• ×
    Information
    Windows update impacting certain printer icons and names. Microsoft is working on a solution.
    Click here to learn more
    Information
    Need Windows 11 help?
    Check documents on compatibility, FAQs, upgrade information and available fixes.
    Windows 11 Support Center.
  • post a message
  • ×
    Information
    Windows update impacting certain printer icons and names. Microsoft is working on a solution.
    Click here to learn more
    Information
    Need Windows 11 help?
    Check documents on compatibility, FAQs, upgrade information and available fixes.
    Windows 11 Support Center.
  • post a message
Guidelines
Do you need the WPS PIN to connect your printer? Click here for tips and tricks!
Check some of the most frequent questions about Instant Ink: HP INSTANT INK, HP+ PLANS: INK AND TONER.


Check out our WINDOWS 11 Support Center info about: OPTIMIZATION, KNOWN ISSUES, FAQs AND MORE.
Locked

‎01-13-2021 12:19 AM - edited ‎01-15-2021 03:49 AM

HP Recommended
Product: HP Deskjet F4280 All-in-One printer

UPDATE:  This solution works for me on Windows Vista, perhaps it will also work on Windows 7 (not sure), but many people report this solution does not work on Windows 8 or 10 because Internet Explorer has it's own built-in version of Flash and so refuses to install the file listed in this solution.

 

⚠️ SUGGESTION TO TRY FOR THOSE ON WINDOWS 8 OR LATER:

Try an older version of Adobe Flash Player.  For steps 3 and 4 below, here is a site that has an archive of older versions - http://www.oldversion.com/windows/macromedia-flash-player/   It seems like you need a version of Flash that is for Internet Explorer for it to work. Be sure to disable auto-updating of Flash after you install it though - https://www.technipages.com/disable-prevent-flash-player-update-prompts

If any of you have any success, please post back and let others know.  Good luck!

 

⚠️POSSIBLE SOLUTION FOR WINDOWS 10 FROM @JIM412 - https://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Printer-Setup-Software-Drivers/HP-Solution-Center-Not-Working-probably...

 

A solution for those on Windows Vista (maybe Windows 7):

 

Description of problem:

As of January 12, 2021, whenever my HP Deskjet F4280 All-in-One printer would show a status window in Windows, or if I would double click my system tray icon for the HP Digital Imaging Monitor / HP Solution Center software for my printer/scanner, it would just show a blank page with an image with an "F" and "i" in it.  I thought this might be related to the recent discontinuation of Adobe Flash player and it was.  Adobe has put in a kill-switch to prevent the latest Flash player from being used as of January 12, 2021 because they discontinued it for security reasons and obsolescence (to test this for yourself, temporarily set your system clock to January 11, 2021 and see if HP Digital Imaging Monitor is working without blank screens, just be sure to put your system clock back to normal afterward 🙂 ).  I didn't even know that HP Digital Imaging Monitor used Flash!

 

How to solve it:

Here is a YouTube video which describes how to fix this - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gu7E9t9vfOI

(But be sure to follow step 4 below to install the proper type of Flash player (ActiveX))

 

Or follow these steps to fix it (which are mostly also in the video above):

 

  1. Download and run the Adobe Flash Uninstaller direct from Adobe here (instructions provided on this page how to fully remove Adobe Flash Player) - https://helpx.adobe.com/flash-player/kb/uninstall-flash-player-windows.html#main_Download_the_Adobe_...
  2. Restart your computer
  3. Download the second-last version of Adobe Flash Player - v32.0.0.344  (which is the one before the latest version) -  from archive.org - http://archive.org/download/flashplayerarchivedversions2/357/fp_32.0.0.344_archive.zip
    (You can't download it direct from Adobe anymore because it's been discontinued)
  4. Extract the ZIP file, and go into the 32_0_0_344 folder (not debug) and run the file flashplayer_32_0r0_344_winax.exe (this is the ActiveX version of Adobe Flash Player which is used by Internet Explorer and is the one used by HP Digital Imaging Monitor).  Be sure to select "Never check for updates (Not recommended)" in the settings that pop-up after installation so that it won't update to the latest version and get disabled again
  5. Your HP Digital Imaging Monitor should now work as it used to!
  6. BONUS - You can now also use Flash in your Internet Explorer browser. To enable it in other browsers, refer to the video above.

⚠️Be aware that Flash is no longer secure and not recommended to be used in web browsers (which is why the latest version has been discontinued and disabled on all computers as of January 12, 2021) (but the version in these steps will work after January 12, 2021).  Ideally, nobody would have Flash on their systems these days, but if you still need HP Digital Imaging Monitor to work, you need Flash.

 

I hope this helps others!  I signed up here just to tell others the solution.  It's such a relief to still be able to use my printer and scanner software!

Category:
2 people had the same question
1 ACCEPTED SOLUTION

Accepted Solutions

‎02-06-2021 06:10 PM - edited ‎02-07-2021 01:26 AM

HP Recommended

Method 1 - You can remove the time bomb on flash manually using a hex editor program like HxD (https://mh-nexus.de/en/hxd/), searching the hex string "00 00 40 46 3E 6F 77 42" and replacing with "00 00 00 00 00 00 FF 7F".

links: gist.github.com/KuromeSan/56d8b724c0696b54f9f81994ae3591d1

           http://cache.tehsausage.com/flash/defuse.txt

 

Here are the paths of Adobe Flash Player ActiveX version:

 

C:\Windows\System32\Macromed\Flash\Flash64_32_0_0_465.ocx

C:\Windows\SysWOW64\Macromed\Flash\Flash32_32_0_0_465.ocx

The name of the files can be different, just check if it has the extension .ocx

 

Copy to the desktop, edit it from there, and paste it back again.

Before paste, close any application that uses flash, like Internet Explorer or HP Solution Center.

You need administrator rights to paste into the System32 and SysWOW64 dir.

 

Method 2 - Or you can uninstall your current flash version using the uninstall program from Adobe:

https://fpdownload.macromedia.com/get/flashplayer/current/support/uninstall_flash_player.exe

or download the archived version: https://web.archive.org/web/20210202035540/http:/fpdownload.macromedia.com/get/flashplayer/current/s...

 

And then download the last Adobe Flash Player ActiveX version without the time bomb (32.0.0.371):

direct link to the ActiveX version 32.0.0.371 hosted by archive.org: flashplayer32_0r0_371_winax.exe

link to other versions: https://archive.org/download/flashplayerarchive/pub/flashplayer/installers/archive/

Install the file "flashplayer32_0r0_371_winax.exe", but if you are using Windows 8 or 10 you need to run in compatibility mode Windows 7.

 

To run in compatibility mode, you need right click the executable file -> select Properties -> Compatibility -> Compatibility mode -> Run this program in compatibility mode for: -> Select Windows 7 -> Then Ok. -> Execute the program.

 

Method 3 - Or download the last Adobe Flash Player ActiveX version (32.0.0.465) from Adobe's site:

https://fpdownload.adobe.com/pub/flashplayer/latest/help/install_flash_player_ax.exe

or download the archived version: https://web.archive.org/web/20210124174321/https:/fpdownload.adobe.com/pub/flashplayer/latest/help/i...

 

Install it, but if you are using Windows 8 or 10 you need to run in compatibility mode Windows 7.

 

And remove the time bomb using a patcher like:

https://github.com/KuromeSan/FlashPatcher/releases

https://github.com/j-frei/HPFlashFix

or use other trusted patches around, or remove the time bomb manually using the method that I mentioned above.

 

But remember, keeping a working version of Adobe Flash Player ActiveX after the EOL leaves supported browsers as Internet Explorer and your computer vulnerable to attacks using Flash applications. You can also disable the extension of Adobe Flash Player inside the Internet Explorer.

 

Method 4 - Change your computer date before the EOL (2021-01-12).

 

But this method will allow other versions of Adobe Flash Player keep working as Pepper Plugin Application Programming Interface (PPAPI) and Netscape Plugin Application Programming Interface (NPAPI), leaving others browsers vulnerable to attacks if they still support Adobe Flash Player Plugin.

 

Method 5 - Run your application using RunAsDate: https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/run_as_date.html using a date before the EOL (2021-01-12).

View solution in original post

Was this reply helpful? Yes No
29 REPLIES 29

‎01-13-2021 09:03 AM - edited ‎01-15-2021 06:08 PM

HP Recommended

.

Was this reply helpful? Yes No

‎01-13-2021 09:10 AM

HP Recommended

I've followed all the instructions but when I install the older version I always get a message saying Internet Explorer has a more recent version and the installation ends. I've disabled IE and tried the whole process again... same result... any ideas?

 

Paul Y

Was this reply helpful? Yes No

‎01-13-2021 10:09 AM

HP Recommended

Setting the clock back to January 11 worked! I was able to open the HP solutions center.

Thank you for that!

Was this reply helpful? Yes No

‎01-13-2021 12:21 PM

HP Recommended

I am most grateful for your attempt to aid us all in this frustrating situation! I'm not very computer literate but will attempt your recommendation to see what happens. Again, hanks for trying to help

Was this reply helpful? Yes No

‎01-13-2021 12:30 PM

HP Recommended

I am getting the same message about a newer Flash version already installed and controlled by Microsoft (IE and Edge are using it). Thus, the older (ActiveX) Flash Player version can not be installed.

I found the following Microsoft update, which might do the trick and remove all components from the W10's integrated  Flash Player.

https://support.microsoft.com/en-in/help/4577586/update-for-removal-of-adobe-flash-player

 

I can not try this out, since I am not in front of my computer right now. Will try tomorrow.

 

Was this reply helpful? Yes No

‎01-13-2021 12:39 PM

HP Recommended

THANKS ever so for your suggestion! Like you, right now isn't a convenient time to attempt a solution. But will try first chance I can get. We'll then see what happens, and if lucky will contact you again with the results.

Was this reply helpful? Yes No

‎01-13-2021 02:50 PM - edited ‎01-13-2021 02:52 PM

HP Recommended

And me say the same (It says that IE has a more updated version..), what solution they find doesn't work

Was this reply helpful? Yes No

‎01-13-2021 02:53 PM - edited ‎01-13-2021 02:55 PM

HP Recommended

In step 1 a link is provided to the Adobe website with instructions how to fully remove Flash from your computer. These instructions only seem valid for Windows 7 (see the top of the page) and therefore people with later Windows versions are probably not able to follow the steps on the Adobe website. As others already mention in this discussion, it is not possible to install the file flashplayer_32_0r0_344_winax.exe either.

Was this reply helpful? Yes No

‎01-13-2021 03:24 PM - edited ‎01-13-2021 06:53 PM

HP Recommended

BTW, if you're trying to open the original HP scan software application that is part of Solution Centre, you can open the application hpiscnapp.exe in the folder C:\Program Files (x86)\HP\Digital Imaging\bin\ as a workaround.

 

UPDATE

I have tried to scan documents with the original HP scan software that can be accessed by using the executable I mentioned. You can save a scan as picture or pdf file, but you're limited to only one pdf page unfortunately 😒‌‌. Maybe it is better to use the "HP Scan and Capture" software for scanning multipage documents as pdf. This tool is available in the Microsoft Store and also offers you the opportunity to adjust the page size.

Was this reply helpful? Yes No
Warning
Be alert for scammers posting fake support phone numbers and/or email addresses on the community.
If you think you have received a fake HP Support message, please report it to us by clicking on "Flag Post".
† The opinions expressed above are the personal opinions of the authors, not of HP. By using this site, you accept the Terms of Use and Rules of Participation.

Didn't find what you were looking for? Ask the community

† The opinions expressed above are the personal opinions of the authors, not of HP. By using this site, you accept the <a href="https://www8.hp.com/us/en/terms-of-use.html" class="udrlinesmall">Terms of Use</a> and <a href="/t5/custom/page/page-id/hp.rulespage" class="udrlinesmall"> Rules of Participation</a>.