Installation of Adobe Reader X (10.0.0.1) Fails

[Leaf_Mold]

Running Windows XP SP3.

I used FTP to download AdbeRdr1000_en_US.exe from ftp.adobe.com/pub/adobe/reader/win/10.x/10.0.0/en_US and tried to install it.  I got an error popup indicating a file failed to register.  When I dismissed the popup, the installation continued.  However, I could not start AcroRd32.exe.

I removed Adobe Reader X.  I then used FTP to download AdbeRdr1000_en_US.msi from ftp.adobe.com/pub/adobe/reader/win/10.x/10.0.0/en_US and tried to install it. This time, I did not get an error popup.  However, I still could not start AcroRd32.exe.

This time, I captured some of the error data, the image of which is here.  The top is an error popup.  The bottom is what I got when I selected "click here" to see technical information.  No, I did not capture ALL of the technical information.

I have now reverted back to Adobe Reader 9.4.0.195.  Will not Adobe Reader X install in Windows XP?

[pwillener]

Leaf Mold wrote:

Will not Adobe Reader X install in Windows XP?

I don't know the cause of your problem, but just to let you know that I have successfully installed Reader X on several XP systems.

[Leaf_Mold]

After posting my original message, I downloaded AdbeRdr1000_en_US.exe using my browser at http://get.adobe.com/reader/.  That copy of the installer file has the same SHA1 hashcode as the copy I obtained from the FTP site.  They are the same.

[max8adobe]

Having the same issue. I am on Windows XP SP3: con no longer view any pdf, as i am getting the error describe above, after upgrading to Acrobat X. Tried to install/uninstall again and again, no luck. Uninstalled and installed Acrobat 9, not working. Uninstalled Acrobat 9, installed Acrobat 8, no luck. Used a registry cleaner product, restarted Windows after uninistalling/installing multiple times. In the end looks like i made it work with Acrobat 8.

[max8adobe]

...nope, i take it back, with Acrobat 8 i am now getting an error dialog saying "There was an error opening this document. This file cannot be found", which does not make any sense as an error.

I had opened a pdf file, which displayed fine. Then closed it. After a while (while i was posting the previous message), i got that dialog.

After clicking OK on that dialog about 30 times, it brings back the pdf file i had closed.

I am now basically unable to close a previously opened pdf file, because after few minutes, i get Acrobat popping up again and again with that message.

Acrobat.exe does not show in Task Manager however, so, not sure how to remove this behavior other than uninstalling.

[max8adobe]

Installed Acrobat X again, after installing Acrobat 8. For the record, here are the error screens i get:

By clicking on "click here:

and by view "technical info about the error report":

[AbhigyanModi]

Looks like there is a crash in your virus scanning module. Which virus scanner are you using?

To ascertain this, can you temporarily disable your scanner and see if you are able to launch?

[rdrXuser]

Agree with Abhigyan that the crash looks in virus scanning module. The crash is in pgphk.dll which is a DLL file used by PGP Hook Library created by Network Associates Technology (McAfee).

Can you please tell if you are using any McAfee products. If so, which version exactly? Moreover, are you using any other virus scanning product on your machine?

[mpp2008]

I can confirm the above problem and might be able to provide a solution.

Error and Symptoms: application error loading AcrRd32.exe - instruction "0x100010e6" refers to memory address "0x00000000" - read could not be performed. You will find a log entry in the system event log within windows.

Systems affected so far:

Windows XP ServicePack 3

Adobe Reader X

PGP Desktop Security 8.1

Reason: Adobe Acrobat Reader X (version 10.0.0) is incomptible with pgphk.dll (version 8.1.0.0). PGPhk.dll belongs to an installation of PGP Desktop Security version 8.1.0.0, which is an older paid version of the well-known PGP.

Workaround: As a workaround, you need to disable loading of "pgptray.exe", a helper application for the Windows XP systemtray which is being loaded at windows startup. As long as pgptray.exe is loaded, the startup of Adobe Reader X fails. You might also just kill the pgptray.exe process from the Windows Task-Manager before attempting to load Adobe Reader X.

Can someone with the appropriate credentials pass the information on to the product manager in charge for further investigation?

Regards,

mpp

[Leaf_Mold]

Anti-Virus:

I have not used McAfee products in many years.  I was using Norton Anti-Virus from Symantec until a little over 2 years ago.  Then I switched to AVG Anti-Virus (the freeware version, now at v.10.0.1153).

PGP:

I intalled PGP 8.0.3 on 29 July 2006, more than 4 years ago.  Again, this is the freeware version, whiich does not include Desktop.  I do have PGPhk.dll, but it is v.8.0.3.0 and not v.8.1.0.0.

In any case, Adobe Reader 9.4 (and all prior versions of Adobe Reader) installed and worked okay with both AVG (at least back to Adobe Reader 8.1.3) and PGP.  If Adobe Reader X cannot install and work with those applications, then the problem lies with Adobe and not with either AVG or PGP.  However, I will try again to install Adobe Reader X while AVG is disabled; but there is no way that I will operate my PC on an ongoing basis without an anti-virus application running.

[Leaf_Mold]

I was able to install Adobe Reader X without any error after disabling AVG.  However, I could not launch the reader until I killed PGPtray.  Since I use PGP much more often than I use Adobe Reader, this is NOT an acceptable workaround.  I thus reverted to Adobe Reader 9.4. 

As I indicated before, this is an Adobe problem, not a PGP problem.  I do not understand at all why there is any interaction between Adobe Reader and PGP.

[Guest]

I can confirm that Reader X will not run with PGP 8.0.2, an older free version that was fully compatible with Reader 9.4.1. It would help to know if Adobe intends to develop a fix for this problem, as well as how users can determine when Reader X can be used with PGP. Uninstalling X and reinstalling 9.4.1 on a repetitive basis just to see if the problem has been fixed is tedious and unproductive. The free PGP 8.0.2 meets all my needs and I plan to continue using it.

[max8adobe]

That is very informative, thank you. I also have in my system PGP 8.1 installed and use it all the time. My antivirus software is Symantec. That does not seem to be the issue, as i understand, so, i have not tried disabling it, as i could install Acrobat X fine: Acrobat X would just not run for me.

I also went back to Acrobat 9.4 and i am a bit baffled about this conflict between PGP 8.1 and Acrobat X.

Out of curiosity, what is the reason for this conflict... is that because of new security features in Acrobat X....?

[AbhigyanModi]

This is most likely due to the security features of Reader X. Thanks to this thread, I think we have enough information to investigate, we'll update the thread once we have a resolution.

-abhigyan@adobe.

[rdrXuser]

This issue is observed with PGP 8.1 for Reader X. Reader X works fine with PGP 9.x and PGP 10.x products. PGP 8.x products have been marked for 'End Of Life' by PGP itself.

Please check the following links.

http://na.store.pgp.com/end_of_life_desktop8.html

http://forum.pgp.com/t5/PGP-Announcements/PGP-Desktop-8-x-End-of-Life-Announced/td-p/35021

The issue should not happen with latest versions of PGP.

[mpp2008]

rdrXuser wrote:

This issue is observed with PGP 8.1 for Reader X. Reader X works fine with PGP 9.x and PGP 10.x products. PGP 8.x products have been marked for 'End Of Life' by PGP itself.

Please check the following links.

http://na.store.pgp.com/end_of_life_desktop8.html

http://forum.pgp.com/t5/PGP-Announcements/PGP-Desktop-8-x-End-of-Life- Announced/td-p/35021

The issue should not happen with latest versions of PGP.

@rdrXuser: Is this an official answer of Adobe that Reader X will be left incompatible with PGP 8.1? Or am I implying too much from your message?

Regards,

mpp

[Leaf_Mold]

Software that still performs the functions needed by the user is NOT obsolete, even if the developer wants to sell newer versions by announcing the "End of Life" for older versions.  PGP 8.x is NOT broken.  PGP 9.x and PGP 10.x contain no features that I really want, which is why I never upgraded.  This is quite different from the situation with Adobe Reader, in which Adobe Reader 9.4 has a demonstrated vulnerability that is fixed in Adobe Reader 10.0.0.1.

To make matters worse, PGP 10.0.3 (the latest version available from Symantec) contains a vulnerability much worse than the one in Adobe Reader 9.4.  At least, the build date of the PGP 10.0.3 installer is earlier than the report date at http://www.kb.cert.org/vuls/id/300785.

I still do not understand why Adobe Reader has any interaction with PGP.

[Leaf_Mold]

PGP (now owned by Symantec) has a fix for its bug.  However, the fix is available only for the paid form of PGP 10.0.3.  It is NOT available for the trial form (i.e., freeware) form of PGP 10.0.3.

Thus, to install and use the freeware Adobe Reader X, I must pay for PGP 10.0.3.  Alternatively, I can abandon use of PGP; or I can stay with Adobe Reader 9.4.  The former alternative is unacceptable; I use PGP more than I view PDF files.  The latter alternative leaves me with a vulnerability that is not as serious as the bug in PGP 10.0.3 and that might be avoided if my anti-virus software (NOT Symantec's Norton) is kept current.

[auerlius90]

I would just add that I experienced similar problems only this time with PGP Desktop v9.  I don't think that it is solely an issue with 8.  Closing the pgptray process solved the problem in the meantime.

[Ibn_Rushd]

I'm using Windows XP Professonal, SP3, without PGP, and I also experienced failure of Reader X to open after initial installation in response to automatic updater notification.

On 22 Nov 2010, I reinstalled Reader 9.4.1, which is functioning normally, and shortly thereafter, the updater stopped notification of an available update.  Indeed, as of this morning, 29 Nov, the updater still indficates no update available for Reader 9.4.1.  However, Reader X is still offered for downloading at the Adobe website.  This seems like apparently contradictory signals as to whether or not Adobe recognizes the problem with Reader X.

I hope Adobe will make an announcement as to when it is advisable to try again to update to Reader X.  Meanwhile, I am continuing to use reader 9.4.1, and I am reluctant to risk going through the trouble of reupgrading to Reader X, reremoving it ,and reresintalling 9.4.1!

[Ibn_Rushd]

Deleted.

Message was edited by: Ibn Rushd

[Anaximander_of_Miletus]

Originally, when Adobe Reader X failed to open after installation on Windows XP, SP3, I uninstalled Adobe Reader X and reinstalled Adobe Reader 9.4.

Now, running the updater on Adobe Reader 9.4.1 produces the message "No updates available"; but when I go to http://get.adobe.com/reader/, Adobe Reader X is still offered for downloading.  Consequently, I'm getting mixed signals as to whether I should try another installation of Adobe Reader X at this time.

Some guidance would be greatly appreciated.

[BigAlUK2]

Workaround!

What I did was enable the Windows 2000 compatibility mode via the properties on the shortcut to Abobe Reader X.

This is quite often a useful trick for inter-program compatibility issues like this, and always worth a try.

(Ok -not a total cure, the error dialogue still pops up about the PGP DLL, but you can just "ok" that away and Adobe Reader continues to work fine).

[hcidata]

Thank you BigAlUK2 - I can confirm that setting the properties of the "shortcut to Abobe Reader X" to "Windows 2000" compatibility mode enables me to use both PGP 8.0.2 and Adobe Reader X.  It does not appear to allow PDF files to be read via MSIE.

I am running Windows XP professional Version 2002 Service Pack 3 with Adober Reader X 10.0.0 and PGP 8.0.2.  PGP is a paid for version so, I too, have no great need to upgrade it on my XP systems (I had to upgrade PGP on Windows 7 but that is a different story!)

[Leaf_Mold]

Besides IE, use of Windows 2000 compatibility mode also does not allow PDF files to be read via Firefox, SeaMonkey, or other Gecko-based browsers.  Thus, this is not an acceptable fix for the problem of having both PGP 8.x and Adobe Reader X on the same PC.

As I indicated back in October, I really do not understand why Adobe Reader has any interaction with a PGP-specific DLL file.

At the present, I cannot upgrade PGP to a compatible version since all such compatible versions are afflicted with a serious security vulnerability that Symantec (the current owner of PGP) declines to correct for freeware PGP versions.