Google Chrome & Pepperflash!

[BassTech]

We have Google Chrome 43.0.2357.132 installed on our workstations across our network. We're having an issue where Adobe Flash Player stops working when it automatically updates pepperflash to the latest version.

 

It works perfectly when the plugin is pointing to: C:\Program Files\Google\Chrome\Application\43.0.2357.132\PepperFlash\pepflashplayer.dll - It is version 18.0.0.203. The problem is that Chrome automatically detects that a newer version is available (18.0.0.209). It then downloads and installs this by itself, but it puts it in the user's network drive data directory which is: N:\My Settings\Application Data\Google\Chrome\User Data\PepperFlash\18.0.0.209\pepflashplayer.dll - This is when it stops working, because it is trying to load it off the network drive, when we want it to be running off the local C:\ drive.

 

Is there any way to force Chrome to always use the local C:\ drive for pepperflash, or is there any way of stopping it from automatically updating itself? Maybe through a GPO? I've disabled all of the Google Update GPOs but I can't find anywhere to stop plugins from updating!

 

Many thanks

[localzuk]

How have you deployed Chrome? Also, do you have your ChromeData set to use somewhere specific in Group Policy?

 

I'm guessing from the path there, that you are redirecting Application Data to the share? Chrome doesn't support having its data on a network drive, so, your best bet might be to use the Google Chrome GPO stuff to point at a folder on the C: drive instead.

[BassTech]

We use the MSI and deploy a new package with each new version.

 

Our parameters are:

 

Set user data directory: ${roaming_app_data}\Google\Chrome\User Data

Set disk cache directory: ${local_app_data}\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default

 

If the user data directory isn't on the networked drive though, they won't be able to access their favorites etc when roaming will they?

[localzuk]

We use the MSI and deploy a new package with each new version.

 

Our parameters are:

 

Set user data directory: ${roaming_app_data}\Google\Chrome\User Data

Set disk cache directory: ${local_app_data}\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default

 

If the user data directory isn't on the networked drive though, they won't be able to access their favorites etc when roaming will they?

 

Sadly no. But its either that or Chrome not work properly... You could create a script which copies the bookmarks back and forth on login/out. Other option is to use Google Apps for Education - so they log in to their Apps account in Chrome and it'll store those settings on Google's servers instead.

[CyberNerd]

If the user data directory isn't on the networked drive though, they won't be able to access their favorites etc when roaming will they?

 

As soon as you login using the person icon at the top right hand side the favourites will follow you. You can use this method to install extensions and apps to users in your domain too, it works just like a chromebook.

[BassTech]

Hmmm... Need to rethink this, our staff won't like the idea of signing in/out every time to get their favorites. Looks like a logon/off script is our only option. If only Google released a GPO to specify the Pepperflash folder location! Grr.

[BassTech]

 

Does anyone know if you can disable plugins through GPO by specifying it's type? If you look at the screenshot, we need to disable the PPAPI plugin to force it to use the NPAPI one below it, which should solve the problem. It works if I disable it locally. Trouble is they both fall under the same name "Adobe Flash Player" so if I put this in the "Specify a list of disabled plug-ins" GPO it disables both of them!

[localzuk]

Not sure, but using NPAPI isn't much of an option either - as Chrome has dropped NPAPI support in version 45.

[CyberNerd]

Hmmm... Need to rethink this, our staff won't like the idea of signing in/out every time to get their favorites. Looks like a logon/off script is our only option. If only Google released a GPO to specify the Pepperflash folder location! Grr.

 

For staff it won't be a problem because you can keep the app data in the original place, and it will cache their login. they only need to login once per machine.

[BassTech]

For staff it won't be a problem because you can keep the app data in the original place, and it will cache their login. they only need to login once per machine.

 

We've decided to go down this route, but we can't seem to allow staff to sign in to chrome - As admin you click the icon of a person at the top right of the window and click Sign in to Chrome - but as our staff/students that option isn't there :S - it just says You?

 

[CyberNerd]

We've decided to go down this route, but we can't seem to allow staff to sign in to chrome - As admin you click the icon of a person at the top right of the window and click Sign in to Chrome - but as our staff/students that option isn't there :S - it just says You?

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]32262[/ATTACH]

 

It sounds like you have some sort of policy enabled that is restricting sign in?

[BassTech]

Found it - it's the old SigninAllowed GPO - which has now been depreciated by Google, but we had it set to false previously. We've since updated the ADM template though, so we now are stuck with this GPO set to Disabled that we can't change!

Now I'm having to restore the old ADM template with the SigninAllowed GPO in it, just so I can disable the damn thing

[BassTech]

For anyone interested, that did the trick, it's now all working nicely. Thanks for the advice/tips