How to Stop Flash 5.0 in IE

Short version:

1. If it isn't already installed, install Flash.
2. "Open" (or download and "merge") stopflash50.reg

If you are sick of those stupid flash advertisements, you've probably tried uninstalling Flash only to discover the IE will keep prompting you to re-install it.  If you go to the next step of setting your security controls to always disable ActiveX controls, you'll be prompted on each page that "your current security settings prohibit running ActiveX" which is even more annoying.

The solution?  Tell IE the Flash is bad mojo.  Or, in Microsoft speak How to Stop an ActiveX Control from Running in Internet Explorer (Q240797). 

Here's the content of "stopflash50.reg"...

REGEDIT4

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\ActiveX Compatibility\{D27CDB6E-AE6D-11CF-96B8-444553540000}]
"Compatibility Flags"=dword:00000400

And here is stopflash50.reg which you should just be able to "merge" or "run" depending on your OS.  If you need to re-enable flash, use regedit to delete the above key.

Assuming that there is going to be a "Flash 6.0", (and I don't update this page), just locate the CSLID for FlashN and create a new registry entry for it.