Troubleshoot system errors or freezes (Acrobat 6.0-7.0 on Mac OS X)
What's covered
Beginning and intermediate troubleshooting
Advanced troubleshooting
This document can help you resolve system errors that occur while you use Adobe Acrobat in Mac OS X. System errors can manifest themselves in many different ways, including (but not limited to) the following:
-- A blank or flickering dialog box
-- A frozen cursor or screen
-- An error such as "The application 'Acrobat [version] has unexpectedly quit. The system and other applications have not been affected."
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.
To benefit most from this document, perform the tasks in order. Keep track of the tasks you perform and the results of each task, including errors or problematic behavior. Adobe Technical Support can use this information to better assist you, should you need to call.
Beginning and intermediate 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, PDF files that 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.
1. Check system requirements.
Acrobat may not run correctly if the system doesn't meet the following requirements:
Acrobat 7.0:
-- PowerPC G3, G4, or G5 processor
-- Mac OS X v 10.2.8 or 10.3
-- 128 MB of installed RAM (256 MB recommended)
-- 495 MB (Professional) or 450 MB (Standard) of available hard-disk space
-- 1024 x 768 (Professional) or 800 x 600 (Standard) screen resolution
-- CD-ROM drive, if installing from a CD
Acrobat 6.0.x:
-- PowerPC G3 or later processor
-- Mac OS X v. 10.2.2 or later (10.2.4 or later required for full program functionality)
-- 64 MB of RAM (128 MB recommended)
-- 405 MB (Professional) or 370 MB (Standard) of available hard-disk space
-- 1024 x 768 (Professional) or 800 x 600 (Standard) screen resolution
-- CD-ROM drive, if installing from a CD
Note: To check how much RAM is installed, choose About This Mac from the Apple menu. The Memory value indicates the amount of installed RAM.
2. Use the Console utility to identify software conflicts.
If the problem causes Acrobat to freeze, the Console utility can identify software that causes the conflict.
To use the Console utility to identify software conflicts:
1. Choose Go > Applications, open the Utilities folder, and then double-click Console.
2. Choose Console > Preferences, and then click the Crashes tab.
3. Select Enable Crash Reporting and Automatically Display Crash Logs.
4. Restart Acrobat, and try to re-create the problem. If the problem recurs, reinstall or update the software identified in the crash log.
3. Run Acrobat while no other applications are running.
To maximize available RAM and reduce the chance that another application may conflict with Acrobat, force quit open applications, and then restart Acrobat. Some items that start automatically when you log in don't appear in the Force Quit Applications dialog box. Disable items that start automatically.
To force quit open applications:
1. Press Option+Command+Esc.
2. In the Force Quit Applications dialog box, select an application, and then click Force Quit.
Note: Don't select the Finder, which is the core Mac OS component.
3. Click Force Quit again when Mac OS returns the alert "Do you want to force [application] to quit?"
4. Restart Acrobat, try to re-create the error, and continue as follows:
-- If the error doesn't occur, the application you selected in step 2 conflicts with Acrobat.
-- If the error occurs, repeat steps 3-4; or, if you've quit all open applications, proceed to the next task.
To disable items that start automatically when you log in:
1. From the Apple menu, choose System Preferences.
2. Under Personal, select Login Items.
3. Select the item that you want to disable, and then click Remove.
Note: Disabling items that start automatically removes items that may have been installed with another application. Manually add those items back after your tests are complete. Click Add in the Login Items pane to read the items that you removed.
4. Re-create the Acrobat preferences files.
You can re-create the Acrobat preferences file to eliminate problems caused by a damaged preferences file.
Note: Re-creating the Acrobat preferences files restores settings to their defaults.
To re-create the Acrobat preferences files:
1. Quit Acrobat.
2. Drag the following files from the Users/[Username]/Library/Preferences folder to the Desktop:
-- Acrobat WebCapture Cookies
-- Com.adobe.Acrobat.Pro7.0.plist (Acrobat 7.0 Professional); Com.adobe.Acrobat7.0.plist (Acrobat 7.0 Standard); Com.adobe.Acrobat.Pro6.0.plist (Acrobat 6.0 Professional); or Com.adobe.Acrobat6.0.plist (Acrobat 6.0 Standard)
-- Acrobat Distiller Prefs and com.adobe.distiller7.plist (If you are troubleshooting an issue with Distiller.)
-- The Acrobat folder, which contains preferences for forms (MRUFormsList), collaboration (OfflineDocs), and color settings (AcrobatColor Settings.csf)
3. Restart Acrobat.
If the problem recurs after you re-create the Acrobat preferences files, the problem isn't related to preference files. To restore custom settings, drag the files you moved in step 2 back to their original location, and then click OK to the alert "A newer item named '[filename]' already exists in this location. Do you want to replace it with the older one you're moving?"
5. Run Detect And Repair to replace missing files.
A missing Acrobat component may prevent the application from functioning. Run the Detect And Repair command to replace any missing files.
To run Detect And Repair:
1. From the Acrobat Help menu, choose Detect And Repair.
2. Click OK to the message "Missing components were repaired."
3. Restart Acrobat.
6. Disable third-party plug-ins.
Disable third-party plug-ins. If the problem doesn't occur after removing third-party plug-ins, one or more of them conflicts with Acrobat. Contact the manufacturer of the plug-ins for information about updates.
To disable third-party plug-ins:
1. Quit Acrobat.
2. Click the Acrobat application icon.
3. Choose File > Get Info.
4. In the Get Info window, click the Plug-Ins arrow to display a list of installed plug-ins.
5. Deselect all third party plug-ins.
Note: For a list of plug-ins that are installed with Acrobat 6.0, see document 328936 , "Plug-ins installed by Acrobat (6.0 on Mac OS X)."
6. Start Acrobat.
7. Change the Universal Access preferences setting in Mac OS X.
When selected, the Universal Access preferences setting Enable Access For Assistive Devices In Mac OS X may conflict with Acrobat.
To deselect Enable Access For Assistive Devices:
1. Choose System Preferences from the Apple Menu, and then click Universal Access.
2. Deselect Enable Access for Assistive Devices.
3. Close the Universal Access window.
8. Update the International preferences in Mac OS X.
Acrobat may be unable to detect the language for the operating system. If Acrobat can't detect the language, it returns an error. When you update the International preferences, Mac OS X creates a new languages preference file, enabling Acrobat to detect the language.
To update the International preferences:
1. Choose System Preferences from the Apple Menu, and then double-click International.
2. Click the Language tab. If your preferred language isn't listed first, drag it to the top of the list.
3. Change another Language setting. For example, rearrange the languages at the bottom of the list, or click Edit, and add a new language to the list.
4. Close the International window.
9. Log in as a user with administrator privileges.
If you lack administrator privileges, Acrobat may be unable to access necessary files. To determine if limited access privileges cause the problem, log in as a user with administrator privileges, and then try to re-create the error. If the error doesn't recur, the account you were previously using lacks administrator privileges. Contact your system administrator to grant you administrator privileges.
To log in as a user with administrator privileges:
1. From the Apple menu, choose Log Out.
2. Click Log Out when the system returns the message "Are you sure you want to quit all applications and log out now?"
3. When the log in screen appears, select a user with administrator privileges, type the appropriate password, and then press Return.
Note: If your computer is set to automatically log in at startup, but you want to start up as another user, hold down the Shift key after the Mac OS X Startup Screen appears and release it when the login screen appears.
10. Create a new user profile and log in as that user.
For instructions on creating a new user profile, see the Mac OS X online Help.
11. Use the Process Viewer to identify and quit processes that use large amounts of system resources.
To ensure that Acrobat has enough system resources, use the Process Viewer to quit processes using more than 30% of the system's resources:
1. Choose Go > Applications, open the Utilities folder, and then double-click Process Viewer.
Note: If the Process Listing window doesn't appear, choose Window > Process Listing.
2. Change the Sample Every setting to 5 seconds.
3. Select any process that is using more than 30% of the CPU, and then choose Processes > Quit Process.
12. Start in Safe Boot and then reinstall Acrobat. (Mac OS X v. 10.2 or later)
An incorrect installation can cause errors when you work in Acrobat. Reinstalling Acrobat can eliminate these errors. Start the Macintosh in Safe Boot (all nonessential kernel extensions and third-party startup items are disabled), before reinstalling Acrobat.
To start the Macintosh in Safe Boot:
1. Restart the Macintosh, and hold down the Shift key immediately after you hear the chimes.
2. Release the Shift key when the Apple logo appears. When the Macintosh is in Safe Boot, the words "Safe Boot" appear on the logo.
To reinstall Acrobat:
1. Move any personal files from the Acrobat [version]Professional or Acrobat [version] Standard folder on the hard disk to another location.
2. Delete the Adobe Acrobat [version] Professional or Acrobat [version]Standard folder on the hard disk.
3. Force quit open applications (for instructions, see step 3, above).
4. Drag the Acrobat [version]Standard or Acrobat [version]Professional folder from the CD to the Applications folder on your hard disk.
Note: You must have Administrator rights privileges to drag the Acrobat folder to the Applications folder.
5. Open the folder you copied to your hard disk in step 4, and double-click the Acrobat[version] Professional or Acrobat [version] Standard icon.
6. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation.
13. Verify and repair disk permissions by running Disk Utility.
To run Disk Utility:
1. Choose Go > Applications, open the Utilities folder, and then double-click Disk Utility.
2. Select the First Aid tab.
3. Select a volume to check, then click on Verify Disk Permissions. If the results of the test indicate that any permissions are set incorrectly, click Repair Disk Permissions.
14. Troubleshoot fonts.
A system error, freeze or display problem can occur if Acrobat accesses a damaged font. See document 327791 , "Troubleshoot font problems (Mac OS X )".
15. Troubleshoot ICC profiles.
A system error can occur if Acrobat accesses a damaged ICC profile. Troubleshoot ICC profiles to determine if they cause the problem:
1. Move all profiles from the following folders to another folder:
-- Library/ColorSync/Profiles
-- Library/Application Support/Adobe/Color/Profiles
2. Restart Acrobat, and try to re-create the problem:
-- If the problem doesn't occur, move one profile back to its original folder, and then repeat step 2 until you identify the problematic profile.
-- If the problem occurs, move the profiles back to their original folder.
16. Defragment and check hard disks for damage.
A fragmented or damaged hard disk can cause Acrobat and other applications to freeze or return an error. Defragment and check hard disks by using a disk utility, such as Apple Disk Utility, Symantec's Norton Utilities, or Micromat Drive 10.
Disclaimer: Adobe doesn't support third-party disk utilities but provides the following instructions as a courtesy. For support, contact the developer of the disk utility.
To check for damage by using Apple Disk Utility (included on the system CD):
1. Start the computer from the system CD.
2. Choose Installer > Open Disk Utility.
3. Select the disks to be checked, and then click the First Aid tab.
4. Click Repair to check and, if necessary, repair selected disks.
Advanced troubleshooting
If the tasks in the previous section don't resolve the problem, you may be able to resolve the problem by reformatting your hard disk or by determining if hardware is 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 computer's warranty.
Note: Before you remove or rearrange hardware, turn off the power to the computer and any peripherals.
17. Reformat the hard disk using HFS+ formatting, and install only Mac OS and Acrobat.
Reformat the hard disk using HFS+ formatting, and then install only Mac OS 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 are sure that the problem is resolved. Don't back up the hard disk and restore Mac OS and Acrobat instead of reinstalling them; if the problem is caused by an application or Mac OS, and either one is restored instead of reinstalled, the problem may recur.
After you reformat the hard disk and install only Mac OS and Acrobat, 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. Contact the developer of the application for information about an update.
-- If the problem recurs, 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 of the following tasks.
18. Use a different hard drive or computer.
Run Acrobat from a different hard drive installed in the same computer or the same hard drive installed in a different computer. If the problem doesn't recur, the hard drive or the motherboard you were using previously may be the cause. For assistance, contact the manufacturer.
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 connected and terminated, update SCSI drivers, and check for hardware or cable damage. For instructions, contact the SCSI card manufacturer.
20. Check for damaged expansion cards.
Damaged or incompatible expansion cards can cause system errors. To check expansion cards, turn off the computer, remove any processor accelerator, cache, or other expansion cards installed in the computer, and then restart the computer.
21. Check for problems with RAM DIMMs.
Ensure that the RAM DIMMs are installed properly and aren't the cause by doing one or more of the following:
-- Change the order of the installed DIMMs.
-- Remove all but the minimum number of DIMMs needed to run Mac OS and Acrobat, and test to see if the problem persists. If it does, replace the 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 DIMMs may be the cause. For assistance, contact the RAM DIMM manufacturer.
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