Do Constant Adobe Updates Screw Up Your Computer?

I have gone with Foxit as well- it has some features (like highlighting and adding marginalia) that you don't get with the free version of Adobe.

You should be able to turn the automatic update off in the Options section of the menu- it's bben too long since I have done that. Also, if you can maneuver your way into the systems tools, you can turn off automatic updates that way as well. You have to find where the start-up applications are listed, and disable the Adobe updater. You have a whole lot more control over what is loaded when you use a Linux system...

"I don't care who knows it, I'm sick to death of Adobe."

Then they have achieved their unspoken mission objective, to be even more annoying than Microsoft .

For Adobe Reader 9:

Go to "Edit" then "Preferences". On the left of the Preferences window there should be column containing choices. Select "General" from that column. At the bottom of the screen there's a checkbox labeled "Check for Updates". Uncheck that box! That should take care of your problem.

And while we're on the subject of Adobe peeves...I simply can't stand that Reader / Acrobat does not give you the option of a "Close Y/N?" nag window every time you close a file. Normally I hate those sorts of nag prompts, but in my case I tend to have a dozen PDFs open at once and quite often I click on the close button when I really mean to minimize. Or I'm clicking close on a couple and happen to click once too often, etc.

Yes, I know. Operator error and I should watch what I'm doing and all that. But dang it...the one time I actually want to turn over a little common sense to the PC and Adobe won't let me!

I have the inverse problem - it bugs me that Microsoft makes me confirm everything I do. And I suspect that the time wasted doing this makes one impatient and more likely to make mistakes.

However, looking at your beef, it seems to me that the real problem is that Microsoft standardised on having the close button next to the restore button - which really enhances the possibility of error.

I' remain convinced that MS's approach is unproductive here - what would be more appropriate (I think) is to provide a message saying "closed" that does not require an action - but to perform the closure in a manner that allows immediate recovery using a just a couple of mouse clicks (e.g. right click|"reopen last document".)

I hate these problems with the Adobe Reader, too. All this time I thought I was the only one. Before I installed Windows 7 on my laptop, the pdf files tried to open in my browser and attempted to read them. The file would never open successfully. Sometimes I would have to keep trying to refresh the page and try to not have Adobe read me the info. I coudn't find a way to keep this from happening. Now I am getting blank dialog boxes opening up and I just try to close them. I'm in the habit now of just trying to download the file and open it up with the reader itself outside of the browser. It's great Adobe created a standard for electronic files. Why are they devolving?

Adobe or foxit, it doesn't make any difference. Adobe has gotten lax on some stuff and responses to clients concerns but they'll come around especially when others like foxit take away some of their business. Hurrah for free enterprize and competition. You'll be saying the same about foxit in a few years.

The key to the whole mess is that almost all companies and definitely all government's publications are done in Adobe. In my case i can't get away from it so I bought PC Doc Pro to straighten everything out once a week, which includes updates.

They're constantly updating the slide picture presentation aspect of the program. As video enhancements are always improving, Adobe has to update to keep up.

It's all about the video and pictures. I can't see them putting any effort in enhancing the text viewing aspect of the program.

There is also the aspect of giving you the impression that they are always improving things.

I have Kaspersky giving notification that some Adobe files pose adware threats to my computer. Those files might be the ones that slow the system down.

Janissaries-

What is really frustrating for me is that I can think of absolutely no instance in which a video or a slide show has actually imparted sufficient information to satisfy my curiosity. Whether it is a news story that catches my eye, or a new product I may be interested in purchasing, I still need to dig deeper into the media (in the case of the news article), or download a copy of the operator's manual to study, in order to get what is to me the essential information. Videos and slide shows are summaries, or teasers, not information containers.

As for entertainment, I find it extremely difficult- even physically painful, in some cases- to watch TV or modern movies these days, and I thought perhaps this was due to some biological effect of advancing age. But when I watch an older movie, or a rerun of an older TV series that I once enjoyed, I do not experience the same effects. I have come to the conclusion that the modern preference for high speed transitions and bold flashes of color are actually harmful to one's health...

You're probably right.

One thing I have noticed about Adobe with the .pdf is that within the last year it seems, from a scanned drawing, the .pdf clarity was all spackled with a function that helped remove some of the speckles but if you refined it too much it would remove things that you didn't want removed.

Now you don't have to do that anymore. The .pdf is clear with each scan. My equipment hasn't changed. The improvement came as a result of the Adobe upgrades.

tcinc002-

You need th change your file associations, such that *.pdf is associated with the reader of choice (Adobe, Foxit, or any number of other options). This can be done in Control Panel- since I am not currently running my Windows box, I can not easily post a description of the process, but either a Google search, or, perhaps, another contributor, can provide detailed instructions.

File association can be accomplished from the start menu / select Default Program tab in the right hand side panel / select associate a file type or protocol with a program...

I agree with you completely, Adobe Reader can be a real pain sometimes.

I have just downloaded Foxit and will try it out.

The big issue I have is like the one stated about Adobe freezing up and locking the browser so you can't do anything. My solution is to do the old Ctrl+Alt+Del and then shut down the Acrobat file that's running. Your browser is freed immediately and you can refresh any PDF files for the tabs are still open at their URL.

As for file size, there is an excellent program called PDF Enhancer. You have to get it. It allows you to optimize your PDF files. It can take a 10 MB file and reduce it down to less than 1 MB. I couldn't believe it! Now I can create files and email them without worry. I believe this is the only software I have ever recommended.

Greenja

For $200?? No, thanks.

You can download their free version.

You could use www.acrobat.com to make up to 5 .pdf's at a time for free. You could also use google.docs to do the same. Try it, you will like it. Just google google.docs and try it.

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Instead of using Ctrl-Alt-Del, try Ctrl-Shift-Esc to open the Task Manager faster.

Get computer help from Michael Glatfelter
download crossloop @ www.crossloop.com
http://www.crossloop.com/TestCrash

Impressive...Obi-Wan has taught you well.

Just had to unistalled Foxit!

Unfortunately it does not run javascripts well. There was an error for some of the input fields and I had to press cancel about a dozen times to get rid of the error message box! That makes it worse than Adobe.

The PDF works fine in version 5 through 9 of Acrobat reader. I guess I'll have to stick with the evil that I know.

Greenja.

I've been using foxit reader with glee!

No troubles with java-scripts just smooth sailing...

You're probably having difficulty with 'adobe download manager', it will resume downloading after the computer has been rebooted. This means shutting down to get rid of adobe is only compounding the problem, let it finish installing or better dump it for foxit reader free version.

Adobe Reader and Pro both have a problem that if you install an update and do not restart the computer when prompted (ie. you click restart later), the update does not get installed. I don't understand why. Since the patent on Acrobat ended, it looks like Adobe does not care anymore.

Get computer help from Michael Glatfelter
http://www.crossloop.com/TestCrash

PDF is a blessing and Adobe is a curse.

If you EVER send your resume or anything like that...print it as a pdf (with one of many free pdf programs...just google 'free pdf printer') and this way you are sure that the pdf will be viewable by the next party. With resume's you're SURE the formatting will look right instead of someone opening up you beloved .doc file with openoffice (or vice versa) and having your pagination go out the window.

I've never understood how and why adobe acrobat is such a HUGE program....something like 700MB last time I checked. This is rediculous for what it does!

Re Adobe .pdf

I find that Adobe reader is very efficient at what it is intended to do.

Very large files are down to the creator, not the software developer as someone else said.

I create very small pdf files direct from the original application - many apps have a create facility which is marvellous. File size as created is usually very small.

These files are easily transferred and readable by anyone with Adobe Reader.

And I can always send a copy of that to anyone who needs it!

Nema Problema

Sleepy

I have to agree with you Sleepy. I have an old desktop that started out Windows ME and now has XP. I can only get 256 M ram on board. Processor is 700 MHZ. This is the desktop I am typing on now. If Adobe Reader 9 were going to give any computer problems, it would be this one. It works flawlessly. It does not interrupt me with update messages. I can read PDF files in my browser window and save and print them as well. I have a hard time understanding the problem that the original poster is having. Obviously, something is not set up right. I also have Adobe Air on this computer and have had no problems there either.

Well Adobe don't just make PDF reader. You Flash on website and Shockwave is Adobe also.

Adobe has a few JavaScript vulnerability which allow a bad PDF to take control of your computer. I'll suggest taking the updates.

If you don't like or want the software, uninstall it. Don't complain about it.

A cogent reply would be "No" these side effects will not screw-up your computer, your computer experience however maybe negatively impacted.

When first the adobe update panel appears on the monitor screen grab it with the cursor and drag down below the task bar and fogetaboutit

everyone should beware, a couple months ago there was a adobe updater spoof that was a security hack. also do not open pdf`s in your browser malishis scrips can run and do bad things to your system . download it and open it with the reader. that way you can avoid bad scrips from running and infecting your computer w/malware,spyware,Trojans

I run Windows XP and various flavours of Linux. I don't have the problem you describe, because (just as you desire) Adobe updates invisibly in the background and anything that needs Adobe to reopen or MS to shut down it simply waits until it happens anyway. I'm no expert, but maybe I got my settings correct by accident (doubtful at best). [Less than once a quarter when Adobe has a very large update it does request permission - fair enough, I think]

Perhaps the problem lies elsewhere -
What OS are you using?
Have you got MS's own firewall enabled - what settings?
What internet protection - what settings?
(Before blaming Adobe, remember that MS consider them as competition in some areas - and all competition as undesirable, and "everything fair in MS and OS")

Regarding the appearance and size of Adobe documents: I'll second DKWarner: blame the creator of the PDF, not the software/standard. On which topic, nearly all MSWord documents shrink appreciably when converted to PDF.

A final negative remark: I do fear that Adobe may have lost sight of the beauty of simplicity now their founders have all retired. But they've a long way to go before competing with some of our other favourites.

Last I knew Transendian is on a mac.

You think xp has a lot of nag screens, vista has: are you sure you want to delete?, followed by do you give permission? When you hit ctrl,alt, del you get choices instead of the task manager you desire.

Adobe is a pain, necessary but a pain none the less... linking to a pdf is more complicated than it needs to be. The menus & sidebar just take up space & only work sporadically.

Garthh said: When you hit ctrl,alt, del you get choices instead of the task manager you desire.

Use Ctrl-Shift-Esc instead for the Task Manager. Works in all flavors of Windows.

Saw that one earlier haven't been on the vista machine to try it yet.

I don't see any difference in speed that the task manager comes up on this [xp] laptop.

ctrl-shift-esc is faster in vista than saying presto

Yup

instant task manager

on the Vista machine

I have said of the Macs that they "Take a lickin, and keep on tickin."

So far if they send me an advisory, I just do it.

So far they don't tell me to do anything unless they really think I need to.

As you know I use my computer mostly for CR4 or my own website, and overall it is just a glorified typewriter to me.

This thread was prompted by repeated prompts from Adobe and my final aquisence that unusually caused the Mac to crash.

I mean I can go and look at some porno, and things don't go to hell!

"The Devil made me do it."

foxit reader and 7 ZIP are niffty

Crashes are indeed rare on Macs for those who don't use specialized questionable software. I have several Macs, but do nearly everything on my 2.16GHz MacBook Pro (approaching 3 years old).

If you (like me) normally use sleep rather than shut down when you are not using the computer, I find it a good idea to shut down once every week or two ( which reminds me...I haven't done it in a couple of weeks). That seems to discard accumulated clutter, especially for browsers and VectorWorks (my current CAD program).

Good idea on a windows machine to do a restart every few days too!!

I use Adobe CS3/4 To create rather large interactive product manuals (which can easily be 100+ pages). The process includes using Photoshop (CS4), and In-Design(CS3) together. Currently I am quite happy with the software, I cut file sizes down to approx 25% the size of the same files in publisher, and in addition the PDF's created by In-design are linked to the hilt with buttons to navigate through out the PDF, which by the way, our customers are absolutely love.

Unfortunately not all was rainbows and sunshine. I started working with CS3 as a month long demo version to help evaluate if that was the direction the company wanted to go. I created a bunch of nice nifty interactive PDF's with extreme ease. After my 30 day evaluation of the software expired, we decided it was the right direction for the company, as the resulting documents were amazing. When we gave Adobe the go ahead, with a PO, They informed us that we would receive the brand new CS4 instead of the CS3 package, which at the time seemed alright. After installing the Brand new CS4 package, I attempted to open the 30 days worth of work which I had created in CS3... Negative, None of the CS3 files could be opened with their own CS4 package. This was only the begining... The new CS4 package was riddled with issues, one after the other. I ended up calling Adobe, and requesting that my brand new software be reverted back to the last version, which they promptly agreed to do.. since then, the CS3 has been working great, and everyone truly loves the interactivity that the new PDF's have to offer. No more scrolling around the pages to find your information. The PDF's are set up like a web browser, with everything linked accordingly.

Interesting! What software to your customers use to view these interactive PDFs?

Any PDF viewer of their choosing.. I'm assuming most of them are using Adobe reader of one version or another. When I create the PDF's I make it viewable back to Adobe 5 reader.