TechNote

Troubleshoot system errors or freezes in Acrobat 8.x, 3D, or 9.x (Windows Vista)

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 Vista. 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
• A blue screen
• An unexpected restart
• An error such as any of the following:
  A STOP error
  "Fatal System Error."
  "Application Error."
  "Acrobat caused a General Protection Fault in module [file name].
  "Acrobat caused an Invalid Page Fault in module [file name]."
  "Acrobat has encountered a problem and needs to close."
  "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."

Many different factors can cause system errors, including conflicts among device drivers, applications, operating system settings, 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 uses enough memory or processor cycles to expose the problem.

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

You must be logged on as an administrator to perform some of the procedures in this document.

Important: Some of the procedures in this document may initiate a User Access Control dialog that asks for your permission to continue. Read the details in the dialog to determine if you want to continue. If you choose to cancel the dialog, then you will not be able to continue with that troubleshooting step.

The steps in this document that refer to the Control Panel are in reference to the Classic view.

For information on switching the Control Panel to the Classic view and many other common OS procedures, see document kb401275, Common Microsoft Windows Vista procedures.

Some of these procedures require you to locate hidden files and hidden folders. Some procedures require you to locate files by their full file names, which include extensions (for example, example_filename.ini). By default, Windows Explorer doesn't show hidden files, hidden folders, and file name extensions that it recognizes.

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

1. In Windows Explorer, choose Organize > Folder And Search Options.
2. Click the View tab in the Folder Options dialog box.
3. In Advanced Settings, select Show Hidden Files And Folders.
4. Deselect Hide Extensions For Known File Types.
5. Click OK.

Note: The procedures in this document are based on the default interface of Windows Vista. If the interface is customized, then some procedures may vary. For example, a commonly encountered difference is the navigation to Control Panel from the Start menu: You might navigate Start > Settings > Control Panel instead of Start > Control Panel.

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.

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 8.0 (Professional and Standard)

• Intel Pentium III or equivalent processor
• Microsoft Windows 2000 with Service Pack 4, Microsoft Windows XP with Service Pack 2 Professional, Home, or Tablet PC Editions, Windows 64-bit non-native (Reader), Windows 2003 Server
• 256 MB of RAM (512 MB recommended)*
• 860 MB (Professional) and 490 MB (Standard) ; optional installation files cache requires an additional 460 MB of available hard-disk space.
• 1,024x768 screen resolution
• CD-ROM drive if installing from a CD
• DVD-ROM drive if installing from a DVD
• Internet Explorer 6.0, 7.0
• Internet or phone connection required for product activation

Acrobat 8.1, Acrobat 3D 8

• Intel Pentium III or equivalent processor
• Microsoft Windows 2000 with Service Pack 4, Microsoft Windows XP (32-bit and 64-bit) Professional, Home, Tablet PC Edition with Serivice Pack 2, Windows Vista (32-bit and 64-bit) Ultimate, Enterprise, Business, Home Premium, Home Basic
• Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0, 7.0
• 512 MB of RAM (1 GB recommeded)
• 1.6 GB of hard-disk space (includes cache for optional installation files)
• NVIDIA or ATI video card with pixel shader support and DirectX 8.1 or 9 required for video hardware acceleration (recommended for optimal performance)
• 1,024x768 screen resolution
• CD-ROM drive
• Internet or phone connection required for product activation
• Microsoft Office 2000, Office XP, Office 2003 or Office 2007 required for 3D OCX and PDFMaker

Acrobat 9 Standard, Pro, and Pro Extended

• 1.3 GHz processor or better
• Microsoft Windows Server 2003 (with Service Pack 2 for 64-bit), Microsoft Windows XP (32-bit and 64-bit) Professional, Home, Tablet PC Edition with Serivice Pack 2 or 3, Windows Vista (32-bit and 64-bit) Ultimate, Enterprise, Business, Home Premium, Home Basic
• Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0
• 512 MB of RAM (Pro Extended),
  256 MB of RAM - 512 MB recommended (Pro and Standard)
• 2.35 GB of hard-disk space (Pro Extended),
  2.13 GB of hard-disk space (Pro),
  985 MB of hard-disk space (Standard)
• 1,024x768 screen resolution
• DVD drive
• Internet or phone connection required for product activation
• Microsoft Office 2000, Office XP, Office 2003 or Office 2007 required for 3D OCX and PDFMaker

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

1. Choose Start > Control Panel > Programs and click Program and Features.
2. Select Acrobat or Adobe Reader and click Unistall.
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 > Control Panel > Programs and click Program and Features.
7. Select the current version of Acrobat or Adobe Reader and click Change.
8. When prompted, confirm that you want to repair the selected application.

3. 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 updates are available from the Adobe website at www.adobe.com/downloads/updates/ or by choosing Help > Check For Updates Now.

4. Re-create the Acrobat preferences folder.

Re-create the Acrobat file based preferences folder to eliminate problems that damaged preferences cause. Acrobat will recreate the preference files on launch when the preference files do not exist. Most user specific settings are stored in the registry. Most preference problems are caused by these file-based preferences, although the majority of the Acrobat 's preferences are stored within the registry.

Note: Custom settings for Collaboration, JavaScripts, Organizer, Security, Stamps, Color Management, Auto Fill, Web Capture and Updater will be affected by using this solution.

To re-create the Acrobat Preferences folder:

1. Quit Acrobat.
2. In Windows Explorer, go to C:\Users\Username\AppData\Local\Adobe\Acrobat\8.0 folder and move the Preferences folder to another location (for example, C:\Temp).
3. Launch Acrobat.

If the problem recurs after you re-create the Acrobat Preferences folder, then the problem isn't related to the Preferences folder. To restore custom settings, drag the folder you moved in step 2 back to its original location, and then click Yes To All to replace the new Preferences folder.

5. 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 disable startup items and non Microsoft services:

1. Quit all applications.
2. Choose Start, type msconfig in the Search text box, and press Enter.
3. Write down all unselected items under the Startup and Services tabs.
4. Click the General tab, and choose Selective Startup.
5. Click the Startup tab and select Disable All.
6. Select any startup items that are essential for testing the problem (for example, acrotray.exe is essential for creating PDF files with Acrobat). If you are unsure whether an item is essential, leave it deselected (disabled).
7. Click the Services tab, and check Hide All Microsoft Services.
8. Select Disable All then re-select any services that are essential for testing the problem (for example, Print Spooler is essential for creating PDF files with Acrobat). If you are unsure whether an item is essential, leave it deselected (disabled).
9. Click Apply, and restart Windows for the changes to take effect.
   
   Note: Upon restart, you'll be notified that the System Configuration utility has made changes to the way that Windows starts up. Click OK. When the System Configuration utility appears click Cancel.
   
   
10. Right-click icons in the Notification Area and close or disable any startup items that are still active.

Then, try to re-create the problem:

• If the problem no longer occurs, one of the startup items is the cause of the problem.
• If the problem recurs, startup items are not the cause of the problem and you can re-enable them:
  1. Choose Start, type msconfig in the Search text box, and press Enter.
  2. Click the General tab, and choose Normal Startup.
  3. Deselect any items that you wrote down in Step 3 of the previous section.
  4. Click Apply, and restart Windows for the changes to take effect.

To identify which startup item is causing the issue:

Determining which startup item is generating the problem can be a tedious process. After determining that startup items are the problem's cause, break the list of items into halves. Test each half of the list to determine if a problem startup item is present. Continue to break the list in half until you determine what startup items are generating the issue. Do not leave any half untested. Multiple startup items may exhbit the same behavior.

1. Attempt to replicate the issue with all items disabled. If the issue does not occur, then proceed to the next section, "Troubleshooting plug-in conflicts." Reenable startup items after all steps have been completed.
2. Restore half of the items that were disabled.
3. Attempt to replicate the issue.
   If the issue occurs, then divide the startup items in half and determine which half the issue occurs within.
   If the issue is not reproducible, then enable half of the remaining startup items. Continue dividing the items in halves until you have determined what startup item(s) are generating the issue.
4. Once the problem startup item has been isolated. Contact the startup item's manufacturer for updates or configuration information.

6. Troubleshoot plug-in conflicts.

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

1. Start Acrobat without any plug-ins running.
   1. Double click on the Acrobat shortcut on the Desktop.
   2. Immediately after double-clicking, press and hold the left Shift key on the keyboard.
      • 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.
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 8.0\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.
   1. Remove all corrupted plug-ins recorded in step 7 from the Acrobat plug-ins folder.
   2. Navigate to Add/Remove Programs within the Control Panel.
   3. Select Acrobat and click Change.
   4. 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.

7. 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 disk into the CD-ROM drive.
2. Copy the Acrobat 8.0 folder from the Acrobat CD to the desktop.
3. Refer to Solution 3 for steps to disable startup items and services on Windows.
4. Double click Setup.exe within the Acrobat 8.0 folder on the desktop.
5. Follow the on-screen instructions.

8. Run Acrobat in a new user account.

Create a new user account that has the same permissions as the account that you use when the problem occurs. If the problem doesn't recur, then the original user account may be damaged. For instructions on creating a new user account, see "To add a new user to the computer" in Windows Help or contact your system administrator.

9. Disable UAC (User Access Control).

Important: This procedure involves disabling User Access Control. This feature is intended to prevent administrative accounts from performing undesired actions that may affect the system. Disabling UAC removes these notifications. You must restart your system after you disable or re-enable UAC.

For more information on UAC, see the Microsoft Windows Vista support site.

1. Choose Start > Control Panel.
2. Double click User Accounts.
3. Select Turn User Account Control On Or Off.
4. Deselect Use User Account Control (UAC) To Help Protect Your Computer and click OK.
5. Click Restart Now.

To re-enable UAC:

1. Choose Start > Control Panel.
2. Double click User Accounts.
3. Select Turn User Account Control On Or Off.
4. Select Use User Account Control (UAC) To Help Protect Your Computer and click OK.
5. Click Restart Now.

10. Disable Windows Aero

Aero is a new hardware-based graphical user interface in Windows Vista. It is intended to offer more advanced features than are available in the standard interface, including new transparencies and animations.

1. Choose Start > Control Panel.
2. Double click Personalization and select Window Color and Appearance.
3. Select Windows Color And Appearance.
4. Click Open Classic Appearance Properties For More Color Options.
5. Select a Color Scheme other than Windows Aero and click OK.
6. Re-create the problem behavior, and then do one of the following:
   • If the problem doesn't recur, then Aero is the cause.
   • If the problem recurs, then Aero isn't the cause. Re-enable Aero.

To re-enable Aero, do the following:

1. Choose Start > Control Panel.
2. Double click Personalization and select Window Color and Appearance.
3. Select Windows Color And Appearance.
4. Choose Windows Aero from the Color Scheme menu and click OK.

11. Verify that other device drivers are compatible with Windows Vista.

If updating the video card driver doesn't resolve the problem, then verify that all other device drivers are compatible with Windows Vista. 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.

To check for device driver problems:

1. Choose Start > Control Panel.
2. Double click System.
3. Click Device Manager in the Tasks pane.
4. Click the plus sign (+) to the left of each device type.
5. If a device appears with a black exclamation mark (!) in a yellow circle, then right-click that device, and choose Properties from the menu.
6. Note 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, then click it. If the Driver tab doesn't indicate the driver provider, then click Driver Details. If Microsoft is the provider, then a generic driver is probably installed; contact the device manufacturer to obtain the most recent driver that they provide

12. Install latest Windows service packs and other updates.

Updates to the Windows operating system improve its performance and compatibility with applications. You can obtain Windows service packs and other updates from the Microsoft website at www.windowsupdate.com. For assistance installing service packs and other updates, contact Microsoft technical support.

If you've reinstalled an application or the Windows operating system after installing the latest Windows update, then reinstall the update. Some applications install commonly used system files, overwriting the updated versions installed by the Windows update.

13. 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.

14. Optimize handling of temporary files by Windows Vista.

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 performance of Windows or applications.

Delete temporary files either by using the Disk Cleanup utility included with Windows or by using the following instructions. Make sure that at the minimum amount of free space is available on the hard disk to which temporary files are written (see step 1 for the minimum amount for your version of Acrobat). To start Disk Cleanup, choose Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Disk Cleanup. For information about Disk Cleanup, see Windows Help.

To manually delete 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 disk.

1. Quit all applications.
2. Choose Start and type *.tmp in the Search text box.
   
3. After the search results appear, choose Organize > Select All.
   
4. Choose Organize > Delete. Click Yes to confirm that you want to send the files to the Recycle Bin.
   
5. Remove any files you don't want to delete from the Recycle Bin, and then empty the Recycle Bin. Windows deletes all temporary files not in use.

To make sure that at least the minimum of free space is available on the hard disk to which temporary files are written:

1. Quit all applications.
2. Choose Start > Control Panel.
   
3. Double click System and select Advanced system settings from the Tasks pane.
   
4. Click the Advanced tab, and then click Environment Variables.
   
5. In the User Variables For [user profile] area, 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 box.
   
   Note: If a TEMP variable doesn't exist, then contact your system administrator for assistance.
   
   
6. In Windows Explorer, verify that the folder you noted in step 4 exists on a non-compressed disk partition that has at least [product's requirement in MB] MB of free space:
   • If the folder doesn't exist, then create it: Right-click the drive, choose New Folder from the menu, and type the folder name you noted in step 4 (for example, Temp).
   • If the disk doesn't have enough free space, then create additional space by removing unnecessary files. To determine the amount of free space, right-click the disk and choose Properties from the menu.

15. 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 move the TrueType fonts installed by Windows.

1. Create a new folder (for example, C:\TrueType).
2. Open the Windows\Fonts folder.
3. Move TrueType font files--excluding those installed by Windows--from the Windows\Fonts folder to the folder you created in step 1.
4. Restart Windows.
5. Move some of the fonts moved in step 3 back to the Windows\Fonts folder.
6. Restart Windows.
7. Start Acrobat, and try to re-create the problem.
8. If the problem doesn't recur, then repeat steps 5-7, testing different fonts. If the problem recurs, then one of the fonts you moved in step 5 may be the cause. Remove those fonts from the Windows\Fonts folder, and repeat steps 4-6, this time adding only one font at a time. When the problem recurs, do one or more of the following:
   • If you use a font utility other than the Windows Fonts folder (for example, Extensis Suitcase 9), then remove the fonts using that utility. For instructions, refer to the documentation for the utility.
   • Remove the font and reinstall it from the original media.
   • Contact the font manufacturer to obtain an updated version of the font.

16. Set the virtual memory paging file to the default size.

Virtual memory allows the system to use hard disk space to store information normally stored in RAM. Windows Vista manages virtual memory by using a paging file. You specify the minimum and maximum size of this file. If the size is different from the default in Windows Vista, applications may return errors. However, some applications may require a non-default size for the paging file. Change the size only if other applications aren't adversely affected.

To set the paging file to the default size:

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

1. Quit all applications.
2. Choose Start > Control Panel.
3. Double click System and select Advanced system settings from the Tasks pane.
4. Click the Advanced tab, and then click Settings in the Performance area.
5. Click the Advanced tab, and then click Change in the Virtual Memory area.
   
   Note: Before you proceed to the next step you may need to deselect the Automatically manage paging file size for all drives checkbox.
   
   
6. From the Drive list, select a hard-disk partition that has free space equal to at least three times the amount of the computer's installed RAM. To determine the amount of space available on a hard-disk partition, click the drive letter; the amount of space available appears in the Paging File Size For Selected Drive area.
7. In the Initial Size box, enter a value equal to one and a half times the amount of the computer's installed RAM.
8. In the Maximum Size box, enter a value equal to twice the amount of the Initial Size value.
9. Click Set, and then click OK to close the Virtual Memory dialog box.
10. Click OK to the alert "The changes you have made require you to restart your computer . . ."
11. Click OK to close the Performance Options dialog box, and then click OK to close the System Properties dialog box.
12. Click Restart Now to restart your system.

17. Repair and defragment hard disks.

System errors can occur if hard disks contain damaged sectors or fragmented files. Repair and defragment hard disks, either by using the Error-checking tool and Disk Defragmenter utility included with Windows or by using a third-party disk utility (for example, Symantec Norton Utilities). You should run such utilities on each hard disk or partition. More information about the Error-checking tool and Disk Defragmenter appears below; for more information about a third-party disk utility, refer to the documentation for the utility.

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, choose Start > Computer, right-click the desired hard disk, and choose Properties from the menu. In the Local Disk Properties dialog box, click the Tools tab, and then click Check Now in the Error-checking area.

Note: To prevent Disk Defragmenter from moving files to bad sectors of a disk, run the Error-checking tool before running Disk Defragmenter.

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

18. Scan the system for viruses.

Use current anti-virus software (for example, Symantec Norton Antivirus or McAfee Virus Scan) 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.

19. Identify the file that causes the problem.

If an error indicates which file causes the problem, then reinstall the application to which that file belongs. If that file is damaged and causes problems in Acrobat, then reinstalling the associated application can correct the problem.

If an error indicates a Windows file, then contact Microsoft for help replacing that file.

Advanced troubleshooting

If the tasks in the previous section don't resolve the problem, then you may be able to resolve the problem by reinstalling Windows Vista and Acrobat, reformatting your hard disk and reinstalling Windows Vista and Acrobat, or by determining if hardware is conflicting with Acrobat.

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

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

20. Log in using the built-in Administrator account.

The built-in Administrator account has a higher access level to the system than a normal local administrator account. By default the built-in Administrator account is disabled. For information about enabling and logging in to the built-in Administrator account, contact your system administrator. You can also refer to this support document on the Microsoft support website: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/926183/en-us?spid=11737&sid=73.

21. Check for problems with RAM modules.

Ensure that the RAM modules are installed properly and are not the cause of your problem. Do one or more of the following:

• Change the order of the installed modules.
• Remove all but the minimum number of modules needed to run Windows and Acrobat, and test to see if the problem persists. If it does, replace the modules you removed and remove the others, testing again to see if the problem recurs. If it doesn't, then one or more of the removed modules are the cause. For assistance, contact the RAM manufacturer.

22. Contact Adobe Technical Support.

If none of the above steps has resolved the error or freeze that you are experiencing with Acrobat, then you need to contact Adobe Technical Support. You can find the support options at the Support Center.

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