Where Is Opera Plug-ins Database?

leocg

leocg Moderator Volunteer

It's on handlers.ini:

[application/x-shockwave-flash]
Type=Viewer
Action=0
Application=
Application Description
Web handler
Plugin Path
Plugin Name
Plugin Description
Save To Folder=
Extension=swf,swt
Flags=128`

It's empty because i don't have npapi Flash installed here.

It should look like the Silverlight section:

[application/x-silverlight]
Type=Viewer
Action=6
Application
Application Description
Web handler
Plugin Path=C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Silverlight\5.1.41212.0\npctrl.dll
Plugin Name=Silverlight Plug-In
Plugin Description=5.1.41212.0
Save To Folder
Extension=scr
Flags=0

oprahwebbrowser

oprahwebbrowser

So if there is no handlers.ini anywhere on the machine, is the hard drive/Opera installation corrupt? I mean, MUST there be a handlers.ini somewhere? (An Agent Ransack search comes up empty.)

A Former User

Hmm, I have no handlers.ini file associated with Opera 3x either, only with Opera 12.17.

leocg

leocg Moderator Volunteer

So if there is no handlers.ini anywhere on the machine, is the hard drive/Opera installation corrupt?

Are you looking at Opera (Presto)'s profile folder? You can check its path in Menu > Help > About Opera.

You should noye that this folder may be hidden by default so you may need to enable showing of hidden folders and filkes on Windows Explorer.

leocg

leocg Moderator Volunteer

Hmm, I have no handlers.ini file associated with Opera 3x either, only with Opera 12.17.

Yep, this is an Opera Presto's file.

oprahwebbrowser

oprahwebbrowser

Okay... My personal machine has a handlers.ini. The target machine does not - I scanned the entire hard drive and no files/folders are hidden on the machine.

I also scanned its Windows XP registry and found no instance of the Flash .DLL file that Opera claims it's using (under "opera:plugins").

If a machine does not have a handlers.ini, where is the path for the Flash driver kept so that Opera can read it when executed?

leocg

leocg Moderator Volunteer

My personal machine has a handlers.ini. The target machine does not

The same version of Opera is installed on both?

If a machine does not have a handlers.ini, where is the path for the Flash driver kept so that Opera can read it when executed?

Opera probably gets it from the register. Usually flash can be found under Windows dir and/or %appdata%.

sgunhouse

sgunhouse Moderator Volunteer

Where does About Opera say your profile folder is?

Are both computers using version 12? In 12, you can go to Preferences > Advanced > Downloads and edit things there.

oprahwebbrowser

oprahwebbrowser

The same version of Opera is installed on both?

Yes; 12 is on both machines.

Opera probably gets it from the register.

I searched the Windows registry: there is no instance of the Flash plug-in .DLL filename.

Usually flash can be found under Windows dir and/or %appdata%.

I can find the Flash DLLs in various places on the hard drive, but I can't find where/how to edit which plug-in Opera uses.

Where does About Opera say your profile folder is?

"Opera:about" in the URL bar returns: "Opera Directory: C:\Program Files\Opera\profile".

Are both computers using version 12?

Yes; 12 is on both machines.

In 12, you can go to Preferences > Advanced > Downloads and edit things there.

It won't let me edit there; it only shows the path/filename of the plug-in.

The whole issue is quite odd. But thank you all again for your help. I will fiddle with it some more and post here if I find a solution. However, I am also going to install the Vivaldi browser and see whether that gets me what I want.

burnout426

burnout426 Volunteer

For Opera 12, it should find flash under:

64-bit plug-in

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\MozillaPlugins\@adobe.com/FlashPlayer
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Macromedia\FlashPlayerPlugin

32-bit plug-in

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Macromedia\FlashPlayerPlugin
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\MozillaPlugins\@adobe.com/FlashPlayer

and the "plugins" folder in the Opera program files folder (as long as the Plugin Path setting isn't messed up).

Also, in opera:config user "User Prefs" -> Plugin Path, you can edit the semi-colon-separated list of paths for Opera to search for plug-ins. You can do this manually in operaprefs.ini while Opera is closed too if you want.

[User Prefs]
Plugin Path=path 1; path 2; path 3; etc.

To make Opera use the default paths in the plugin path setting, just remove the Plugin Path line from operaprefs.ini.

As for handlers.ini, it might not be there if you haven't changed anything in "alt + p -> advanced -> downloads". And, as a side note, you can close down Opera and delete handlers.ini to reset the download settings.

Also, Opera didn't always use handlers.ini. That info used to be in operaprefs.ini. To fix this, you should be able to delete operaprefs.ini (and handlers.ini too for good measure if it's there) while Opera's closed. Then, if you make any changes to download preferences, handlers.ini should be used and generated.

Also, in "defaults/plugin_ignore.ini" in the Opera program files folder, you can block plug-ins by filename.

Also, in "Alt + P -> advanced -> downloads", if you edit the type for swf, you can change the plug-in used in the "use plug-in" drop-down. The drop-down should populate with all detected ones IIRC.

oprahwebbrowser

oprahwebbrowser

Holy cow! I bow in honor of your extensive Opera knowledge. Thank you for your time and your detailed post.

Cutting to the chase, my registry has those branches but they are:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Macromedia\FlashPlayerPlugin
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\MozillaPlugins@adobe.com/FlashPlayer

There is a

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\

too; but it has no such plugin info., etc. I don't know whether that matters.

For starters, the Windows' registry search function failed me; "NPSWF32_14_0_0_125.dll" DOES exist in the above registry branches, but a search does not find them.

I guess my next point is summed up like this: I want FireFox to always use Flash plugin NPSWF32_14... I want Opera to always use an older Flash version. Is this possible then, if both browsers point to the same spot in the registry? Further, if the registry points to the Flash DLLs, then is Opera's opera:config plugin path irrelevant for Flash?

Thank you very much.

A Former User

I didn't think it was possible to have two different versions of Flash installed at the same time, unless one is NPAPI and the other PPAPI.

burnout426

burnout426 Volunteer

Add the filename for the DLL you don't want to Opera's plugin-ignore.ini (while Opera is closed). Then, add the path to the version you do want in Opera's plug-in path. If plugin-ignore.ini still works (not sure if it does since the opera:plugin changes a while back), that should work.

Before you add the one you don't want to plugin-ignore.ini, goto "Alt + p -> advanced -> downloads" and edit the swf application/x-shockwave-flash type and see how many options are in the "use plug-in" drop-down. That should tell you how many Opera is detecting and making available to you. If there are multiple (which I don't remember if there will be for flash), they all might have the same exact name, but they should each be a different one, enumerated in detection order. You could then use a flash version detection page to see which one is active and switch the drop-down to the one you want.

Obviously, if flash keeps upgrading at the normal path, you'd have to add a new filename to block in plugin-ignore.ini each time flash upgrades.

oprahwebbrowser

oprahwebbrowser

Thanks again to all.

@burnout426, the plugin-ignore.ini procedure worked; it keeps Opera from using Flash DLL v14. However (and this is my original question), I cannot edit the path where Opera points to a different Flash DLL - it is not editable within Opera ("Alt + p -> advanced -> downloads"); in fact, that text box is now blank since I told it to ignore v14.

Version 10 of Flash DLL sits on the hard drive in:

C:\Program Files\Opera\program\plugins

and Opera's config/User Prefs/Plugin Paths points to that directory, but the "Use Plugin" pull down list inside Opera is still empty after a restart.

burnout426

burnout426 Volunteer

C:\Program Files\Opera\program\plugins

That's weird in that Opera should scan that path by default. You can try this though. Close down Opera and edit operaprefs.ini and remove the Plugin Path line so that Opera uses its defaults for that setting. Then, delete handlers.ini. The start Opera up and see if anything changes.

the plugin-ignore.ini procedure worked; it keeps Opera from using Flash DLL v14.

Awesome. Hopefully the entry for that filename isn't blocking all npswf... files. Just to make sure, remove your entry from plugin-ignore and rename/move the v14 dll so Opera can't find it. If Opera then picks up the v10 dll, maybe the entry in plugin-ignore is blocking both v10 and v14.

Just to be clear though, is this on your WinXP machine or on a Vista/7/10 machine? Also, is your OS 64-bit or 32-bit. If 64-bit, are you running the 64-bit version of Opera? The reason I ask is that you said Opera is installed at "C:\Program Files\Opera\opera.exe", which is the spot for the 64-bit version of Opera on a 64-bit Windows OS. If you're running the 32-bit version there, there's a small chance that something with the paths Opera uses for the plugin path list is getting mixed up with the 32-bit/64-bit path translation. Unlikely, but...

On another note, what if you put the v10 flash dll in the system folder where the v14 version is, but block the v14 version via plugin-ignore.ini. Does Opera find the v10 version that way?

If you don't have handlers.ini on the machine you'r dealing with, you could close down Opera and rename operaprefs.ini. Then, you can start Opera and change the settings for at least one file type in download preferences. The swf type should be fine. Then, I think you'll have a handlers.ini where you can then set the path in there explicitly to see if that works. I forget if you tried that.

oprahwebbrowser

oprahwebbrowser

Okay, it took me a while to get to try this, and there was a lot to try. Thanks again for your help.

Removing the Plugin Path line from operaprefs.ini had no effect (and there is no handlers.ini on the entire machine).

I fiddled with the .DLL versions inside plugin-ignore.ini and on the hard drive; Opera is not blocking all of them indiscriminately.

Everything is 32-bit: the CPU, the OS, and Opera itself.

I fiddled with the .DLL versions inside the system folder where the newer Flash DLL is, it will only pick up the newer .DLL. If I tell it to ignore the newer .DLL, then it uses nothing.

I tried renaming the operaprefs.ini as "handlers.ini"; no luck there either.

The only thing that comes close: I renamed the v10 .DLL to the one that Opera seems to seek out, and that tricks Opera into using the v10 .DLL. The only problem with that approach is that Firefox is trying to use that same .DLL (registry?). Again, I was hoping to get one browser to use one Flash version and the other browser to use a different Flash version, since some Flash versions play videos better than others, and vice versa.

I really appreciate your help, but I am thinking of throwing in the towel and trying a different browser. I'm usually very persistent, but I know I am fighting a losing battle as I try to keep this single-core 3 GHz machine going for my folks. You would think 3 billion operations per second would be enough to watch some web video, but not if Adobe's bloated software has anything to do with it, apparently (BTW, I am a programmer). I have been an Opera fan from so long ago, that I actually PAID ($40?) to have its built-in ads removed (version 4 or 5?), so I was interested in hanging on but there's only so much time an adult can dedicate to "the trivial". Thank you all for your posts, especially @burnout426.