If Adobe Flash is crashing, please see Flash support for help. https://helpx.adobe.com/flash-player.html If Firefox is crashing due to Flash - see this: [https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/firefox-crashes-troubleshoot-prevent-and-get-help#w_get-help-fixing-this-crash Firefox crashes - Troubleshoot, prevent and how to get help fixing crashes] As far as - '''"Do I download this shock wave flash or not? "''' You currently have Flash installed - but is it the latest 18.0.0.'''209''' version? Basically, if you don't need it - get rid of it. But <s>so</s> too much of the internet uses Flash, you might not be able to view everything that you might come across if you don't have Flash installed. I have Flash installed, but use the Flash Control extension to keep Flash from running automatically on page load. I click on what Flash I want to view and don't click on what I don't need. And even if I eventually click on every Flash thing on a page, I don't have a problem because "everything" isn't trying to load at the same time. As I see it, the "problem" is that too many websites use Flash for the silliest things - just because "they can". Web designers create brilliant page headers to "wow" the people who own the website (who are paying the web developer) to display their brilliance and skills, and pity the poor viewer of their website who pay for metered internet access or may have a slow internet connection. Instead of saying "Hey this is the crap for sale on this website" with a simple, low bandwidth banner page header, the developer uses a Flash presentation that might take forever to load and will suck up more bandwidth that the content the page provides would use - like "Where's the beef?". But hey, I am a believer of function over form...