13 Replies Latest reply: Oct 14, 2010 10:35 AM by DrDavePC RSS

    Acrobat Pro 9.3 freezes and locks up computer

    jplamarca Community Member

      Something has gone VERY wrong with Acrobat 9.3 - every time I try to save or print anything, it not only locks up and stops responding but also causes Windows 7 to come to a screeching halt. Sometimes I can recover the Windows 7 crash without rebooting while at other times, I cannot. Right now, I NEED to find out what is causing Acrobat Pro 9.3 to crash. I've tried running all of the updates and nothing seems to work. Any ideas? Help!

        • 1. Re: Acrobat Pro 9.3 freezes and locks up computer
          Bill@VT CommunityMVP

          Try printing to file and opening the file in Distiller. If that works, then check AcroTray.exe that should be running in the background.

          • 2. Re: Acrobat Pro 9.3 freezes and locks up computer
            atosbur Community Member

            Could you update your Acrobat application and see if it exists with the updated 9.3.3 version? To update Acrobat, launch it and then navigate to Help>Check for updates. Once the updater downloads all of the updates, install them.

            • 3. Re: Acrobat Pro 9.3 freezes and locks up computer
              jplamarca Community Member

              So far, I've tried both of the above suggestions and they simply don't work Acrobat Distiller (a program that I really don't use) also crashes. Acrobat Tray is also running in the background.

               

              I've got the latest version of Acrobat Pro - 9.3.3 installed too. I've also checked for updates (it says I've got the most recent version installed) and I've also tried "repairing the installation" - at least THREE times now. Still doesn't work.

               

              At this point, Acrobat is now bringing my machine to a complete halt and I often have to manually shut down (literally turn off) the machine. Help!

              • 4. Re: Acrobat Pro 9.3 freezes and locks up computer
                Bill@VT CommunityMVP

                Distiller is an integral part of creating PDFs, though you might not be aware of that. I may have changed some with AA9. Anyway, what happens when you open Distiller. What are you doing when it crashes (opening, opening a PS file, or what). Similarly with Acrobat, is it failing when opening or when you do some other task? Just saying freezes is not enough information, though you may mean when you are trying to start the product. Just trying to get a handle on when the problem occurs.

                • 5. Re: Acrobat Pro 9.3 freezes and locks up computer
                  jplamarca Community Member

                  When I open Distiller, I go to file>open and then change the file type to "all" - as the file I'm trying to open is a .pdf (which doesn't show up under file name in Distiller). When I try to open the .pdf, it crashes.

                   

                  Acrobat crashes when I try to save or print a .pdf. It also acts up (sometimes) when I try to change/edit the .pdf. Regardless, if I can't save or print .pdfs, Acrobat is now useless. By "freezing" I mean that Acrobat completely locks up - the title bar (at the top) will often state that it is "not responding" and the window becomes "grayed out." Even worse, is that Windows 7 also comes to a screeching halt - if the computer doesn't completely lock up (meaning that NOTHING WORKS and I have to do a hard reboot by turning off the power), everything becomes VERY slow - it's becomes impossible to change windows and, even if the task manager is already open, I often can't shut down Acrobat 9. In the event that I'm finally able to do that (which is not always possible), then most of the other programs seem to work again.

                   

                  Another problem that appears to be related is when I try to open up a .pdf in Outlook - that also seems to cause Acrobat to crash/lock up.

                   

                  Hope this helps as I've done everything I can think of.

                  • 6. Re: Acrobat Pro 9.3 freezes and locks up computer
                    Bill@VT CommunityMVP

                    Distiller can only operate on PS files. The files created by some PS printers, including the Adobe PDF printer, often have a PRN extension, but are still PS files. You can also operate on the associated EPS files. Any other types of files will cause Distiller to crash. The only purpose of Distiller is to convert PS and EPS files to PDF and nothing more. There are many options to select that define the conversion process, but nothing more.

                     

                    As far as Acrobat, it may be that you have some corrupt PDFs or you need to deactivate, uninstall, clean up the registry and delete the Acrobat folder, and then reinstall. You discussed reinstalling, but the cleanup and folder removal (should be empty after uninstall) are important steps to get rid of potential problems. It is possible that there is some corrupt addons that have gotten into your installation and unless you remove the folder, they will remain.

                     

                    This advice may not solve your problem, but it is what I would do if I had your problem.

                    • 7. Re: Acrobat Pro 9.3 freezes and locks up computer
                      jplamarca Community Member

                      Thanks for the info on Distiller but I really don't use it (at least intentionally). I don't recall wanting to reinstall Acrobat (in fact, I would rather not), but want to hear more about which folder or folders can be deleted (I also need their locations). Of course, if I delete registry information, I may end up having to reinstall. Please let me know that name and location of the folder that can be deleted.

                       

                      Thanks.

                      • 8. Re: Acrobat Pro 9.3 freezes and locks up computer
                        Bill@VT CommunityMVP

                        You would only delete the folder if you have uninstalled Acrobat. It would be the folder that Acrobat is currently installed in. Sometimes when an uninstall is done, the problem files are left in the folder and are still there when you reinstall, thus deleting the folders removes that issue. You might try to check the plugin folder of Acrobat. You should go through C:\Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat 9.0\Acrobat\plug_ins or such. I would look for anything with an odd date first. Don't necessarily delete it, but change the extension or move it some place else while testing.

                        • 9. Re: Acrobat Pro 9.3 freezes and locks up computer
                          jplamarca Community Member

                          I'm not sure I understand what you're suggesting. How do I get Acrobat Pro 9 to work again?

                          • 10. Re: Acrobat Pro 9.3 freezes and locks up computer
                            Bill@VT CommunityMVP

                            The first step is to try a Repair. If the Repair does not do the job, then you are typically in need to an uninstall, cleanup (a registry cleaner such as from MS -- Listed elsewhere on this forum and folder removal), and a reinstall. Be sure to deactivate and such if you have a version that requires activation.

                            • 11. Re: Acrobat Pro 9.3 freezes and locks up computer
                              jplamarca Community Member

                              I am not a happy camper at the moment. I finally spent about three hours uninstalling and reinstalling Acrobat, and it still doesn't work - I even

                              cleaned out the registry. So, I been on the phone with Adobe for nearly an hour now (speaking to someone in India) only to just be told I have to pay $40 to get tech support!

                               

                              Does anyone have an idea as to how to get this @#$% program to work? I've now spent HOURS on this.

                              • 12. Re: Acrobat Pro 9.3 freezes and locks up computer
                                jplamarca Community Member

                                I've just removed and reinstalled Acrobat a second time - and is still doesn't work!  Ugh! Help!

                                • 13. Re: Acrobat Pro 9.3 freezes and locks up computer
                                  DrDavePC

                                  I was having the same issues. Acrobats works fine but the distiller has issues. I just ran it in Compatibility mode and it resolved all my issues. (right click the distiller shortcut>properties>compatibility and place a check mark in "Run the program in compatibilty mode for:Windows Xp (Service Pack 3)...

                                   

                                  I help this helps..

                                   

                                  David R

                                  Desktop Support | Consultant/Professional

                                  PFI-Dell | Honeywell