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tarac55223970
Participant
January 20, 2022
Answered

Acrobat Distiller error message on Windows startup - another instance of Distiller busy....

  • January 20, 2022
  • 3 replies
  • 3167 views

An Acrobat Distiller error window pops up on Windows Startup with the message " Another instance of Distiller is busy starting up. This instance cannot continue". See image below. Several windows will popup. Any asistance on why this keeps happening is appreciated. Thanks!

 

 

    Correct answer S_S

    Hi @Carefree_Skyline16B8,

     

    Sorry for the trouble.

     

    Would you mind trying out the below steps when you see this:

    1. Go to Start-> search "Services;"

    2. Locate Windows Installer;

    3. Right click-> select "Restart;"

    4. In case the service does not show the status as running, right-click to select "Start;"

     

    If this does not work, you can re-register the Windows Installer Service. To do so:

    1. Go to Start-> search "CMD;"

    2. Right-click to Run as Administrator;

    3. Type the command:

    •  %windir%\system32\msiexec.exe /unregister and press Enter;
    •  %windir%\system32\msiexec.exe /regserver and press Enter;
    •  %windir%\syswow64\msiexec.exe /unregister and press Enter;
    •  %windir%\syswow64\msiexec.exe /regserver and press Enter;

    4. Now, restart your computer once.

     

    Hope this helps.

     

    -Souvik

    3 replies

    R
    roym92344109
    Inspiring
    January 27, 2026

    How did this become a problem and why do we have to fix it?

    pamelam1231
    pamelam1231
    Participant
    September 19, 2024

    I have been plagued by this problem for quite some time. It has tied my machine up each startup by 10 minutes or more. I uninstalled and reinstalled Adobe Creative Cloud and Adobe Acrobat (via ACC). Now it appears the problem is worse. Not only do I get the "Another instance of Distiller is busy starting up" pop-up windows, but now I have multiple background processes of Distiller, Acrobat Collaboration Synchronizer, and Acrobat Licensing Service. What is going on and why is there no solution??? I have found multiple posts about this same issue going back to 2018!!! My subscription renews in October. Maybe it is time for me to find an alternative which works. 

    *please note I ended the Distiller tasks before I thought to take a screenshot. There were three of them. 

     

      Carefree_Skyline16B8
      Carefree_Skyline16B8
      Participant
      October 12, 2024

      I have had the same problem, multiple times. Whilst it may be possible to see the problem on Task Manager (i.e. more than one showing of something Acrobaty so you can delete one) it just reoccurs somewhat randomly.

      Strange how unresponsive Adobe are. Maybe there are better products and companies out there?

       

      S_S
      Community Manager
      S_SCommunity ManagerCorrect answer
      Community Manager
      October 15, 2024

      Hi @Carefree_Skyline16B8,

       

      Sorry for the trouble.

       

      Would you mind trying out the below steps when you see this:

      1. Go to Start-> search "Services;"

      2. Locate Windows Installer;

      3. Right click-> select "Restart;"

      4. In case the service does not show the status as running, right-click to select "Start;"

       

      If this does not work, you can re-register the Windows Installer Service. To do so:

      1. Go to Start-> search "CMD;"

      2. Right-click to Run as Administrator;

      3. Type the command:

      •  %windir%\system32\msiexec.exe /unregister and press Enter;
      •  %windir%\system32\msiexec.exe /regserver and press Enter;
      •  %windir%\syswow64\msiexec.exe /unregister and press Enter;
      •  %windir%\syswow64\msiexec.exe /regserver and press Enter;

      4. Now, restart your computer once.

       

      Hope this helps.

       

      -Souvik

      D
      DanZam
      Participant
      July 12, 2024

      I have the same problem and I don't see any solution, is that mean that no ones can fix it ?

       

        S_S
        Community Manager
        S_SCommunity Manager
        Community Manager
        July 23, 2024

        Hi @DanZam,

         

        Hope you are doing well. Sorry for your experience with Acrobat.

         

        From the screenshot, it seems that there could be another copy of distiller lurking in the background unnoticed.

        Try: Open the Start Menu-> search "RUN"-> type "MSCONFIG" and clicking on the start-up tab. If in your startup list is  "acrobat assistant" and "acrotray" , they both start up instances of distiller. It is also possible to have multiple listings of either of these programs. Try unchecking all but one, click ok and restart the system.

         

        Hope this helps.


        -Souvik

        pamelam1231
        pamelam1231
        Participant
        September 16, 2024

        I have the same problem and I believe this could be why it takes my machine 10+ minutes to start up each day. I have had anything "Adobe" or "Acrobat" disabled from startup for ages, so this suggestion doesn't fix the issue for me. Also, your instruction to access startup is out of date. It is now in the Task Manager. 

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