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Adobe PDF Printer Missing Fix - Adobe Acrobat 8.1 - Vista

Forum|Forum|18 years ago
July 25, 2007
65 replies
142563 views

Adobe PDF Printer Missing Fix - Adobe Acrobat 8.1 - Vista

1. Type "C:\Windows\inf" into the search box on the start menu.
2. Locate the INFCACHE.1 file and right-click it and select Properties.
3. On the INFCACHE.1 Properties window tab to the "Security" tab and click the "Edit" button to change permissions on this file.
4. On the Permissions for INFCACHE.1 window click the "Add" button.
5. On the Select Users or Groups window click the "Advanced" button.
6. A new Select Users or Groups window will open and then click the "Find Now" button.
7. The search results are sorted alphabetically; locate the username you logon to Windows with and then double-click.
8. Under the "Enter the objects names to select..." you should see something like this YOURCOMPUTERNAME\Yourusername
9. Now click the OK button.
10. You will now return to the Permissions for INFCACHE.1 window.
11. Under the Permissions for Yourusername you need to tick "Full Control" under the Allow column. Click the "Apply" button and then the "OK" button.
12. You will be prompted with a "Windows Security" window, just click the "Yes" button and continue.
13. Delete the INFCACHE.1 file.
14. Restart your computer.
15. Open Adobe Acrobat 8.1
16. Locate the Help menu item and click Repair Acrobat Installation
17. Restart if requested to do so.

This fix worked on Windows Vista Business Edition (32-Bit).

This topic has been closed for replies.

D

Dpakch

Adobe Employee

Hi

Try this to add Adobe PDF printer manually on Windows 7, and Windows Vista.

If windows 7 is Enterprise or better edition: (Admin rights required)

Start>search for printmanagement.msc and open the print management module

Expand the print server and expand the computer name to see availbale printers, drivers and printer ports.

- from printers ensure there's no Adobe PDF printer, if there is delete it

- go to ports and delete the PDF ports (the ones ending in *.pdf)

- go to drivers and delete the PDF converter.

Take note if any errors occur, but continue with the following steps regardless.

If on windows 7 home edition, just goto start>Devices and Printers and ensure PDF pritner is not listed.

Then open the registry (if any erors deleting these keys happen, see below)

1: go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Print\Printers

delete any adobe PDF printer subkey present

2: go to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Print\Monitors

delee the PDF port monitor if present

3: go to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Print\Printers

again delete and pdf printer subkey

If any erros occur, you need to set the owner of the key to the currently logged in admin user, then ensure that user has full control.

Do this by right-click the key and selecting permissions, clicking on advanced, then the owner tab.

Once you've all that has been done, open a command line as administrator.

Copy and pate the following commands in order

1: net stop spooler

2: rundll32.exe setupapi.dll,InstallHinfSection AdobePDFPortMonitor 128 C:\Program Files (x86)\Adobe\Acrobat 9.0\Acrobat\Xtras\AdobePDF\AdobePDF.inf

3: net start spooler

4:rundll32.exe printui.dll,PrintUIEntry /if /b "Adobe PDF" /f "C:\Program Files (x86)\Adobe\Acrobat 9.0\Acrobat\Xtras\AdobePDF\AdobePDF.inf" /r "Documents\*.pdf" /m "Adobe PDF Converter"

That should set back the pdf printer.

A

Anonymous

Maybe those at Adobe Support can just come clean about the fact that Adobe's software authorization model is extremely ABUSIVE to those who actually purchase the software. Dropped printing support is by design and not a bug. It is Adobe's way of forcing you to update your software and allowing them to check (yet again...and again...and again) that you do indeed have a licensed copy of their software. Adobe updater treats you, the licensed OWNER of the product, as essentially a subscriber, if not an outright software pirate.

My Windows 7 system dropped the option of printing to PDF a few weeks ago after working fine for 3 months and, as a dutiful victim of failing software, visited Adobe's support forum to determine the cause. Not surprisingly, the various fixes suggested by Adobe were baffling in that most seem to have no logical connection with printing to PDF. I endured the loss of dearly-paid-for functionality (Creative Suite isn't exactly cheap) and went back to printing to paper. I also questioned the ability of Adobe developers to build what is essentially a simple "print-to-file" feature (cutting edge technology in the late 1980's, maybe). Did the skilled ones jump-ship to Google?

The culprit behind the disappearing "print to PDF" feature revealed itself in the form of the unavoidable Adobe Updater. Update wants to validate against the original installation disk, which of course isn't a problem as long as I HAVE the installation disks with me at all times. In my case, my legal, licensed installation disks were NOT with me, and I wished to postpone the update to a time of my convenience. I own the software after all--can't I choose when to update? Upon Adobe's first notification of an update, I declined to install the update. Do not decline an Adobe update/license check order.

Oddly, the Adobe developers choose to cripple the user's installation (by removing a major feature, i.e. "print to PDF") until the sensible user bows to their demands to install their update. Obviously, this is a attempt to weed out those using illegal copies of Adobe's software. An admirable goal for a business, but very, very, very poorly designed anti-theft scheme. Apparently, Adobe expects their customers to have their official hardcopy of Creative Suite on their person at all times (business travel, vacations, work, etc.). When was the last time a carpenter worried that Craftsman corporate stooges might show up at the work site and taking away their tools if they don't have their receipt in their wallet? Why is Adobe's software model of "ownership" any different?

Adobe lumps licensed customers in with the criminals and punishes both, revealing exactly how they feel about their customers, which is to say they don't. Customers are merely the atomic units that make up that corporate accounting concept known as the "profit center."

B

Bill12

Inspiring

Not sure of your point. You can turn off the updater. If you want updates, you can then download them from the updates page of the Adobe>downloads page (bit harder to find now, but it is a button on the right). You have to download all of the updates after your current version and install them in order. As an alternative, you can use the updates button in the help menu.

A lot of the problems with the print-to Adobe PDF seem to come with Windows Updates (an MS issue and not Adobe). Just what has happened to your system could be many things. I have no problem with AA9 under Win7, even after MS and Adobe updates. I have never had an issue with dropped support as you mention. When I have problems, I start with a repair of Acrobat and that often fixes the issue.

Not sure of your complaint. MS does the checking with every update they do, and they do a lot more than Adobe.

So to address your update scheduling issue, go to the Edit>Preferences and turn off the auto updates. That is all there is to it. I have it turned off and do all of my updates with the manual download.

N

Nehesi

Participant

32-Bit Vista Enterprise w/Adobe Acrobat Pro9

Adobe PDF printer had been deleted.

Logged in with admin account, followed the initial instructions (delete the infcache.1 file, then run the Repair Acrobat Installation after reboot)and it worked like a charm!

B

Bud-D

Participant

I might be in the wrong thread - BUT - I had the same problem with Windows7.

I uninstalled all ADOBE products (full, reader, etc) - reinstall V8.1

Went through and continually did updates (click HELP, select CHECK FOR UPDATES)

Eventually it added said printer.

J

jod-zeee

Inspiring

My problem wasn't that the printer was missing (although I think I have had that issue in the past), but just that the PDF stopped

working. Nothing would print. (Windows Vista Home Premium 32-bit, SP 2 and Acrobat Pro 8.0)

I tried the following to no avail:

Deleting and adding new printer

Removing and re-adding the PDF port

Repaired Acrobat Pro 8.0

Reinstalled Acrobat Pro 8.0

Within the printer preferences, the things you'd normally choose (Standard, High Quality, etc.) were blank ... nothing in the dropdowns.

Then I tried the fix in this post, including the repair, still didn't work

What I forgot was to get updates (8.1.7). That helped, but I was still getting an error message even though I got it to print. I tried to print a test page and that didn't go well.

I noticed it had assigned it to a COM port and the Adobe PDF ports were no longer there. I added it back (see link), assigned it to that, and changed it to "send directly to printer" in Advanced properties.

http://drnathan.teamhackaday.com/2009/03/20/quick-fix-manually-installing-the-adobe-pdf-printer-for-acrobat-9/

Seems to be working fine now.

Hope this helps someone!

Jo

eliteflyers_com

Participating Frequently

what i have to so my "INFCACHE.1" is currupted

R

RGKelson

Participant

Just though I would let people know this fix also works for Windows 7 64bit.

The only difference is the INFCACHE.1 file is in a different directory.

I think it was windows/system32/drivers but I can't remember and I'm not on that machine right now.

Anyway, just search for the file and then follow the rest of the steps.

M

mabel78

Participant

Thanks, it worked for me on Windows Vista Business 64bit.

Have a nice day

A

Anonymous

The original posted solution worked for me with Acrobat 8.2 in a Win 7 Pro installation. However I had to move the INFCACHE.1 file to a different folder because even with the security/permissions modifications I could not delete it. After running the Acrobat repair, the file was recreated and everything works as it should.

R

redwill0w

Participant

Today I installed CS4 Design Standard in my new computer.

Upgraded from XP and an old version of Photoshop to Vista/CS4.

Tricky but with the help of Customer Service it worked.

Now, however, I am unable to print email documents.

When I try to print, a window pops up and says:

Save PDF File As

File Name:

Save as Type:

I have no need to save these documents outside of the email programs.

I can't print and need to.

I would be grateful if someone here could advise me.

Thanks,

Dara

K

kausikdatta

Participating Frequently

Check in your printers list... Currently, Adobe PDF may be selected as the default printer. Make some other physical printer the default one.

et voila!

R

redwill0w

Participant

In a message dated 8/8/2009 2:27:58 A.M. Pacific Daylight Time,

forums@adobe.com writes:

>Check in your printers list... Currently, Adobe PDF may be selected as

the default printer. Make >some other physical printer the default one.

>et voila!

Thank you so much. I actually was able to figure this out and fix it.

I can print again!

All the best,

Dara

J

jp_kelly

Participant

My Adobe PDF Printer issue on Windows XP was different, any non-Adobe application printing to that printer would generate a 17 MB file that Acrobat couldn't open, suggesting in the error message it may have been a file attached in an email.

I followed the suggestion and deleted the infcache.1 file in c:\windows\inf directory, then deleted the Adobe PDF printer in the Printers folder, then opened the Server Properties in the Printers Folder, navigated to the Drivers tab and deleted the Adobe PDF driver.

I then opened Acrobat 8.1.6, performed the Repair option and a reboot...problem solved!

Thanks,

Jim

K

kausikdatta

Participating Frequently

Your fix came in very handy for a particular problem that I started having (again) after the 8.1.6 update. Thanks very much for putting it out there. If you are interested (just in case), I describe the other problem in this thread that I had started in another part of the forum.

Cheers.

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