Flash is a programming language that many publishers use to create animations, games, and interactive programs for the web. Flash is also used for programs run locally on a users computer. To use these Flash based programs and web applets, the end-user must have Flash Player installed. One component of Flash Player is a file called “flash.ocx.” If this file is missing or damaged, you may get an error message.
There seems to be two root causes of this error. A description and solution for each follows:
- You receive the error message “Cannot find the file flash.ocx” every time you start your computer or each time you open your web browser (such as Internet Explorer). This is usually the result of a missing “flash.ocx” file caused by an incomplete installation of Flash. Here’s how to remedy the problem:
- Download the Flash Player uninstaller [1]from Macromedia. Save it somewhere convenient.
- Run the downloaded program and allow it to finish.
- Once the uninstall completes, restart your computer.
- Visit the Flash Player website [2]and download/install the latest Flash Player version.
- That’s it!
- You receive the error message “Cannot find the file flash.ocx” at seemingly random intervals or when starting a specific program (other than your web browser). First, perform steps 1-4 of the previous solution. This will insure you have the latest version of Flash Player installed. If you still receive the error message, continue with the steps below:
- Navigate to the folder “C:\WINDOWS\system32\Macromed\Flash\”. In this folder you will see a file named “Flash9f.ocx”.
- Make copy of the “Flash9f.ocx” file in the same folder as the original (copy the original, then paste the copied file into the same folder).
- Rename the newly made copy to “Flash.ocx”.
- If the previous steps don’t eradicate the error messages, change your screen saver to one of the defaults that are included with Windows (such as “3D Text”).