player Without Using the Command Line

It is possible to install Flash Player without utilizing the command line interface. This offers a more accessible approach for some users.

Begin by right-clicking the downloaded installation file and selecting "Extract Here" from the context menu.

Navigate into the newly created folder and double-click the 'flashplayer-installer' file. A prompt will appear; choose the option to "Run in Terminal".

Within the terminal window, press the Enter key, followed by the 'y' key when prompted. Ensure Firefox is completely closed before proceeding.

Following these steps, Flash Player should function correctly.

Installation via the Command Line

For users comfortable with the command line, the following commands can be used to download and install Flash Player. Again, close all Firefox instances beforehand.

wget http://fpdownload.macromedia.com/get/flashplayer/current/install_flash_player_9_linux.tar.gz

tar xvfz install_flash_player_9_linux

cd install_flash_player_9_linux

./flashplayer-installer

Confirming the Installation

To verify a successful installation, type 'about:plugins' into the Firefox address bar. Check the resulting list to confirm the presence of 'Shockwave Flash'.

These steps should resolve the issue and enable proper media playback. Download Flash Player 9 for Linux to begin.