Hi there,
Well, although AOL is considered by some to be antiquated ... for others of us ... we actually enjoy all that AOL has to offer, which extends well beyond the email service.
With that said, after working directly with an AOL Senior Tech ... I learned that the black box (CMD.exe) flashing was definitely an AOL issue, not as a result of the plug in, but instead because the latest versions of AOL software 9.8.2 and 9.8.1 have some bugs that haven't been worked out yet.
This is an issue with many types of new software releases.
9.8.2 has an incompatibility issue with Windows 7 & 10 and 9.8.1 has an incompatibility issue with Adobe Flash Player. The solution is to uninstall all AOL from your computer after properly saving your AOL email, filing cabinet, favorites, and tool bar settings onto your desktop (i.e. organize, idb, etc.).
Then, install AOL 9.8.0 which does not have any of these issues and works fabulously. After installing the 9.8.0, reset your email, filing cabinet, favorites, and tool bar settings (i.e. organize, idb, etc.) with the files you saved on your desktop and you will be back in business.
NOTE: If you are unsure about how to save those files and reset them into your new AOL 9.8.0 software ... contact a tech support rep(800-827-6364), who will walk you through the process. This way, you won't lose any of your important saved emails, favorites, or other AOL settings that you prefer.
Just like Occam's Razor ... all things being equal, the simplest solution tends to be the correct one. In this case, the simplest solution is simply rolling back to the earlier version of AOL 9.8.0 and AOL users do not need to stop using AOL and won't have to change what they are accustomed to using and enjoying on their computers ... easy fix. :dance: