What to Do if Internet Explorer 8 Security Does not Allow Shockwave

Computer Security, Computing
What to Do if Internet Explorer 8 Security Does not Allow Shockwave
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Shockwave or Flash Player for IE8

Adobe Shockwave or Flash Player lets you view content or play games using a browser. Adobe recommends using the latest version of

Shockwave and Flash Player on the following browser and systems:

  • Shockwave Player: Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0, 7.0 or 8.0; Firefox 2.0 or 3.0 in Windows XP with Service Pack 2 or Windows Vista or Windows 7.
  • Flash Player: Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0, 7.0 or 8.0; Firefox 2.0 or 3.0; Opera 9.5+; AOL 9+; Safari 3.0+;Google Chrome 2.0+ in Windows 2000, Windows 2003, XP with Service Pack 2, Windows 2008, Windows Vista or Windows 7. Note that Flash Player 10.1 is integrated as part of the Google Chrome browser.

Installing Shockwave or Flash Player is easy if the browser is supported and you have the correct configuration. What do you do if Internet Explorer 8 security does not allow Shockwave?

Shockwave won’t install in IE8

In some cases, installing Shockwave player in IE8 will not finish or a game that uses Shockwave does not download and you receive an error message “Failed to contact Shockwave.com”.

To work around the problem, try the following possible solutions:

  • If the Security setting in IE is too high, change it to medium or default settings.
  • Check the settings in Internet Explorer 8’s Advanced settings tab. Locate “Check for server certificate revocation (requires restart)” under Security and temporary uncheck the box for this setting. When you’re prompted to restart, please do so. Try again to download or install the Shockwave game or the player.
  • If you are behind a firewall, ensure that it is not blocking the connection to shockwave.com
  • Is download manager or accelerator installed in your PC? Configure your browser to temporarily not to use the download accelerator or manager.
  • Scan for available updates for Internet Explorer 8 using the Windows Update website or application. Microsoft often releases IE cumulative security updates that will fix known issues in the browser. Also, Microsoft is releasing an ActiveX Killbit security update to enable or disable incompatible extensions for Internet Explorer 8.
  • You might want to double-check the computer time and date settings, to see if the setting is correct.
  • Try removing the old version of Shockwave Player or the remnants of it using the Shockwave Uninstaller that is located in https://fpdownload.macromedia.com/get/shockwave/uninstall/win/sw_uninstaller.exe, then install Shockwave for IE8 again.

If Internet Explorer 8 security still does not allow Shockwave, try installing the full and slim installer of Shockwave Player and see if either installer will install properly in IE8.

Flash Player does not run in IE8 - Windows 64-bit

You cannot use Flash Player in the 64-bit edition of IE8. You need to install the 32-bit edition of Flash Player and open only the 32-bit edition of IE8 that also exists in Windows 64-bit.

A corrupted install or removal of Flash Player can prevent the installation of a new version of Flash Player. Uninstall any current Flash Player using the uninstaller for Flash Player. You can download it from https://fpdownload.macromedia.com/get/flashplayer/current/uninstall_flash_player.exe

Image Credits: Shockwave Player Logo courtersy of Adobe https://get.adobe.com/shockwave/