I'm quite possibly on the underside of the power curve of this topic, but here's what my "years of experience" have shown:
if you run Secunia, make sure you haven't eaten lately because it's likely to make you lose your lunch.
if you run Secunia, you'll find that most of the Adobe product updates install the new version but do not un-install the old version(s). I have super serious issues with that tactic.
why? did you ask why?
well,
(1) there's a new version because of improved function or to eliminate some "security flaw" - or both - - - -
(2) about every Window user ever born "accepts" the "default" installation locations/options/etc
kool, eh?
(3) not so kool. every nastyware programmer knows _exactly_ where to find those old, but still installed, version(s) and can easily program their "nasty bomb" to launch C:\Windows\...\Adobe-ten-year-old\flash.exe and wreak havoc.
nothing like the smell of a toasted hard drive in the morning....
I refuse to install Adobe Acrobat on my machine - it had/has/continues to have so many security flaws it's an open invitation to being 'attacked'
Adobe Flash is more difficult to avoid.
I use the Revo Uninstaller utility (free, and really good stuff) in its most thorough mode to remove all traces of Flash before installing a new version.
and, while I'm all wound up and on a rant:
- if you don't have / keep your data backed up, it was time - weeks ago.
- if you don't have a disk image of a good install, you need to research what that means.
- go to WindowsSecrets.com and sign up for their newsletter - they have a free one and "paid" subscriptions. the "paid" bit is a user selected donation - a buck a year - whatever you feel comfortably with. a lot of it may be more geeky than you every wanted to know - but a whole lot of it can alert you to a whole lot of problems. especially stuff like Windows Updates that will trash your computer....
no, no personal or business relationship to any of it.
hhhmmm, could be personal - I'm pretty dang attached to my computers . . .
