TechNote

What's covered

• Beginning and intermediate troubleshooting
• Advanced troubleshooting

This document can help you resolve system errors that occur while you use Adobe Acrobat on 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
• A spinning wheel mouse cursor
• An error such as "The application 'Adobe Reader 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 you perform 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:

• PowerPC G4,G5 or Intel processors
• Mac OS X v.10.4.11 or 10.5
• 256 MB of installed RAM (512 MB recommended)
• 1415 MB of available harddisk space.
• 1024 x 768 screen resolution
• DVD drive, if installing from a DVD

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. Run Acrobat while no other applications are running.

To maximize available RAM and reduce the chance that another application may conflict with Acrobat, quit open applications, and then restart Acrobat. You should also disable items that start automatically when you log in.

To disable items that start automatically when you log in:

1. From the Apple menu, choose System Preferences.
2. Click on Accounts
3. Select Login Items.
4. Select the item that you want to disable, and then click Remove.
5. Log out of your user account and then log back in and start Acrobat.

Note: Disabling items that start automatically removes items that may have been installed with another application. Manually add those items back after you complete your tests. Click Add in the Login Items pane to add the items that you removed.

3. 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.Pro_ppc_9.0.plist or com.adobe.Acrobat.Pro_x86_9.0.plist
   • Acrobat Distiller Prefs and com.adobe.distiller8.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, then 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?"

4. Run Repair Acrobat Installation to replace missing files.

A missing Acrobat component may prevent the application from functioning. Run the Repair Acrobat Installation command to replace any missing files.

To run Repair Acrobat Installation:

1. From the Acrobat Help menu, choose Repair Acrobat Installation.
2. Click OK to the message "Missing components were repaired."
3. Restart Acrobat.

5. Disable third-party plug-ins.

Disable third-party plug-ins. If the problem doesn't occur after removing third-party plug-ins, then 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.

6. Start Acrobat.

6. Change the Universal Access preferences setting in Mac OS X.

Please refer to http://www.adobe.com/go/kb404934 to do this.

7. 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, then 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, please follow the instructions outlined here http://www.adobe.com/go/kb404935.

8. Log in as a user with administrator privileges.

If you lack administrator privileges, then 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, then the account you were previously using lacks administrator privileges. Contact your system administrator to grant you administrator privileges.

In order to do this, please follow the steps outlined here http://www.adobe.com/go/kb404926.

Note: If your computer is set to automatically log in at startup, but you want to start up as another user, then hold down the Shift key after the Mac OS X Startup Screen appears and release it when the login screen appears.

9. 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.

10. Use the Activity Monitor to identify and quit processes that use large amounts of system resources.

To ensure that Acrobat has enough system resources, use the Activity Monitor to quit processes using more than 30% of the system's resources. Refer to the following document to do so: http://www.adobe.com/go/kb404933.

11. Start in Safe Boot and then reinstall Acrobat.

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 do a Safe Boot, follow these instructions: http://www.adobe.com/go/kb404936.

To reinstall Acrobat:

1. Move any personal files from the Acrobat 9 Professional folder on the hard disk to another location.
2. Delete the Adobe Acrobat 9 Professional folder on the hard disk.
3. Force quit open applications (for instructions, see step 3, above).
4. Drag the Acrobat 9 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 9 Professional icon.
6. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation.

12. Verify and repair disk permissions by running Disk Utility.

To run Disk Utility, follow the instructions outlined in the following document: http://www.adobe.com/go/kb404928.

13. 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 )".

14. 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. You can do this by following the instructions outlined in the following document: http://www.adobe.com/go/kb404932.

15. 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 Tech Tool Pro.

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.

Please follow the instructions outlined in this document to perform this operation: http://www.adobe.com/go/kb404929.

Advanced troubleshooting

If the tasks in the previous section don't resolve the problem, then 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.

16. 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, then the hard drive or the motherboard you were using previously may be the cause. For assistance, contact the manufacturer.

17. 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.

18. 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.

19. Additional steps.

If Acrobat crashes or causes your system to freeze, then please refer to the "Mac OS X: Shortcuts for 'Freezes'" document on the Apple website at http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=61470.