PDFs from source always get an error message

Report · Mar 15, 2019

I've written previously about the inability to open downloads from an online edition of a newspaper. Was told here that possible the registry could be edited and instructions were given to edit the HKLM and HKCU paths. I can get to a certain point but I cannot actually find the way to get to the pathway to edit it.

Can someone give me the exact steps after regedit.exe? i have already backed-up the registry. Also when editing the version should I put in the entire line 19.10.20091?

Thank you.

Report · Mar 15, 2019

If you do not know how to work with the registry, seek expert help. This is far too dangerous for guesswork.

Report · Mar 16, 2019

I see you never replied to an attempt to help you here (With no mention of registry editing). Cannot open a PDF download from a subscription newspaper

Report · Mar 16, 2019

Well, you are certainly correct I apologize for not responding; I did not see your response to my original question. You are also correct that, obviously, editing the registry is way beyond me and I should just leave it alone. Upon closer scrutiny, I believe the advice to edit the registry same from a Microsoft User's group and I think they're probably on the money with the advice but it's simply beyond me. I believe the problem is in how the newspaper staff is uploading for the online edition. For example, I tried to download a PDF from today's edition and it worked yet I tried yesterday's and it did not. It only rarely works. I cannot try opening it in Notepad because it won't actually download with an error. All I get is the error message I previously posted. I guess I should just give up.

Report · Mar 16, 2019

If you get the message, Acrobat Reader has tried to open the file, and so it's already downloaded. You should find it (probably) in your Downloads folder. Probably quite a lot in there.

Report · Mar 20, 2019

Well, you are right--there are many in the download folder which I was using as test cases. They will not open not only in Chrome but in any browser nor in other readers I tried to download. When I open with Notepad, this is the only line:

<html><body><h1>400 Bad request</h1>

Your browser sent an invalid request.

</body></html>

These newspaper articles do open on very few occasions and I'm assuming it's due to a different person uploading them online in a different pattern. Am I correct?

Report · Mar 20, 2019

Ok, that's interesting, it's the sort of thing I've sometimes seen. Thank you for the exact detail. This doesn't mean the file is bad on the server. What it means is something went wrong for you trying to download it. The web site sends the error message but it's too late; it gets stored as if it is the PDF instead.

You may find it's random and repeated attempts on the same page eventually succeed.

Report · Mar 21, 2019

Well, thank you for all of your help. I have spoken to the newspaper staff several times and I have sent them the same info I sent you and they say that they cannot duplicate the error on their end and they are using the same version of Chrome, etc. I don't know why this drives me so crazy but it's the only instance where I have problem opening a PDF. I often want to download a news article and send it to a friend because, frankly, the newspaper's email option does not always work either but I guess it's really not worth all my angst over it. I'm going to get a new laptop and, although I know that's not the problem, I'll just hope that the new one will want to behave properly. LOL.

I will just mention that someone did say that sometimes Chrome has a problem with sites that have a subscription sign-in as a newspaper would but no other browser works either so I doubt that answer.