XP / IE forces click to "activate" flash

[Jeff]

I've been using firefox so extensively lately that I'm not sure when this started, but I notice that with (what I believe to be are) default security settings, IE on XP Pro SP2 is now prompting me to "Click to activate and use this control" when I embed a flash swf file using the default dreamweaver 8 settings -- for example the left swf rollover "picture" at
http://jacksonestate.com/Jackson_New_Hampshire_Home_Amenities/

In Firefox everything is great, but having to click to activate to get the rollover effect in IE ruins it I think. IE 6 on windows 2000 also using what I believe to be the default security settings does not force me to click before the swf object can be intereacted with.

Is there a different way to embed the flash swf files that would allow the rollover effect in IE 6 / XP (or links to be clicked in other swf files, etc.) without having to click to "Click to activate and use this control" first?

[Andilinks]

I get no prompt or rollover effect with XP he IE6, I think the security settings are default but if you want me to check a specific setting I can.

OTOH, I get no rollover effect with FireFox either, or Flock. Opera was the worst, the .swf never loaded (I refreshed twice).

[Matt]

Jeff, this is Microsoft's answer to an intellectual property dispute. It resulted from an automatic "security" update. You can search for the update responsible and uninstall it, but that won't solve the problem for others. To find out more (including ways to bypass the issue), do a search for the pop-up message that is displayed telling you to click to activate the control. I haven't yet had a chance to look into the problem in detail, but the solutions I have seen thus far require JavaScript and aren't very elegant.

Please post back if you find a nice solution.

-Matt

[Jeff]

Andi: Hmmm... you've given me more questions than answers. It's loading fine here in opera 9. I don't know, but thank you for looking. (the rollover on that page is simply from black and white to color on the left image)

Matt: Thanks very much! #1 G solution worked great: http://www.amarasoftware.com/flash-problem.htm
It may not be elegant code-wise, but it seems to work without causing any other issues. No more needing to click to activate in IE.

[Andilinks]

My Windows Update has been failing for about for months now, that might be it.