FATAL ERROR - ACROBAT FAILED TO CONNECT TO A DDE SERVER

Hey,

Hope you are doing well and sorry for the trouble.

If you are still experiencing an issue and receive the error " Acrobat failed to connect to a DDE server", please use the troubleshooting steps suggested in the following help document: https://helpx.adobe.com/acrobat/kb/failed-to-connect-to-dde-server.html 

Let us know how it goes.

Thanks,

Meenakshi

Hi IRKA SUKARSI,

We're sorry for the trouble you had with the Adobe application. Would you mind sharing more details about the issue so that we can assist you in a better way?

Are you using to sign the PDF file using the freeware Adobe Reader application or the Acrobat? I assume you are on the latest version of the application 20.006.20042 Planned update, March 17, 2020

If not, please check for any pending updates from the help menu of the application > select check for updates. Reboot the machine and check.

You may also try the following solutions and let us know if that helps: 

Solution 1: 

Note: It's recommended to take a backup of the Windows registry before making any changes to it. To know more about taking a back, see the help article here.

• Open the Windows Registry Editor:
• Click Start > Run.
  Type Regedit in the Open field and then click OK.
  Navigate to the following registry key:
  HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\acrobat\shell\open\ddeexec\application
• Take a backup: Right-click the Application key and export it to your desktop.
• Change the key "AcroviewA18" to "AcroviewR18".
• (Here, the value of A and R depends on the version of Acrobat installed. For example, for Acrobat 2018, the value will be A18.)
• Close the registry editor and Acrobat.
• Relaunch Acrobat and see whether the problem is resolved. If not, try the next solution.

Solution 2: 

• Check whether an Anti-virus program is installed on the machine.
• If yes, disable the program. Check whether the problem is resolved.
• If the issue still persists, please use the Acrobat Cleaner tool to remove the installed application.
• Reboot the machine after the uninstallation.
• Download and install Acrobat or Adobe Reader.

Please let us know how it goes and share your observations.

Thanks,

Anand Sri.