thanks so much for your help, david.
tried your fix, flashplayer plugin now gone from avast software updater, but flashplayer activex still 'preparing'.
went to site to check 'status'.
Sorry, Flash Player is either not installed or not enabled.
Please go to step 2.
Get Adobe Flash player
YOUR SYSTEM INFORMATION
Your Flash Version
Not installed
Your browser name
Firefox
Your Operating System (OS)
Windows (Windows 7)
i see adobe 'air' on the software updater. could it be related to that?
any other suggestions? it seems like it's just 'stuck' (i.e. corrupted).