You can perform a basic check that flash is working and see which version you have by navigating to. Again though checking 'Adobe's Current Version' can still be done to reassure yourself. So on Windows 8 you cannot update the ActiveX control version of Flash, you have to rely on Microsoft supplying a patch. Starting with Internet Explorer 10, which comes with Windows 8 Microsoft have also decided to embed Adobe Flash and take responsibility for updating it. However if you follow the section 'Adobe's Current Version', you will be able to confirm you are up to date.

Given that Google Chrome does a good job of updating itself we shall mostly ignore it. Google took a different approach with their Chrome and embed Flash inside, in other words then run with a built-in Flash and hence the only way to update it is to update Chrome. The ActiveX control is used by Internet Explorer and the Plug-in by Mozilla Firefox.

There are two different Adobe Flash installations for Microsoft Windows, there is the ActiveX control and the Plug-in. Anyway, this, kind of, explains why I use Automatic Updates. Don't get me wrong, I like Google Chrome but I run on the 'dev' build, not really sure why I do that but it works and I like being more cutting edge. This is not so easy as running my script and also means I run the risk of not un-checking the 'Install Google Chrome' option.

However Adobe, in their wisdom, have changed this manual process so that now you need to download something via Internet Explorer and install it. I used to do manual updates of Adobe Flash and had a nice little script for helping me out with this. Adobe will no longer be supporting Flash Player after 31 December 2020 and Adobe will block Flash content from running in Flash Player beginning 12 January 2021, Adobe strongly recommends all users immediately uninstall Flash Player to help protect their systems.

Adobe shows to uninstall flash player