Unable to open pdf files by double-click

  • Thread starter Thread starter marc
  • Start date Start date
M

marc

Somehow or other I am now unable to open pdf files by double clicking on
them from explorer - I get the message 'windows cannot open the specified
device, path or file. You may not have the appropriate permissions to access
them'.

I get this message on every pdf file whether on my hard drive (both
partitions) or a product cd no matter what the permissions are.

However:
- pdf files are associated with reader 8.1.0
- I am logged on as administrator
- the files open ok by selecting adobe reader from the 'open with' option
- the files open ok from within adobe reader
- the files have full administrator and system permissions

Some of the pdf files were transferred from another computer and their
permissions have a 'full control' permission entry starting s-5-1-21 etc
along with the other usual administrator and system permissions. Others pdfs
have been acquired 'normally' and have typical permissions, eg the pdf file
in the Reader directory itself placed there as part of the Reader
installation.

However I can't open any pdf files by double clicking on them regardless of
what their permissions are or where the files are located. I experimented
changing ownership and permissions but it didn't make any difference.

Other file types are ok

Any ideas what's causing this and how to fix?

tia

Marc
 
Marc,

Right-click a PDF & choose OPEN WITH
Click BROWSE & locate the AcroRd32.exe file typically in 'C:\Program
Files\Adobe\Reader 8.0\Reader'
Tick the box to always use this program & that should change all the references
so you can then just double click on these files from now on

NOTE: do not just select from the 'open with' list as you won't be able to tick
the always use this program... Click the browse button
 
Hi marc

something else to try:

From My Computer | any folder window, or Explorer, go to Tools | Folder
Options | File Types tab. Scroll down to PDF, click once to highlight it
and click the Advanced button.

In the window that pops up, highlight "open" if it isn't already
selected, then click the Edit button on the right. In the editing
window, uncheck "Use DDE", then OK your way out.

If any of the settings were wrong this should force Adobe Reader to
reset them next time you open a document.

Please let us know how it goes :-)
 
Tks for your input

I tried unchecking DDE but it doesn't stick - after I uncheck and ok out, I
go back and DDE is checked again.

So I uninstalled and reinstalled Reader to see if that would make any
difference and it has - now I can't even open a pdf via a right-click 'open
with' as I get the same error message as when I double-click. DDE still
reverts to checked after unchecking.

Can the DDE setting be unchecked via the Registry?

Marc
 
FYI DDE is checked on my system and I have no problem opening PDF files.
Since you reinstalled reader, what is listed in file types now under PDF?
 
Hi marc

Yes, it's meant to come back. I suggested it as a long shot because
there is a similar bug with Firefox and HTTP files and unchecking Use
DDE forces the settings to be rewritten next time the app is run. Never
mind, it was worth a try.

Here's what I have in the dialog for "open", in case you want to check
your settings:

Action: open
Application used. .. "C:\Program Files\Adobe\Reader
8.0\Reader\AcroRd32.exe" "%1"

Use DDE: checked
DDE Message: blank
Application: AcroRd32
DDE Application Not Running: blank
Topic: System
 
Mine is the same as yours - it all looks ok but just doesn't work!

What's worse, after the reinstall, open via right-click 'open with' no
longer works (there's a lesson there, me thinks) so I can't open any pdf
docs at all as things stand now.

Guess I'll have to try an alternative PDF reader and see if that works.

Marc
 
marc said:
Mine is the same as yours - it all looks ok but just doesn't work!

What's worse, after the reinstall, open via right-click 'open with' no
longer works (there's a lesson there, me thinks) so I can't open any pdf
docs at all as things stand now.

Guess I'll have to try an alternative PDF reader and see if that works.
Click to expand...

Hi marc

What do you have in the registry under HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.pdf and its
subkeys?
 
Nightowl said:
Hi marc

What do you have in the registry under HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.pdf and its
subkeys?
Click to expand...

I've now installed Foxit Reader which seems to work ok.

Registry data now is:

..pdf
[default = data is: foxitreader.document]
[content type = data is: application/pdf]

openwithlist
[default = data is: empty]
acrord32.exe
[default = data is: empty)]

persistenthandler
[default = data is: some longish number]

shellex
[default = data is: (value not set)]
some (other) longish number
[default = data is: some (other) longish number]


Would have been interesting to see what the registry looked like before
installing Foxit as I am still curious to understand why pdfs couldn't be
opened with adobe reader.

Marc
 
In all of your troubleshooting, it appears to me that you've neglected
to try launching the reader directly, instead of invoking it through a
pdf file type association. What happens when you go to

Start - Run - acrord32.exe

Does Adobe open? If so, can you then browse to your pdf files and
open them through the Adobe File - Open menu?



Hi marc
Click to expand...
What do you have in the registry under HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.pdf and its
subkeys?
Click to expand...

I've now installed Foxit Reader which seems to work ok.

Registry data now is:

.pdf
[default = data is: foxitreader.document]
[content type = data is: application/pdf]

openwithlist
[default = data is: empty]
acrord32.exe
[default = data is: empty)]

persistenthandler
[default = data is: some longish number]

shellex
[default = data is: (value not set)]
some (other) longish number
[default = data is: some (other) longish number]

Would have been interesting to see what the registry looked like before
installing Foxit as I am still curious to understand why pdfs couldn't be
opened with adobe reader.

Marc- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -
Click to expand...
 
Hi marc

Yes, that's what I was wondering (what it looked like before). Glad
you've found something that works for you, though. FYI, my registry
entries are the same as yours, except that under .pdf, my default is
AcroExch.Document and I don't have a Shellex key.
--
Nightowl


marc said:
Nightowl said:
Hi marc

What do you have in the registry under HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.pdf and its
subkeys?
Click to expand...

I've now installed Foxit Reader which seems to work ok.

Registry data now is:

.pdf
[default = data is: foxitreader.document]
[content type = data is: application/pdf]

openwithlist
[default = data is: empty]
acrord32.exe
[default = data is: empty)]

persistenthandler
[default = data is: some longish number]

shellex
[default = data is: (value not set)]
some (other) longish number
[default = data is: some (other) longish number]


Would have been interesting to see what the registry looked like before
installing Foxit as I am still curious to understand why pdfs couldn't be
opened with adobe reader.
Click to expand...
 
Seahawk60B said:
n all of your troubleshooting, it appears to me that you've neglected
to try launching the reader directly, instead of invoking it through a
pdf file type association. What happens when you go to

Start - Run - acrord32.exe

Does Adobe open? If so, can you then browse to your pdf files and
open them through the Adobe File - Open menu?
Click to expand...

Seahawk, Marc said in his original post: "The files open okay from
within Adobe Reader."
 
Nightowl said:
Seahawk, Marc said in his original post: "The files open okay from within
Adobe Reader."
Click to expand...

Just to clarify, before I reinstalled Adobe Reader, I could open the files
from within AR and also by selecting AR from 'open with' via right-click.
However, after I reinstalled AR, I couldn't open files from within or via
'open with' - there was no way I could get AR to open a file at all. And I
had always assumed you couldn't be any worse off by
uninstalling/reinstalling a program...

And the plot sickens...
I now seem to have the same problem trying to open chm files - same error
message. I can open them in NotePad so the problem seems to be with either
the hh.exe file itself (seems unlikely) or some configuration parameter or
other somewhere or other. I hope this doesn't spread to other file types!

This is a new pc. I got it with XP Pro as that's what I had on the old PC so
I thought things would be straightforward. I think I've had more problems in
two weeks with the new one than I had in 4 years with the old one.

Marc
 
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