Re: Fw: Problems with Acrobat Reader (PDF)

[Mary McWilliams Johnson <mary -at- SUPERCONNECT -dot- COM>]

Since PDF promises to be around for the long run, it's probably a good idea
to let the Adobe folks know about these problems so they can correct
them--or tell us how to deal with them.

You might get some help by submitting your query to the PDF discussion
list, which you will find at:
        http://www.pdfzone.com/resources/index.html

Or you might find some help in the archives - also at that address.


Cordially,                 Mary McWilliams Johnson
                               McJohnson Communications
  Documentation  /  Web Site Design, Development and Graphics
                                  www.superconnect.com
              ------------------------------º><º------------------------------
"The biggest mistake people make in life is not trying to make a living 
               at doing what they most enjoy." ~ Malcomb S. Forbes
            ------------------------------º><º------------------------------



At 10:12 AM 11/26/98 +1100, Peter Collins wrote:
>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.
>=============================================================


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