Why will PDF not open from email?

[Guest]

I recently modified my Adobe Reader 9.1 (with instructions from the bank) to be able to electronically sign documents.

Since then I can not open any PDF documents from email.  I went back and reversed the changes I made. I uninstalled Adobe and reinstalled it. No luck.

I have to save the documents and open them from Windows Explorer.

Any Ideas?

[Guest]

I recently began having the same problem.  When I try to open an email pdf attachment, I get this type error message:

"Adobe Reader could not open 'Invoice.pdf' because it is either not a supported file type of because the file has been damaged (for example, it was sent as an email attachment and wasn't correctly decoded)."

I didn't realize that I would be able to open a saved pdf attachment until I read your post.  That's made life a bit easier, but a solution to this problem would be better.  Anyone know what's causing this?  I'm running version 8.  Until I saw this post, I was considering upgrading to version 9 to see if the problem would "go away," but I think it would be better to fix it before going to another version "just in case."  So, I guess I'll hold off to see if someone (maybe Adobe?) knows how to fix this.

[~graffiti]

It's hard to track down exactly what may be happening but the typical reason for this message is that your email client/service is using encoding to make the file transfer faster. When the service decodes it on your end, it doesn't recognize it as a PDF and corrupts the file.

To get around this, it is recommended that you have the party sending it either Zip it first so you can unzip it at your end or post it to a web space somewhere and email a link to you.

That may not be the only reason this issue comes up but it is by far the most common.

As for the original poster, can you post a sample PDF so we can look at it?

[Guest]

Graffiti,

This is a typical PDF file that I receive.

If I try to open it from the email I do not get an error code. Instead it gets sent to a designated holding folder where I save files temporarily.

I then go to that designated file, double click it, and it opens right up.

See what you can do.

Thanks

[~graffiti]

rons03ultra

This sounds like it could be a setting in your email application but I can't be sure.

Just to be sure, you CAN double click on the file from within the email but instead of opening it using Reader, it goes to a folder and you have to open it from there (and double clicking works?)

If that is correct, what type of email client are you using? Outlook, Outlook Express or a browser based email setup?

[Guest]

I'm using Hotmail.

Date: Tue, 1 Sep 2009 16:38:37 -0600

From: forums@adobe.com

To: rons03ultra@hotmail.com

Subject: Why will PDF not open from email?

http://forums.adobe.com/people/rons03ultra

This sounds like it could be a setting in your email application but I can't be sure.

Just to be sure, you CAN double click on the file from within the email but instead of opening it using Reader, it goes to a folder and you have to open it from there (and double clicking works?)

If that is correct, what type of email client are you using? Outlook, Outlook Express or a browser based email setup?

>

[~graffiti]

Unfortunately, I don't use Hotmail but can be reasonably sure that it is a setting on that end of things that you may or may not be able to change. Do they have a forum for hotmail users?

[Guest]

Date: Tue, 1 Sep 2009 16:38:37 -0600

From: forums@adobe.com

To: rons03ultra@hotmail.com

Subject: Why will PDF not open from email?

http://forums.adobe.com/people/rons03ultra

This sounds like it could be a setting in your email application but I can't be sure.

Just to be sure, you CAN double click on the file from within the email but instead of opening it using Reader, it goes to a folder and you have to open it from there (and double clicking works?) This is right.

If that is correct, what type of email client are you using? Outlook, Outlook Express or a browser based email setup? I am using Hotmail. My browser is Foxfire.

>

[Guest]

Thanks for the response ~grafitti.  However, the "save to disk and open with Windows Explorer" method seems a faster workaround.  I'm on Verizon FiOS and I could previously open PDFs.  I am not aware of changing anything in my email setup, so not sure why a problem in it should now be the case, and maybe the problem is being caused by something else???  (It's possible that Verizon has changed something without telling its users.)  In any case, I see that rons03ultra is using version 9.1, while I'm using version 8.?.  So I guess the problem is not version related, thus installing the new version won't "fix" the problem.  It would be better to find out what is really causing this to happen and resolve that issue if possible, rather than use any workarounds.  Hopefully (but unfortunately!), if enough people indicate they are having this problem, a solution will be found by Adobe or another user.

BTW - rons03ultra, are you on Verizon?

[~graffiti]

And same question for you speedo. What type of email client are you using?

Also, just so I understand, can either of you tell me why you are opening the PDF from within IE instead of opening it through Reader?

[Guest]

Date: Tue, 1 Sep 2009 16:40:10 -0600

From: forums@adobe.com

To: rons03ultra@hotmail.com

Subject: Why will PDF not open from email?

And same question for you speedo. What type of email client are you using?

Also, just so I understand, can either of you tell me why you are opening the PDF from within IE instead of opening it through Reader?

With hotmail you don't have any option but to open it from hotmail.

>

[Guest]

I'm using Outlook Express. Previously, I would click on a PDF attachment

and Adobe Reader would load and open the attachment. As of yesterday (with

no known changes to OE) when I click on a PDF attachment, Adobe Reader opens

and gives the error message I stated earlier in this thread. After reading

rons)#ultra's Post, I tried saving the attachment and opening it with

Windows Explorer and that worked. So I believe I'm opening them in Windows

Explorer, not Internet Explorer.

[Guest]

That is right. I'm using Hotmail. My browser is Firefox. Instead of opening the PDF (as an attachment) from the email, it is automatically sending it to a designated folder in Windows Explorer where I can open it with Adobe without any problem.

I am not getting any error message.

From: forums@adobe.com

To: rons03ultra@hotmail.com

Subject: Why will PDF not open from email?

I'm using Outlook Express. Previously, I would click on a PDF attachment

and Adobe Reader would load and open the attachment. As of yesterday (with ''

no known changes to OE) when I click on a PDF attachment, Adobe Reader opens

and gives the error message I stated earlier in this thread. After reading

rons)#ultra's Post, I tried saving the attachment and opening it with

Windows Explorer and that worked. So I believe I'm opening them in Windows

Explorer, not Internet Explorer.

>

[Guest]

Date: Tue, 1 Sep 2009 14:47:06 -0600

From: forums@adobe.com

To: rons03ultra@hotmail.com

Subject: Why will PDF not open from email?

It's hard to track down exactly what may be happening but the typical reason for this message is that your email client/service is using encoding to make the file transfer faster. When the service decodes it on your end, it doesn't recognize it as a PDF and corrupts the file.

To get around this, it is recommended that you have the party sending it either Zip it first so you can unzip it at your end or post it to a web space somewhere and email a link to you.

That may not be the only reason this issue comes up but it is by far the most common.

As for the original poster, can you post a sample PDF so we can look at it?

>

[SamSam55]

I use thunderbird for Email and I am having a problem also when people send me any PDF files, whenever I try to open, I get an error that says "there was an error opening this document the file is damaged and could not be repaired" I tried everything from uninstalling adobe reader 9 to reinstallng 8 and still no luck...... Its very frusterating.. eventually I opened the same Email using outlook and I was able to open the PDF!!!! Can anyone help me with this issue I think its very similar to what the original poster had mentioned.... I appreciate all your help!!

[Guest]

SamSam55:

I'm running version 8 and rons03ultra is running version 9 so the problem dosn't seem to be version-related.  Whatever the cause of this problem, it appears that there are a number of people experiencing it.  And, it seems that it is something that has come about recently to users who were able to use Adobe Reader directly from their various email clients previously.  So, it doesn't appear to be email client-related either.  Well, I guess that's some progress.  We know what it's not related to.  And, so far, we all have alternate methods of reading the PDFs.  So, it could be worse.  But it sure would be nice to not have to use a workaround and have it back to working like it should!

[~graffiti]

speedo123 wrote:

SamSam55:

it appears that there are a number of people experiencing it. 

Yes. It's been that way for a very long time. Mostly they are hard issues to resolve and when they are resolved, they are mostly tracked back to the email client rather than Reader or Acrobat. That's not always the case but it's rare to see anything different.

Wish I had some more ideas for you but, I don't. Sorry.

[SamSam55]

How are you guys working your way around the issue for now?

[Guest]

SamSam55:

Please read rons03ultra's first post to this thread where he says he has to save the attachment and then open it in Windows Explorer.  Check the other posts in this thread for other ideas.

[Guest]

A fast workaround for PDF problem (See my original post)

In Firefox:

Open Tools > Options > Under Main tab click Save files to > click Browse

Scroll up or down to find where you want it to go (I put mine under Documents because it's the easiest to find).

Click New folder and label it something you will quickly recognize.

Now when you click on a PDF attachment it will automatically be sent to that file and you can double click or open

it in Adobe Reader

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(Note) If I use Internet Explorer (I have not used IE in years) I can open PDF's from Hotmail with out a problem.

I like Firefox better so I will continue to use the quick workaround until somebody finds a fix.

If you use IE, here are the instructions for saving PDF files.

Click

to open Windows Mail.

Open a message that contains an attachment by double-clicking it

in the message list.

In the message window, click the File menu,

and then click Save Attachments.

Select the folder where you want to save the attachments.

By default,

Windows Mail saves attachments in your

Documents folder. If you want to save the attachments to a different folder,

click Browse, and then select a folder.

Select the attachments that you want to save, and then click Save.

Date: Thu, 3 Sep 2009 08:45:23 -0600

From: forums@adobe.com

To: rons03ultra@hotmail.com

Subject: Why will PDF not open from email?

How are you guys working your way around the issue for now?

>

[Guest]

Did anyone get a permanent fix? Mine just started doing that. I save it and then open it in Reader but it is a pain in the butt.

[Guest]

I talked to the people at Adobe and they said it was not their fault. They said to talk to Hotmail so I did. They said it was not their fault either. So nobody will take responsibility. I don't think there is a permanent fix for the problem.

Now, having said that, mine spontaneously started working again about the middle of October. Don't have a clue why. Gremlins I guess.

Sorry I can't be of any more help.

[email address removed]

[cpmv2]

This is highly annoying. All of my clients are reporting they can't open my PDFs:

"Acrobat could not open 'clientfile.pdf' because it is either not a supported file type of because the file has been damaged (for example, it was sent as an email attachment and wasn't correctly decoded)."

This was all working a couple of week ago. I wonder what changed?

Acrobat Pro 9.1.3 Sent from Apple Mail.app 3.6 and I am zipping the PDFs

[JuliD]

I am losing my patients with Adobe.

Like a gazillion others no one has resolved this issue.

Receive a PDF attachment in my Outlook (full, not express) on my Vista computer. Click on the attachment and get the error "Create association in the Set Association Control Panel". Did that in the Default Programs folder and it WAS set to Adobe Reader 9.1.  Another fix was to run Adobe Reader under "Administrator", open Reader, go to Help and run the "repair"....NOTHING.  Another fix was to remove the file association on all .PDF and then restart and right click on a saved PDF and chose Adobe Reader and it will fix the problem...NOPE. Another fix was to uninstall and reinstall Adobe Reader...NOPE. The work around to save first then open works but why do we have to have a work around?  FIX IT!

[MichaelKazlow]

You are not addressing Adobe here. We are fellow users. If you think you have a bug then you need to file a bug report:

https://www.adobe.com/cfusion/mmform/index.cfm?name=wishform