I have a suddenly popped up problem in opening the pdf files using Adobe Acrobat Reader in my windows 2000 machine. I was opening files peacefully till last week, suddenly it slowed down and now only the first flash page comes up......

I had both Adobe Acrobat 5.0 and 6.0 installed. I removed both and installed only Acrobat 6.0 standard, still the same problem.

I cannot cancel the opening process from the taskbar, because it does not get displayed there. Only when I log off, the process stops. I did not try to leave it like that for more than half a day to check if it at all opens....

Please help me

Dani AI

Generated

Because Acrobat opens fine under other user accounts (see ’s note in post #6) while an Acrobat process appears but no window opens (post #7), this points to a per‑profile issue (corrupt preferences, permissions, or a user‑level plug‑in) rather than a globally broken installer. Clearing Temp (as suggested) is a good first step; if that did not fix it, the following targeted checks tend to resolve Acrobat 6 hangs on Windows 2000.

Quick checks

  • Confirm the problem is profile‑specific by testing Acrobat while signed into a different (temporary) admin account; if it works there, the installation itself is OK.
  • Terminate any lingering Acrobat processes via Task Manager before attempting fixes.
  • Temporarily set the default printer to a basic Microsoft driver (for example “Generic/Text Only”) to rule out a bad print driver causing startup to hang.

Reset per‑user settings and permissions

  • Rename the per‑user Acrobat preferences folder so Acrobat will recreate it (replace <username>):
    ren "C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\Application Data\Adobe\Acrobat\6.0" "6.0.old"

    Terminate Acrobat first in Task Manager. Also export and (carefully) inspect HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Adobe\Acrobat\6.0 with regedit; back up before making changes. Verify NTFS permissions on the affected user’s profile folders (Application Data and Local Settings\Temp) to ensure that account has full control.

If those steps fail

  • Check Event Viewer (Application log) for Acrobat/AcroRd32 error entries to identify a failing DLL or module.
  • For advanced troubleshooting, capture file/registry activity with Sysinternals Process Monitor filtered on Acrobat to see where it stalls.
  • As a last resort perform a clean uninstall (remove leftover Program Files\Adobe and per‑user Adobe folders, export registry keys first) and reinstall. Back up any custom settings before deleting profile data.

Note: Acrobat 6 and Windows 2000 are long out of support; migrating to a supported OS/reader is recommended for long‑term stability and security.

Recommended Answers

All 7 Replies

is this with all the files you try to open ..

No.
I am able to open word, Visual studio, Access, Image files....
I am unable to open only pdf files, even after reinstallation. The installation works in other machines. So there is no problem with the installation files.

And I could open pdf files in the machine before. Suddenly the problem came up.

Strange ,just to make my last ? clearer ,what i meant was, is this with all the pdf file you have on your computer or just one pdf file

I am not able open the adobe acrobat from the start up menu itself..

Also adobe is not working only in the administrator login. It is opening in other user logins.

The acrobat.exe is seen in the taskmanager processes, whenever I try to open it

The acrobat.exe is seen in the taskmanager processes, whenever I try to open it

Try to clear all you Temp files from your

Document and Setting (admin or user)
Local Setting
Temp
Clear all temp file your problem may be solved

Saro

Be a part of the DaniWeb community

We're a friendly, industry-focused community of developers, IT pros, digital marketers, and technology enthusiasts meeting, networking, learning, and sharing knowledge.