Installing Adobe Flash or Java on 64 bit versions of Windows 7

If you have a 64 bit version of Windows 7 (or Windows Vista), you may be aware that Internet Explorer 9 comes in both a 32 bit version and a 64 bit version. You may also be aware of some the limitations when running the 64 bit version, specifically, if you inadvertently use the 64 bit version to open sites such as You Tube or Sky News that rely on Flash, you will be prompted to install Flash which will promptly fail as their links point to the 32 bit download.

Fortunately, Adobe have just released a fully working 64 bit version (version 11.0.1.152). This version not only works fine in the 64 bit version of Internet Explorer 9, but it also removes the need to separately install and update the 32 bit version.

You can download latest version of Flash at this link: http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer/otherversions .

In Step 1, select the “Windows 7 (64-bit)” option (or the “Windows 7 (32-bit)/Vista/XP/2008/2003)”. In Step 2 you can choose the Flash Player for Internet Explorer as well as for other browsers which will allow you to install Flash on Firefox, Safari and Opera.

Java is another of those applications that come in two different versions, and you will need to download and install both the 32 and 64 bit versions separately if you use the two versions of Internet Explorer. The following link will allow you to download the latest version of both: http://www.java.com/en/download/manual.jsp