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A
Anonymous
January 5, 2015
Question

After 11.0.10 update Save as gives the error "there was a problem reading this document (21)"

  • January 5, 2015
  • 17 replies
  • 33257 views

We have some PDF reports that are generated from Microsoft Dynamcs AX.

When we try to "Save as" we get an error.

The client PCs that have Reader 11.0.08 do not have any problems.

The PCs that have Reader 11.0.10 give the following messages on save as:

"The document could not be saved. There was a problem reading this document (21)"

when I click OK to that error I get "Out of memory error"

I read that holding down CTRL when clicking OK would give additional information, and it told me this: "This direct object already has a container"

No older versions of Reader have had any problems with these same PDF files.

This topic has been closed for replies.

17 replies

E
Epapr
Participating Frequently
July 15, 2015

Ashu,

I have installed the 11.0.12 update (I just opened Help in Reader and chose Check For Updates and followed the instructions) and it appears to work as advertised in my limited testing. This is great news for me and I really appreciate Adobe finally addressing this issue.

    AshuMittal9644438
    Adobe Employee
    AshuMittal9644438
    Adobe Employee
    July 15, 2015

    Very glad to hear that Epapr‌!

    Thanks,

    -ashu

    AshuMittal9644438
    Adobe Employee
    AshuMittal9644438
    Adobe Employee
    July 15, 2015

    Hi all,

    This issue has been fixed with our 11.0.12 update released on 14th, July 2015.


    11.0.12 Planned update, July 14, 2015 — Acrobat and Adobe Reader Release Notes

    Thanks,

    -ashu

    E
    Epapr
    Participating Frequently
    July 2, 2015

    That's excellent news, Rave and thank you for updating us. It couldn't happen too soon as far as I am concerned!

    E
    Epapr
    Participating Frequently
    June 24, 2015

    No, it doesn't work on Windows as Adobe has confirmed.

    P
    PCH2019
    Inspiring
    June 24, 2015

    Wait a minute, did YOU confirm it? Why would it work on a minority platform like OS X and not on a majority one like Windows. They fix problems for the majority first. I updated both Reader and Acrobat from within the app and Reader was fixed but Acrobat was not. And have you tried the cpdf fix? That should work on any platform.

    E
    Epapr
    Participating Frequently
    June 25, 2015

    I have been using the Windows version of Reader v11.0.11 for quite a while and it doesn't work correctly as a number of posters have experienced. When I say that Adobe "confirmed" it, they admitted in writing that there is a problem that will be solved (they say) with the next quarterly update. Maybe the Mac version is not experiencing the problem with v11.0.11, but the Windows version definitely is.

    E
    Epapr
    Participating Frequently
    June 24, 2015

    Okay, I sent my letters to Adobe and was contacted today with the following information:

    "Hope you are doing fine.
    This is regarding the issue where    　you were unable to save files in Adobe Reader 11.0.11. This issue is known to us. We have determined the cause for this and fixed this internally it will be implemented in our next quarterly release.
    We deeply regret any inconvenience caused to you. We were unable to establish contact with you on XXX-XXX-XXXX.. Kindly reply to this email to reschedule this callback.
    Thanks and Regards,
    Tanvi"

    Tanvi also called me and I was able to get a little more specific info. The good news is she says they have now fixed the problem. The bad news is the fix will not roll out until the next "Quarterly Release" but because they just released Adobe Reader DC (apparently the next version of Adobe Reader) last month, the next Quarterly Release is probably about two months off. She also said there are really no effective workarounds other than trying to re-PDF the PDF file through the PDF printer in Acrobat. The other suggestion was to roll back Adobe Reader to the last working version which she said was v11.0.9. According to Tavi, this is done by uninstalling Adobe Reader completely from the computer and then going back to the base v11.0.0 found at this link (for Windows):

    http://www.adobe.com/support/downloads/product.jsp?product=10&platform=Windows

    Once v11.0.0 is installed, then you need to install each update in order until you reach v11.0.9 (these updates are on the same page linked above). The other option she provided was to update to the new Adobe Acrobat Reader MUI DC which is also on this page. She wasn't sure if it solves the error problem though.

    So it sounds like the options are:

    -Live with this for 2 more months

    -Roll back to v11.0.9

    -Possibly update to Reader DC (although it is unknown if this will fix the problem)

    One great big caveat to rolling back to v11.0.9 is that I assume there have been a number of security-related fixes in versions v11.0.10 and above, so rolling back may create an exposure from a security standpoint.

    I also should say that she told me they have had VERY FEW COMPLAINTS and apparently until I provided the link to this forum in my letter to their CEO, they did not realize the extent of the problem. This is a good example of the benefit in writing a snail mail letter to the boss if you are being blown off by the organization. Just my two cents...

      E
      Epapr
      Participating Frequently
      June 24, 2015

      One other thing, although Adobe didn't supply the link to the Adobe updates for the Mac, it appears if you just change the "Windows" in the supplied link to "Mac" you go to the same updates for the Macintosh. Here is the Mac version:

      http://www.adobe.com/support/downloads/product.jsp?product=10&platform=Mac

      P
      PCH2019
      Inspiring
      June 24, 2015

      I updated both Reader and Acrobat from within the app.   

      P
      PCH2019
      Inspiring
      June 8, 2015

      I had the same problem, different error code:

           The document could not be saved. There was a problem reading this document (110). Unrecognized object name.

      Whatever that means…

      I spent hours trying to solve this problem and found no solution online after combing the web. Meanwhile, the scanned document that failed being 'saved as' was in need of work--the pages were all of different sizes, no document outline (bookmarks tree), and no OCR. It was after I OCRed the original file in Acrobat 11.0.11 and tried to save it as a different file that I discovered this error.

      So first I resized the pages to all the same size using cpdf. Then I added a document outline with cpdf. Then I opened the new file in Acrobat, OCRed it, and was able to save it as a different filename, no problem this time. Ah-hah! So that's it!

      I tried simply losslessly copying the original file to a new file using cpdf:

           cpdf unsaveable_file.pdf -o new_saveable_file.pdf

      After about 3 seconds for a 60MB file I had a shiny new file that could be 'saved as' even after something as intensive as OCR. So that's my solution.

      I wanted to test the file in Adobe Reader 11.0.11 since the OP was about the Reader. Funny thing is, I could 'save as' the original file immediately and then 'save as' this saved file in Acrobat, no problem.

      So maybe this latest version of Reader will work for you but, if not, download and install cpdf--it's free and multi-platform. Open a terminal window and cd to the file's directory and type:

           cpdf unsaveable_file.pdf -o new_saveable_file.pdf

      substituting your own filenames. The new file should give you no problems, or if it does, there is something seriously wrong somewhere.

      It seems utterly ridiculous that Adobe can't write professional-level software--that costs a fortune--that doesn't cower in the corner over a tiny structure error in a PDF, and yet freeware has no problem with it.

      Come on, Adobe devs, get it together! Millions of users are depending on YOU!

        A
        Anonymous
        June 8, 2015

        URGENT:  My clients are also getting this error on Adobe Acrobat Pro 11.0.11.  This is urgent and must be fixed ASAP.  The other suggested workarounds do not suffice for our purposes. 


        We need a viable workaround and an estimate when this fix will be released.


        Please provide an update today!!

        E
        Epapr
        Participating Frequently
        June 8, 2015

        Even though it is killing us, there doesn't seem to be any sense of urgency on the part of Adobe. I believe contacting the management level is the best course. It is amazing what they can accomplish when THEY are being inconvenienced by a problem. I will be calling the headquarters this afternoon and will write both parties a letter. If we don't take the time to raise the noise level on this one, we can expect to be still asking for help with this next June.

        Here is the info from the earlier post:

        Shantanu Narayen

        President and Chief Executive Officer

        David Wadhwani

        Senior Vice President and General Manager, Digital Media

        Contact at:

        Adobe Systems Incorporated
        345 Park Avenue
        San Jose, CA 95110-2704

        Tel: 408-536-6000
        Fax: 408-537-6000

        Good luck.

        E
        Epapr
        Participating Frequently
        June 8, 2015

        Well, my two letters have gone out. If they get more than mine, it will make a bigger impact so if you really, really hate this (as I do) take the few minutes of your time to write Mr. Narayen and copy Mr. Wadhwani. It is the best chance of getting a resolution before we all die of old age.

        A
        Anonymous
        June 5, 2015

        It is June 4, 2015 and I am still struggling. Is there any answer to this? I keep getting documents that can't be opened due to this error. I'm also using 11.0.11 so Adobe has updated the software since this became a widespread issue with no relief. None of the workarounds here help for many of my documents (my insurance company for instance) because I am trying to save statement PDFs, etc. they have posted on the web and because you can't save them, my only choice is to print them out and then scan them back in. So much for the paperless world.

        Why doesn't Adobe respond on this?

        V
        villev81377270
        Participant
        May 19, 2015

        Can anyone confirm if version 11.0.11 (released May 15th) has fixed the problem?

        M
        mkknudsen
        Participant
        May 19, 2015

        I can reproduce the issue with 11.0.11

        J
        jerryspringer5544651
        Participant
        May 28, 2015

        Getting error "there was a problem reading this document (21)"

        Someone sent us the document from outside our company.

        I was able to resolve the issue in about 15mins. I used Adobe Pro to open the file. File > Print> Selected Adobe Pro Printer > Print> Saved the file to a new location. Open and tested the new document. No more errors when trying to do "save as".

        Hope this helps all the people that couldn't find a way of fixing it.

        V
        vgonyea1
        Participant
        April 25, 2015

        APRIL 25, 2015...STILL A PROBLEM.

        Why is ..."just change the way you do everything until we get around to correcting it in our QUARTERLY updates" an acceptable answer, exactly??

        This is messing up a LOT of things so how about a little sense of urgency since it makes your files either:

        1. Completely inconvenient or

        2. Useless

        I'm looking for a REAL answer...not just a "we're looking into it and we'll get around to fixing it some day when we feel like it".

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