Fw: Problems with Acrobat Reader (PDF)

[Peter Collins <peter -dot- collins -at- BIGFOOT -dot- COM>]

This is an old perennial.
Many seem to have these problems.
Most think they are alone.

-----Original Message-----
From: Peter Collins <peter -dot- collins -at- bigfoot -dot- com>
To: TECHWR-L Administrator <admin -at- RAYCOMM -dot- COM>
Cc: writer -at- ARITECH -dot- COM <writer -at- ARITECH -dot- COM>
Date: Monday, 9 November 1998 23:17
Subject: Re: Problems with Acrobat Reader


Jennifer,
    I had had problems referred to me, about PDF files read with Acrobat,
that I found hard to believe - that it had hung up computers, caused
printers to misbehave, made software appear corrupt.
    But I had not done much PDF reading myself (because the inflexibility
of the format is not convenient for me - I prefer to set my own font sizes
and colours, for one thing). When I was forced to make more use of it,
because there was one source of information that was only in that form, I
too began to have similar problems and so went further into the
difficulties I had previously only heard of. I asked for those with
troublesome PDF files to send them to me. (I have a spare machine that I
can afford to have corrupted in the name of science - or something like
that).
    All these files I checked for virus invasion (perhaps not very
thoroughly) but found none. Most of the files I could display with no
problem, though a few could not find the reader. I downloaded the latest
version of the reader but that did not solve all the problems. Some files
would initiate the reader by double-click on an email attachment, other had
to be dragged onto a running copy of the reader. Some, on browser links,
would fire up the reader from the browser, others (not the same ones)
needed the reader running first.
    Some would not print if the reader had been automatically invoked, but
would if they had been dragged onto it first. When I attempted to print one
particular file, the printer seemed to dissappear and had to be
reinstalled. The same file then printed, but with part of the third line on
the first page translocated to the top header.
    Some print attempts resulted in GPF reports, sometimes in series until
in desperation I rebooted, some just one and then a system hang (or it may
have been a series, too, at such speed that the CPU was unable to respond
to anything else).
    One file would print, but very slowly (up to twenty minutes per page,
with the CPU loaded to 100% and the disk drive thrashing) but would
eventually complete. One would never print, but merely hung the computer
completely, requiring a shut down and restart every time. After the third
time this happened, the file and printer share settings appeared to have
been altered, and some other odd networking behaviours seemed to occur. I
finally ended up checking almost every control panel setting, and
correcting several of them.
    I hesitate to suggest that PDF or Acrobat are at fault. More likely my
informant and I have some ideosyncratic or downright incorrect system
settings that breach some significant rules that Acrobat and or PDF depend
on. Whatever the cause, I have quite failed to discover it, and now have to
go without data that is in PDF form. Certainly I could never again risk
printing from Acrobat on my machine if I knew I would need the machine for
other work immediately afterward.
    Yet, other people have no problem at all. I wish I had better news for
you.
P
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Peter Collins, VIVID Management Pty Ltd,
26 Bradleys Head Road, MOSMAN 2088, Australia
+61 2 9968 3308, fax +61 2 9968 3026, mobile +61 (0)18 419 571
Management Consultants and Technical Writers
email: peter -dot- collins -at- bigfoot -dot- com                ICQ#: 10981283
web pages: http://www.angelfire.com/pe/pcollins/
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