Adobe/Chrome question

[RichGirl]

With the help of you all...I managed to get some use of video back...but...

I can only enter You Tube when I'm logged into Google Chrome. Going to my You Tube account doesn't work or any other video, like on my Comcast homepage doesn't show up. Both say I need to download Adobe which I have done and has been working in Chrome! I also still can't access crosswords or audio only interviews and my Comcast TV listing page doesn't work.

Any advice or instruction...assume I am computer ignorant...which I am.

[Phillip McCleod]

1. windows OS i assume? ..

.. not that it makes much difference in this case..

chrome has built-in adobe flash support, whereas other browsers depend on a system-wide installation. i'm *guessing* that flash wasn't installed quite right. i suggest reinstalling it from scratch..

iow, go to 'control panel > uninstall a program' and find adobe flash.. uninstall it.

next use firefox or IE to download the flash installer from the adobe site's 'download' section .. if you use chrome, then adobe will just tell you it's already installed when in fact it's only installed in chrome.

** when you download flash from adobe, make sure *not* to install McAfee or Ask toolbar .. you have to uncheck to opt out during the download steps. **

done downloading the installer file? run it.. and enjoy flash in your other browsers thereafter.

p.s.. i generally let adobe do automatic updates since there are important security updates from adobe. reader X was famously responsibly for all sorts of nasty bugs when people didn't update it.

[RichGirl]

2. thank you!

[Phillip McCleod]

4. my pleasure! :)

[RichGirl]

3. I tried that...no luck....

Under the Adobe installing bar was a Chrome installing bar. But it said "Chrome already installed" When Adobe finished installing, next to the "finish" box was Enable Chrome with a checked box which I unchecked.

I don't recall installing Chrome unless it came through You Tube which asked for me to change my username to email address. That would make it odd that You Tube isn't working!! If I uninstall Chrome could I just go back to the way it was or will my new profile with You Tube always make that impossible?

[Phillip McCleod]

5. you could definitely try to reinstall chrome..

..you won't lose anything with your online accounts to do so, though you may have to set chrome up again.

when you reinstalled flash.. out of curiosity which browser did you use to download the installer .exe file? annoyingly, with adobe this actually makes a difference.

[RichGirl]

6. I'm really going to sound dumb now...

But...I don't know! I use Internet Explorer so I have to assume it was that. How would I know which browser I used?

[Phillip McCleod]

7. you can go by the shortcut used to start the browser..

..explorer has a blue 'e'.. chrome's icon is a rainbow wheel looking thing.. firefox has a flaming fox

if you *are* using explorer then i'm pretty sure *that's* your problem. heh. just use explorer to download and install chrome.. then use that browser instead. it's about 150 bazillion times better and faster.

..there's a meme for this, in fact..

[RichGirl]

9. I might actually understand what you are saying...will see...

[Phillip McCleod]

11. funny! :)

to paraphrase The Tick..

I *believe* in you RichGirl! I ALWAYS HAVE!

[Phillip McCleod]

8. sorry.. here's the link..

..for google chrome web browser download..

https://www.google.com/intl/en/chrome/browser/

[RichGirl]

10. So...what's thedifference between downloading this and what I already have?

At the top of my Google page it says: Chrome is not your default browser...then has the option of "set as default". So if I do this...are you saying that nothing will change just the "invisible to me" browser? All my favorite websites that I have shortcuts for will work like they always did before?

[Phillip McCleod]

12. you should set chrome to 'default browser'.. you may need to import your bookmarks..

you can import not just bookmarks but everything else from internet explorer into chrome. the first time you use chrome it may ask you if you want to import. otherwise you have to tell chrome to do it explicitly. here's how..

to import your bookmarks, go to 'Menu > Bookmarks > Import Bookmarks...'

in chrome, the 'Menu' drops down from an icon with three horizontal i-ching-lookin' lines on the right side, next to the address bar somewhere. 'Bookmarks' should be about the 4th item down, and has a submenu that pops up. about the 4th item down in that submenu is 'Import Bookmarks...' or something like it. that wizard will ask you from which browser you want to import, and what you want to import.. just choose 'internet explorer' and 'everything' and let it do it's thing..

you will have to reorganize your bookmarks once they've been imported. they'll all be in one folder, with subfolders intact.

internet explorer will remain unchanged, so nothing you do in chrome will effect your old setup. not that you'll care once you've switched.

[RichGirl]

13. Well...

I've scoped out the territory...found the iChing...but I'll have to do it tomorrow when my mind is fresher and I have more uninterrupted time.

Thank you so SO much!!!!

[Phillip McCleod]

14. not at all. i'm a regular here so feel free to ask more questions later..

a convenient factoid you may have already noticed.. you can run explorer and chrome at the same time (until chrome asks you to close explorer). helps when setting up a new browser the first time, as you can see how they relate and are different.

[RichGirl]

15. I do have questions...

And no rush. I don't jump into change...I tippy toe!

I did notice I could run both. When Chrome asks to remove IE do I have to? At this point Chrome feels like a bully!

So if I go to Chrome can I still have Comcast as my homepage or are they going to pressure me into Chrome homepage and changing my email to gmail?

Can I still have the menu bar, status bar etc...just like I do now?

I took some of the websites that weren't working over to Chrome and bookmarked them. They worked there and that's the good news, but without the menu/status bar it's limiting. For example...crosswords are small so I would zoom them to 150%...but there's no option to do that in Chrome. Also no cut and paste and all the stuff you use daily. Honestly, I don't know if these things are part of IE or Windows.

Can I put shortcuts on my desktop in Chrome?

That's it for now...will probably think of more later....

[Phillip McCleod]

16. i think chrome is just asking you to exit explorer, not remove it..

in order for it to import, it needs you to close all the explorer windows. once it's done importing, you can restart explorer again and use it as usual.

you can indeed set your homepage in chrome.. to whatever you like. you don't have to use gmail or sync chrome with any accounts to use it for browsing the web.. those are just extra functions you have to opt into, not out of.

you can access all these settings in the 'Menu > Settings' page.. it will open up a tab with all your settings in one place, including home page settings, extensions, privacy settings, etc. chrome is the most secure and private browser as well, for a variety of technical reasons. for one, it sandboxes everything.

sadly, the menu bar has been moved into that stupid little icon on the right next to the address bar, but everything is there that used to be in the usual menu bar. including 'Zoom'. here's a picture of it..



..personally for zooming i usually use the accelerators 'Control +' and 'Control -'

i expect the menu bar option will be back, eventually. there is much outrage. firefox will let you have the traditional menu bar or a similar icon based drop down menu. chrome sadly does not.. yet.

as for the desktop shortcuts.. they will open your 'Default Browser', which you can set in either chrome's settings or explorer's, so it's always your choice which browser shortcuts will open by default. you can however right click on them, and use 'Open with...' to choose a different browser at any time. you can just use chrome for those sites that explorer finds hinky for some reason.

at work, we make sure the latest versions of all three.. explorer, chrome, and firefox.. are installed on every customer's computer, unless they tell us to take it off. might as well have options, i figure.

[RichGirl]

17. That was a big help.

I'm getting more and more familiar with Chrome and comfortable having two browsers and will play around with it to see which way to go. The main thing is that I got back everything I thought I had lost and for that I'm truly grateful for all your help.

Just so you don't think I'm a complete idiot...I accidentally spilled a glass of water on my laptop...ruined the keyboard. I hooked up a detachable keyboard so I could use it and did some research. Ordered a replacement keyboard, found installation instructions on You Tube...installed it all by myself and...wham bam...it works!!

[Phillip McCleod]

18. nicely done! i think it's *great* when people work on their own machines.

..even though it's what i do for a living and 'complete idiots'.. as you gently put it.. are my bread 'n butter.

[RichGirl]

19. Not sold on Chrome...yet...

Oh don't worry about losing your paycheck. With my adobe problem, if I had a working keyboard at the time I would have taken it to my friendly neighborhood computer place.

Chrome...it doesn't seem any faster to me, but that could just be my computer. Even if it were faster, it seems that there are extra steps that defeat the purpose. For example...it's much faster/easier to click a shortcut than to have to go to Chrome and click the book mark. And with IE I could open up 3 or 4 windows and go back and forth among them. I generally would have twitter and DU open and check back to them now and then. With Chrome I have to go to the website, open that bookmark then close it when I'm done. There isn't the ( - ) option that simply puts it on hold. So when I close my website I also close Chrome and now I have to start over again to get to another website. You know what I mean?

[Phillip McCleod]

20. there is a bookmark bar as well..

..also stupidly turned off by default. You can turn it on in the Settings page.. toward the top. Then you just drag the a site's favicon.. like DU's little DU square.. into your bookmark bar. Later if you like you can even add folders. I have hundreds in 5 folders with sub folders.

But then everyone has a different workflow.