Log
Flash Crash
Tuesday, Flash MX decided that it wouldn’t launch for me. Convenient. My first thought is a font problem and the crash logs appear to indicate one (a deprecated font rendering method).
I remove all my fonts from ~/Library/Fonts/. Nothing. Flash opens as far as the toolbox shape (no tools actually visible—just a vertical rectangle with the skinny little toolbar at the top) and then dies.
Interestingly, I can get Flash to launch fully when I have another application in the foreground. But, when I switch to Flash, it tries to render the interface and dies.
I delete the preference files: ~/Library/Application Support/Macromedia/Flash MX/, ~/Library/Preferences/Flash MX MRU, ~/Library/Preferences/Flash MX Preferences. No luck.
I log in as another user, Flash opens no problem. I create a new user. Flash opens.
I move my Library to the Desktop, log out and in. No Flash.
I copy my home directory, change name, owner & group to the new user. Log in as the new user. No Flash. We’re getting somewhere.
On a whim, I hold down shift while logging in to prevent my StartUp Items from launching. Flash opens.
One by one I manually start my StartUp Items, checking Flash every time: Mail, iChat, Kung-Tunes/ iTunes, Safari, Palm Desktop, Transport Monitor. No problems.
I end up removing Safari and Mail from my StartUp Items and everything works.
So here’s my theory: In Panther, when multiple applications that use WebKit launch at the same time (Safari and Mail), some sort of font error occurs, which prevents Flash from rendering its interface onscreen.
12/11/03 04:31PM Macintosh
Comments
Flash MX had been crashing for the last month or more and when a friend’s new iBook with fresh install 10.3 was doing the same as my 10.2, with multiple disks, I was determined to find the answer. The comments above was very encouraging but when I loged in with shift the problem remained. Decided to remove apps from Login pane in Sys Prefs as suggested and IT WORKED! Many thanks … I suggest you post a concise version at http://www.macosxhints.com
06/15/04 5:46PM
I actually figured out exactly what the problem was, just never got around to updating. One of the shared objects (located in ~/Library/Preferences/Macromedia/Flash Player) was corrupt; I think it was the Answers Panel shared object, which is buried about 10 levels deep in the ~/Library/Preferences/Macromedia/Flash Player/localhost/Users/ directory. Since it was corrupt, Flash was crashing while trying to load the answers panel.
I have no idea why disabling the login items allowed it to start up…
06/16/04 8:52AM
Well. same problem here, my startup items were:
LaunchBar
Extensis Suitcase X1
iCalScheduler
Synergy
iChat Agent.
when disabling them, everything works again.
Can’t figure out what caused the crash; but after loading them all manually, everything still works.
strange that this bug isn’t mentionned on macromedia pages.
09/05/04 6:13AM
Hi, I am a graphic designer and I have a problem with a couple of fonts and wanted to know if u guys can help me. I have an iMac and use the Extensis Suitcase 10 and I have no idea why it doesn´t accept the fonts I MUST use for a specific work.
Do u have any idea why this happens? have u ever heard about incompatibilities between the Extensis S. 10 and some fonts??? or maybe my program is damaged???? The font is Thesis: The Sans….should I get an upgrade for that program? Thanxs.
06/22/05 12:06PM
Julius,
Sorry, I don’t know much about Suitcase. I pretty much just drag fonts into my ~/Library/Fonts/ folder to actiavte them, which doesn’t always work immediately due to font caches not updating. Are you sure that your fonts aren’t corrupt? Can you activate them by dropping them into your Fonts directory? Are they Postscript fonts? If so, do you have both files for them?
Hope that helps.
06/22/05 1:01PM
Add a Comment
Have something to say about what I wrote here? Let’s hear it!
- Your name and email address are required, but your email will not be displayed on the site
- If you provide a URL, a link to your site will appear
- You may use the following HTML:
<strong>bold</strong><em>italic</em><a href="http://url">links</a>
- Double line breaks will be converted to paragraphs.
- As you type, you should get a nice little preview of your comment directly below the text box.
- I reserve the right to edit any comment for any reason (I’ll be reasonable).
Recently Played on iTunes
-
“Heroin”
The Velvet Underground & Nico
The Velvet Underground
11/17/08 16:26 -
“All Tomorrow's Parties”
The Velvet Underground & Nico
The Velvet Underground
11/17/08 16:20 -
“Run Run Run”
The Velvet Underground & Nico
The Velvet Underground
11/17/08 16:16
David Kegel:
I had a similar problem using Unsanity’s FontCard. Flash would launch once, but subsequent launches did not happen. The dock icon would bounce once, then stop. Definitely has to do with how Flash deals with fonts.
01/21/04 10:03PM