Carm01,
I think I fixed my problems. I went ahead and upgraded to Windows 10, and so far my perceived Flash problems are gone. Also, the Windows update issue is no longer there.
I would have done this sooner, but I had (accidentally) installed W10 before. But the Flash problems were so bad that I was experiencing blue screen errors several times a day. Eventually, I went back to Windows 8 and then upgraded to 8.1 after formatting a new SSD. Still had those Flash problems though.
Hopefully, the second time with W10 will be a charm.
Thanks for all your suggestions.
- Brian