TechNote (Archived)

Troubleshoot system errors or freezes in Acrobat (6.0-7.0 and 3D on Windows 2000)

What's Covered

Beginning troubleshooting

Intermediate troubleshooting

Advanced troubleshooting

This document can help you resolve system errors that occur while you use Adobe Acrobat on Windows 2000. System errors can manifest themselves as a blank or flickering dialog box, a frozen cursor or screen, or one of the following errors:

-- "Application Error."

-- "The instruction at '[memory address]' referenced memory at '[memory address]'. The memory could not be 'read'."

-- "[filename] has generated errors and will be closed by Windows."

Different factors can cause system errors, including conflicts among device drivers, software, and hardware, and corrupt elements in specific files. Although a system error may occur only when you work with Acrobat, Acrobat may not necessarily be the cause--it may be the only application that is memory- or processor-intensive enough to expose the problem.

To benefit most from this document, perform the tasks in order. Keep track of the tasks you perform and the results of each, including errors or other problems. Adobe Technical Support can use this information to better assist you, should you need to call.

Beginning troubleshooting

The tasks in this section can help you resolve the most common system errors. Before performing any of these tasks, back up all personal files (for example, Acrobat or Adobe PDF files you created). Always restart the computer after a system error occurs to refresh its memory. Continuing to work without restarting the computer may compound the problem.

Note: Some of these tasks require you to locate hidden files or folders, or files by their full filenames, which include extensions (for example, filename.ini). By default, Windows Explorer doesn't show hidden files, hidden folders, and filename extensions it recognizes.

To show hidden files, hidden folders, and all filename extensions in Windows Explorer:

1. In Windows Explorer, choose Tools > Folder Options.

2. Click the View tab in the Options dialog box.

3. Select Show Hidden Files And Folders.

4. Deselect Hide File Extensions For Known File Types.

5. Click OK.

1. Make sure that the system meets the minimum requirements for Acrobat.

Acrobat may not run correctly if the system doesn't meet the following requirements:

Acrobat 7.0 (Professional and Standard)

-- Intel Pentium-class processor

-- Microsoft Windows XP Professional or Home Edition with Service Pack 1 or 2, or Tablet PC Edition, or Windows 2000 with Service Pack 2

-- 128 MB of RAM* (256MB recommended)

-- 460 MB (Professional) or 360 (Standard) of available hard-disk space; cache for optional installation files (recommended) requires an additional 300 MB of available hard-disk space.

-- 1024 x 768 (Professional) or 800 x 600 (Standard) screen resolution

-- CD-ROM drive, if installing from CD

-- Internet Explorer 5.5 or later

Acrobat 6.0 Professional

-- Intel Pentium processor

-- Windows XP Professional or Home Edition or Tablet PC Edition, Windows 2000 Professional with Service Pack 2, or Windows NT 4.0 with Service Pack 6

-- 64 MB of RAM* (128 MB recommended)

-- 245 MB of available hard disk space

-- Additional 40 MB of hard-disk space for Asian fonts package (optional)

-- 1024 x 768 screen resolution

-- CD-ROM drive, if installing from CD

-- Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.0.1 or later

Acrobat 6.0 Standard

-- Intel Pentium processor

-- Windows XP Professional or Home Edition or Tablet PC Edition, Windows 98 SE, NT 4.0 with Service Pack 6, or Windows 2000 Professional with Service Pack 2

-- 64 MB of RAM* (128 MB recommended)

-- 220 MB of available hard disk space

-- Additional 40 MB of hard-disk space for Asian fonts package (optional)

-- 800 x 600 screen resolution

-- CD-ROM drive

-- Internet Explorer 5.0.1 or later

*To check how much RAM is installed on the computer, choose Start > Settings > Control Panel, and double-click System. The amount of RAM is listed on the lower half of the General panel in the System Properties window.

2. Install the latest version of Acrobat.

The latest version of Acrobat may be more compatible with your operating system and hardware drivers. Before you install an update or upgrade, make sure that the system meets the requirements.

The free Acrobat 6.0.4 update is available from the Adobe website at www.adobe.com\support\downloads. An upgrade, however, may solve a wider range of problems. (You may prefer to try the tasks in the rest of this document before upgrading.) You can purchase upgrades from Adobe Authorized Resellers and from Adobe directly:

-- To locate an Authorized Reseller, visit the Adobe website at http://store.adobe.com/store/customerregistration/other_places.jhtml or call Customer Services at 800-833-6687.

-- To purchase an upgrade from Adobe, visit the Adobe Store at http://store.adobe.com/store/ or call Customer Services at 800-272-3623.

3. Run Acrobat while no applications are running in the background.

Some applications that run in the background may cause system errors or freezes when running concurrently with Acrobat. You can identify these applications and disable them before starting Acrobat. To identify problematic applications that run in the background, remove applications from the Startup folder and close those that are specified in the registry to start automatically.

To identify a problematic application in the Startup folder:

1. Exit from open applications.

2. In Windows Explorer, move all icons and shortcuts from the following folders to another folder:

-- Documents and Settings/All Users/Start Menu/Programs/Startup

-- Documents and Settings/[user profile]/Start Menu/Programs/Startup

3. Restart Windows, and try to re-create the problem. Then do one of the following:

-- If the problem recurs, move the icons and shortcuts back to the Startup folder.

-- If the problem doesn't recur, move the icons and shortcuts back to the Startup folder one at a time to determine which application causes the problem.

To identify a problematic application specified in the registry to start automatically:

1. Right-click the Task Bar, and choose Task Manager from the pop-up menu.

2. Click the Applications tab.

3. Select an application name, and then click End Task.

4. Restart Acrobat, and try to re-create the problem. Then do one of the following:

-- If the problem recurs, repeat steps 1-4 and select another application in step 3.

-- If the problem doesn't recur, the application you selected in step 3 conflicts with Acrobat.

5. Choose Start > Run, type regedit in the Open text field of the Run dialog box, and then click OK.

Disclaimer: The Windows registry contains information that is critical to your computer and applications. Adobe doesn't provide support for problems that arise from improperly modifying the registry and recommends that you have experience editing system files before doing so. Make sure to back up the registry before modifying it. For more information on the Windows Registry Editor, refer to the documentation for Windows or contact Microsoft Technical Support.

6. Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SOFTWARE/Microsoft/Windows/CurrentVersion/Run key (folder) in the Registry Editor dialog box, and then choose Registry > Export Registry File.

7. In the Export Registry File dialog box, select Selected Branch under Export Range, name the file (for example, HLMrun.reg), and save the file to the Desktop.

8. In the Registry Editor dialog box, make sure that the Run key is still selected, and choose Edit > Delete. Click Yes in the Confirm Key Delete dialog box.

9. Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/Microsoft/Windows/CurrentVersion/Run key (folder) in the Registry Editor dialog box, and then choose Registry > Export Registry File.

10. In the Export Registry File dialog box, name the file (for example, HCUrun.reg) and save the file to the Desktop.

11. In the Registry Editor dialog box, make sure that the Run key is still selected, and choose Edit > Delete. Click Yes in the Confirm Key Delete dialog box..

12. Choose Registry > Exit to close the Registry Editor, and then restart the computer.

4. Troubleshoot plug-in conflicts.

Determine whether the problem is being cause by plug-ins.

To troubleshoot plug-in conflicts:

1. Start Acrobat without any plug-ins running.

a. Double click on the Acrobat shortcut on the Desktop.

b. Immediately after double-clicking, press and hold the left Shift key on the keyboard.

Acrobat 7.x:

-- If the Comments menu item is not present, then close Acrobat and repeat step 1.

-- If the Comments menu item is present, then proceed to step 2.

Acrobat 6.x:

-- If the Tools > Commenting menu item is not present, then close Acrobat and repeat step 1.

-- If the Tools > Commenting menu item is present, then proceed to step 2.

2. Attempt to reproduce the error.

-- If the problem goes away, then proceed to step 3.

-- If the problem persists, then proceed to the next section of this document, "Intermediate troubleshooting."

3. Close Acrobat.

4. Remove third-party plug-ins from the Acrobat plug-ins folder. The default location for the Acrobat plug-ins folder is Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat [Version Number]\Acrobat\plug_ins.

5. Start Acrobat and attempt to reproduce the error.

-- If the problem does not occur, then proceed to step 8.

-- If the problem recurs, then proceed to step 6. Leave the third party plug-ins out of the Acrobat plug-ins folder.

6. Move all remaining plug-ins into a new folder.

7. Restore one Acrobat plug-in at a time and attempt to reproduce the error.

-- If the problem recurs, then record the plug-in name, move the plug back to the new folder, and repeat step 6. After you test all of the Acrobat plug-ins, proceed to step 9.

-- If the problem does not occur, then repeat step 6 with the next plug-in.

8. Move one third-party plug-in back to the Acrobat plug-ins folder and attempt to reproduce the error.

-- If the problem doesn't occur, then repeat steps 8 with another third-party plug-in.

-- If the problem recurs, then contact the developer of the plug-in for assistance with there plug-in.

9. Run a detect and repair on Acrobat with the corrupted Acrobat plug-ins removed from the Acrobat folder.

a. Remove all corrupted plug-ins recorded in step 7 from the Acrobat plug-ins folder.

b. Choose Start > Run, type appwiz.cpl in the Open text box, and then click OK to open the Add Or Remove Programs dialog box.

c. Select Acrobat and click Change.

d. When prompted, confirm that you want to repair Acrobat.

Intermediate troubleshooting

If the tasks in the previous section don't solve the problem, try the following intermediate troubleshooting tasks.

5. Remove all previous versions of Acrobat and Adobe Reader, and then repair the application.

1. Choose Start > Run, type appwiz.cpl in the Open text box, and then click OK to open the Add Or Remove Programs dialog box.

2. Select Acrobat or Adobe Reader and click Remove.

3. When prompted, confirm that you want to remove the selected application.

4. Repeat the above procedure for all installed previous versions of Acrobat and Adobe Reader. Starting with the newest version and working towards the oldest.

5. Restart the computer.

6. Choose Start > Run, type appwiz.cpl in the Open text box, and then click OK to open the Add Or Remove Programs dialog box.

7. Select Acrobat or Adobe Reader and click Change.

8. When prompted, confirm that you want to repair the selected application.

6. Reinstall Acrobat in a simplified mode.

Device drivers and software that loads automatically with Windows, such as screen savers and virus protection utilities, can conflict with the Acrobat installer and cause problems that occur in Acrobat. To prevent such problems, reinstall Acrobat while Windows is in a simplified mode, which disables non-standard device drivers and startup software.

To reinstall Acrobat in a simplified mode:

1. Insert the Acrobat CD into the CD-ROM drive.

2. Copy the Acrobat [version] folder from the Acrobat CD to the desktop.

3. Move all icons and shortcuts from the following locations to another folder. (You can move them back after you install Acrobat.)

-- Documents and Settings/[user profile]/Start Menu/Programs/Startup

-- Documents and Settings/All Users/Start Menu

4. Restart the computer. Press F8 when you see the message "For Advanced Startup Options . . . ;" and then select VGA Mode from the list of startup options.

5. Close any running applications or utilities (that is, any applications that appear in the taskbar and the System Tray).

6. Start the Acrobat installer in the Acrobat [version] folder, and then follow the on-screen instructions.

7. Update the video driver.

Many manufacturers of video display adapters frequently update their software drivers. If you haven't updated the display adapter driver recently, contact the video card manufacturer for an updated driver, or download one from the manufacturer's website. (To determine the manufacturer of the video card, view the card's properties in Device Manager.) You can often determine if the video driver is outdated by changing the color-depth and resolution of the video card or by disabling graphics hardware acceleration.

To change the color-depth and resolution of the video card:

1. Choose Start > Settings > Control Panel.

2. Double-click Display, and then click the Settings tab.

3. Change the color-depth using the Colors menu:

-- If the current color-depth is 256 Colors, choose True Color (which may be designated as 24-bit color; 16,777,216 colors; or millions of colors).

-- If the current color-depth isn't 256 Colors, choose 256 Colors.

4. Change the resolution using the Screen Area slider:

-- If the current resolution is 640 x 480, move the slider to 800 x 600.

-- If the current resolution isn't 640 x 480, move the slider to 640 x 480.

5. Click Apply, and then click OK.

6. Restart Windows and Acrobat. If the problem no longer occurs, contact the video card manufacturer for an updated driver.

To disable graphics hardware acceleration:

1. Choose Start > Settings > Control Panel.

2. Double-click Display, click the Settings tab, and then click Advanced.

3. Click the Troubleshooting tab.

4. Move the Hardware acceleration slider to None.

5. Click OK to accept the new setting, and then click OK to close the Display Properties window.

6. Restart Windows and Acrobat. If the problem no longer occurs, contact the video card manufacturer for an updated driver.

8. Verify that device drivers are compatible with Windows2000.

Device drivers are files that allow Windows to communicate with devices such as scanners, video cards, mouse devices, and keyboards. Contact the device manufacturer to make sure that you have the latest driver for it.

To check for device driver problems:

1. Choose Start > Settings > Control Panel

2. Double-click System, click the Hardware tab, and then click Device Manager.

3. Click the plus sign (+) to the left of each device type.

4. If a device appears with a black exclamation mark (!) in a yellow circle, right-click that device, and choose Properties from the pop-up menu.

5. Check the properties for the device:

-- Check the Device Status field: If the device isn't working properly, information in this field can help you troubleshoot the problem.

-- If the Properties dialog box has a Driver tab, click it. If the Driver tab doesn't indicate the driver provider, click Driver Details. If Microsoft is the provider, you probably have a generic driver and should obtain the most recent driver provided by the device manufacturer.

If updating the video card driver doesn't resolve the problem, verify that all other device drivers are compatible with Windows XP. Device drivers are software files that allow Windows to communicate with devices such as scanners, mouse devices, and keyboards. Contact the device manufacturer to make sure that you are using the latest driver for it.

9. Install the latest Microsoft Windows update.

Updates to Windows (also called Service Packs) improve its performance and compatibility with other applications. Although each version of Acrobat requires a Service Pack (see the system requirements in task 1 of this document), a more recent Service Pack can further improve performance. Service Packs typically include updated device drivers and other updated system components. You can obtain Service Packs from the Microsoft website at www.microsoft.com . For assistance installing a Service Pack, contact Microsoft Technical Support.

If you reinstall an application or Windows after installing the latest Service Pack, reinstall the Service Pack. Some applications install commonly used system files, overwriting the updated versions installed by the Service Pack.

10.Disable hard disk compression.

Disable hard disk compression, which can interfere when Acrobat attempts to store and access files and resources. For more information, see the documentation for the compression software, or see the Windows documentation for compression included with Windows.

11.Change the size of the virtual memory paging file.

Virtual memory allows the system to use hard disk space to store information normally stored in memory (RAM). Windows 2000 manages virtual memory using a paging file; you define the minimum and maximum size of this file. If the maximum size isn't twice the amount of installed RAM, applications may return errors.

To create a paging file with a maximum size of twice the amount of installed RAM:

Disclaimer: Adobe doesn't support this procedure but provides it as a courtesy. If you change virtual memory or other system settings, you can affect performance in other applications. Check the documentation for other applications for more details.

Note: You must be logged on as an Administrator to change the size of the paging file.

1. Exit from open applications.

2. Choose > Start > Settings > Control Panel.

3. Double-click System, click the Advanced tab, and then click Performance Options.

4. Click Change in the Virtual Memory section.

5. From the Drive list, select a hard drive that has at least twice the amount of the computer's installed RAM. (To determine the amount of space available on a drive, click the drive letter; the amount of space available appears in the Paging File Size for Selected Drive section.)

6. In the Initial Size text box, enter a value equal to the amount of the computer's installed RAM plus 12 MB.

7. In the Maximum Size text field, enter a value equal to twice the amount of the computer's installed RAM.

8. Click Set, and then click OK to close the Virtual Memory dialog box.

9. Click OK to close the Performance Options dialog box, and the System Properties dialog box.

10. Click Yes in the System Settings Change dialog box to restart Windows.

12.Optimize handling of temporary filesby Windows.

Windows and applications store working data in temporary (*.tmp) files that they create on the hard disk. Excessive or outdated temporary files can interfere with the performance of Windows. Delete temporary files and make sure that adequate free space is available on the hard disk to which they are written by doing the following:

To verify that Windows stores temporary files on a non-compressed hard disk that has at least 50 MB of free space:

1. Exit from open applications.

2. Choose Start > Settings > Control Panel, and double-click System.

3. Click the Advanced tab, and then click Environment Variables.

4. In the User Variables For [user name] section, locate TEMP in the Variable column, and note the folder listed in the Value column. If the complete pathname for the folder isn't visible, double-click TEMP in the Variable column, and note the folder name in the Variable Value text box.

Note: If a TEMP variable doesn't exist, contact your system administrator for assistance.

5. In Windows Explorer, verify that the folder you noted in step 4 exists on a disk that has at least 50 MB of free space:

-- If the folder doesn't exist, create it: Right-click the drive, choose New Folder from the pop-up menu, and type the folder name you noted in step 4 (for example, Temp).

-- If the disk doesn't have enough free space, create additional space by removing unnecessary files. To determine the amount of free space, right-click the drive, and choose Properties from the pop-up menu.

To delete all temporary files:

Note: Repeat this procedure periodically. Windows deletes temporary files when Windows and applications close normally. When Windows or an application crashes, however, temporary files can accumulate on the hard drive.

1. Choose Start > Run, and type command in the Open text box. Click OK.

2. Type the following commands and press Enter after each command:

cd\

cd "C:\Windows\Temp"

del *.* /s /q

3. Microsoft Windows will delete all unprotected files from the Windows Temporary directory and then return to a blinking command prompt. When it has return to the blinking command prompt, type the following commands and press Enter after each command:

cd\

cd %temp%

del *.* /s /q

4. Type exit and press enter to close the Command.com window.

13.Check for font problems.

To determine whether a font causes the problem, reduce the number of active TrueType fonts by moving the font files to another location:

Note: Don't remove the TrueType fonts installed by Windows. For a list of these fonts, see document , "TrueType Fonts Installed by Windows 2000"

1. Create a new folder (for example, C:/TrueType).

2. Open the Winnt/Fonts folder.

3. Move TrueType font files, excluding those installed by Windows, from the Winnt/Fonts folder to the folder you created in step 1.

4. Restart Windows.

5. Move a few of the fonts from step 3 back to the Winnt/Fonts folder.

6. Restart Windows.

7. Start Acrobat, and try to re-create the problem:

-- If the problem recurs, one of the fonts you moved in step 5 may be the cause. Remove those fonts from the Winnt/Fonts folder, and repeat steps 4-6, this time adding only one font at a time. When the problem recurs, remove the fonts using a font utility, remove the font and reinstall it from the original media, or contact the font manufacturer to obtain an updated version of the font.

-- If the problem doesn't occur, repeat steps 5-7 and test different fonts.

14.Repair and defragment hard disks.

System errors can occur if hard disks contain damaged sectors or fragmented files. Repair and defragment hard disks using either the Error-checking tool and Disk Defragmenter utility included with Windows or a third-party disk utility such as Symantec's Norton Utilities. You should run such utilities on each hard disk or partition.

The Error-checking tool repairs bad sectors, lost allocation units and file fragments, cross-linked files, and invalid file names. To access the Error-checking tool, double-click My Computer, right-click the desired hard disk, and choose Properties from the pop-up menu; in the Local Disk Properties dialog box, click the Tools tab, and then click Check Now in the Error-checking section.

Disk Defragmenter rearranges the files and free space on the computer so files are stored in contiguous units and free space is consolidated in one contiguous block. To access the Disk Defragmenter utility, choose Start > Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Disk Defragmenter.

For more information about a third-party disk utility, refer to the documentation for it.

15. Scan the system for viruses.

Use current anti-virus software, such as Norton AntiVirus or McAfee VirusScan, to check the system for viruses. Virus infections can damage software and cause system errors. For more information, see the documentation for the anti-virus software.

16. View the System Log to identify software conflicts.

When starting, Windows 2000 adds entries to the System Log, which contains information about applications, security settings, and system information. You can view the System Log to identify software conflicts. If you identify a software conflict, reinstall or update the software.

To view the System Log:

1. Choose Start > Settings > Control Panel, and double-click Administrative Tools.

2. Double-click Event Viewer, select System Log in the Event Viewer window, and note the following:

-- A white "x" in a red circle indicates that a service or driver is stopped (i.e., it didn't start or load).

-- A black exclamation point in a yellow triangle warns of a possible future problem, such as low disk space.

Note: You can ignore warnings that indicate a new printer driver was installed.

3. For more information about an entry, right-click it, choose Properties from the pop-up menu, and read the Description section. If you can't determine which events are related to the problem, re-create the System Log:

a. Open Event Viewer, right-click the System Log, and choose Clear All Events from the pop-up menu. To save the current System Log, click Yes when Windows returns the message "Do you want to save 'System Log' before clearing it?"

b. Close Event Viewer, and try to re-create the problem.

c. After the problem recurs, open Event Viewer and view the System Log.

4. Note the description, source, and EventID, and search for a solution to the error on the Microsoft website at http://support.microsoft.com , or contact Microsoft or the hardware vendor for assistance.

17. Identify the file or application that causes the problem.

If an error indicates which application causes the problem, reinstall the application. If a file is damaged and causes problems in Acrobat, reinstalling the application can correct the problem. If an error indicates a Windows file, reinstall Windows over itself. If the problem persists, proceed to the next task.

18. Reformat the hard disk, and reinstall only Windows 2000 and Acrobat.

Reformat the hard disk, and then install only Windows 2000 and Acrobat from the original installation media. Reformatting a disk erases all files it contains, so be sure to back up all personal files first. Also make sure that you have all application and system disks.

Note: Don't install additional software or hardware until you're sure that the problem is resolved. Don't back up the hard disk and restore Windows and Acrobat instead of reinstalling them; if the problem is caused by an application or Windows, and either is restored instead of reinstalled, the problem may recur.

After you reformat the hard disk and reinstall Windows, try to re-create the problem:

-- If the problem no longer occurs, install other applications one at a time and try to re-create the problem after each installation. If the problem occurs after an installation, the recently installed application may be the cause.

-- If the problem occurs when only Windows and Acrobat are installed, the cause is hardware-related, and you should contact the hardware manufacturer or an authorized reseller for assistance. Before contacting the manufacturer or reseller, however, you may want to try one or more tasks in the following section.

Advanced troubleshooting

If the tasks in the previous section didn't resolve the problem, hardware may be conflicting with Acrobat.

Disclaimer: Adobe doesn't support hardware and provides these tasks as a courtesy only. For further assistance, contact the hardware manufacturer or an authorized reseller. If you troubleshoot hardware problems yourself, you may void the warranty for your computer.

Note: Before you remove or rearrange hardware, turn off the power to the computer and any peripherals.

19. Check for SCSI problems.

If you have a SCSI card for internal or external SCSI devices, verify that the settings for the card are correct, ensure that the SCSI chain is properly terminated, update SCSI drivers, and check for hardware or cable damage. For instructions, contact the SCSI card manufacturer.

You can also check for SCSI problems by using the System Properties dialog box:

1. Choose Start > Settings > Control Panel and double-click System.

2. Click the Device Manager tab.

3. Click the plus sign (+) to the left of the SCSI and RAID Controllers line.

4. For each adapter listed, right-click the name, and then choose Properties. If the Device Status section indicates that the SCSI adapter isn't working correctly, reinstall SCSI device drivers; contact the SCSI card manufacturer for further help.

20.Check for problems with RAM SIMMs or DIMMs.

Ensure that the RAM SIMMs or DIMMs are installed properly and aren't the cause by doing one or more of the following:

-- Change the order of the installed SIMMs or DIMMs.

-- Remove all but the minimum number of SIMMs or DIMMs needed to run Windows and Acrobat, and test to see if the problem persists. If it does, replace the SIMMs or DIMMs you removed and remove the others, testing again to see if the problem persists. If the problem doesn't recur, one or more of the removed SIMMs or DIMMs are the cause. For assistance, contact the RAM SIMM or DIMM manufacturer.