Cannot Create PDF Files

Report · Feb 05, 2004

Hello, I am using Windows 2000 Server as a Terminal Server and have Acrobat 6.0.1 installed. When I try to print anything (even a test page and even while logged in as administrator) I get the following error:

There was an error found when printing the document "Test Page" to My Documents/*.pdf. Do you want to retry or cancel the job?

[Retry] [Cancel]

I try the retry button and it still fails.

There are two Adobe PDF ports when I go into the Adobe PDF Printer settings:

Desktop\*.pdf & My Documents\.pdf

Both produce the same result. I am unable to create a new port as I am denied.

I really have no idea how to proceed on this and could not find any documentation on this issue.

Has anyone ever run into this problem before or have any ideas on how to fix it?

Thanks

Report · Feb 06, 2004

Where are you pritning from? CLient or server.

Report · Feb 06, 2004

Last night i attempted to connect through the terminal (and failed), this morning I tried through the console and it worked. I tried it from a terminal while administrator was logged in on the console and it worked as well. My assumption is that something is running on the console that the terminal is not (or can't) run.

As a workaround, i am leaving the administrator logged in on the console as that appears to work for now, but I would like to find a more permanent solution.

Thanks

Report · Feb 06, 2004

Clarification to my last post. It works for administrator on terminal server when administrator is logged in through the console as well, but not otherwise. It does not work for the end users through Terminal server which is what i need it to do.

Any suggestions?

Thanks

Report · Feb 06, 2004

Acrobat must be installed on each machine that is to use it with the associated license for that machine. It is not desigened to work on a server and is generally a violation of the license agreement. The situations you got it to work in or to fail in are consistent with this intent.

Report · Feb 07, 2004

William,

According to Adobe's website, it is supported:
http://partners.adobe.com/asn/developer/pdfs/tn/5421UsingWTS.pdf

I do see documentation for Acrobat 5 and they describe the same problem I am experiencing in 6, it's just that their workaround doesn't seem to work.

http://www.adobe.com/support/techdocs/1eb06.htm

"Error occurs when you try to create a PDF file.
When you try to create a PDF file on a WTS or Citrix server, Acrobat returns the error 'There was an error found when printing the document to [pathname].'

Solution: Log in to the server as an Administrator or Power User."

I am going to keep trying some different things, maybe I can give the end users that are using the terminal's (HP t5500's running WinCE.net) that will be creating pdf's a special group permission allowing them to create pdf's. Either way, i'll post my results and if anyone has other suggestions, they are appreciated.

Report · Feb 12, 2004

I am having the exact same problem. My W2K Server is running Citrix Metaframe as well as Terminal Services. (I followed the installation instructions in the "Adobe Acrobat for Citrix Metaframe XP Presentation Server.")

In addition to all the problems Jonathan Arena noted, Acrobat crashes immediately after open for all users except Administrator -- and that includes any other member of the Administrators group.

Any guidance would be much appreciated.

Report · Feb 12, 2004

Hi!

I'm also having the same problem, have tried a de/re-install but it's still not working. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks!

Karen

Report · Feb 13, 2004

I gave up on Acrobat and installed eDocPrinter PDF Pro Terminal Server Edition from www.iteksoft.com. Works like a charm.

If Adobe can solve the problem for us, I'll reinstall Acrobat. But at least users can get work done.

Report · Feb 14, 2004

Jim & Karen,

Thanks for your posts. I realized that I had previously installed the reader then installed acrobat 6 standard. I uninstalled them both and reinstalled acrobat 6 and it apparently is working now. If it didn't I was going to give up on Acrobat and go to the eDocPrinter PDF Pro Terminal Server Edition solution that Jim mentioned as it looked like it would have fixed any remaining issues. If any problems reappear, I will continue to post, but I think I am good to go now.

Thanks
Jonathan Arena

Report · Feb 17, 2004

I have the same problem. I was told by my Adobe rep that server-licensing is valid as long as the same users logging in under remote access sessions have a licensed copy of Adobe on their desktops.

Part of the problem I'm getting is that one of my servers doesn't have an LPT port, and distiller gives me an error on installation because of this.

Report · Feb 17, 2004

I uninstalled Reader and Acrobat, then reinstalled Acrobat, but still had the same problem. I'm sticking with the eDocPro solution which works just fine.

Report · Feb 18, 2004

Hello everybody,

I had the same problem, after de/re installing version 6 and 5 the problem was not fixed. Then I went to the server and sat down behind the console and installed Acrobat Pro version 6 with a domain admin account. I have not installed the reader on the Citrix server. I tested it on the server console and it worked! Then I tried testing it with a ICA session and it worked!!!!
I think that the printerports need to be created on the server console and not by a remote session.

Good luck,
Shahid Hanif

Report · Feb 18, 2004

JOnathan your findings are the solution, an Administrator session needs to be running on the console, in order for you to be able to create pdf files.

Report · Mar 12, 2004

Wanted to add my 2 cents to this discussion. We've been using 5.0 since October without any problems. Then suddenly, poof, no more converting. Is it possible that an update for Acrobat or Citrix Metaframe caused a conflict?

Does anyone from Adobe read these boards? Do we have a hope in Hades of this issue being resolved?

Time will tell.

Report · Mar 14, 2004

Hi!

I've ended up completely removing Acrobat 6 downloading and installing a free pdf file creater that is working without problems - cute pdf writer 2.1, you also need to download and ghostscript first. It's had no problems and is a lot faster and less memory intensive on the servers as well. Go back to acrobat reader 5 if you can as well - acrobat reader 6 is a bloaty pig on a terminal server.

Karen

Report · Mar 25, 2004

With WTS... is anyone running as an Application Server? If not, then give it a try.

Rocky

Report · Mar 26, 2004

Rocky,

When I experienced this issue I was running it as an Application server.

Jon

Report · Mar 26, 2004

Are your users able to write to the desktop?

Sabian

Report · Aug 03, 2004

I'm getting the same error.... Anyone know how to correct this... problem...? Would appreciate any help... Thanks....

Report · Aug 10, 2004

OKey, I have the same failure.. This is what I have found out:

No one using Terminal Services are having "My documents" at the lokal TS/Citrix Server. They redirect it to another location on the network.

At my company we have the "My Documents" folder redirected to the network drive mapped as P:.

The interesting part is that whereever you try to print using the default Adobe PDF Port (my documents\*.pdf) The destiller shows in my case "P:\My documents". I do not have this "My documents" folder on my P drive (every users personal drive), because its much more convenient to have them directly on the root of P.

So I tried to create a new Adobe PDF Port printing to local disk C:\Temp (Actually I remapped using Citrix, but thats not important here)

Then when trying to print it says: "P:\C:\Temp". So anyway you try, Acrobat puts the value for your "My Documents" infront..

My solution was to create a "My documents" folder on each users "P:" drive.. Worked!..

Hope you find this information usefull, and if someone comes up with a registry fix or configuration fix, I'll be happy to here from you..

Best Regards Christian Alexander

Report · Sep 19, 2005

having issues as well when we remap 'my documents' to a network location under WIN XP. Acrobat simply falkes because the program is coded to add an extra \ to the path, as described in this text i found on this adobe 'in design' forum. (truuth is i find that it really applies to ALL adobe programs more or less.)

"In Windows 98, Me, 2000, and XP, InDesign saves files to the My Documents folder by default. When InDesign saves files to the My Documents folder, it adds a trailing backslash to the path ("\"), followed by the filename (for example, C:\My Documents\\filename.indd). If the path to the My Documents folder ends in a backslash, InDesign can't save files because the two backslashes break the path to the folder. Targeting the My Documents folder to its default location ensures that the path doesn't end in a backslash."

so what if my 'default' location is a 'my documents' folder that is remapped to a drive other than the C:\ drive?

it just won't work, reliably. sometimes yes, sometimes no. when it fails it just stalls the acrobat assistant.

Dear Adobe: This isn't a very unusual circumstance - for network administrators to remap users 'my documents' folder. your software should work with that without issue. as it is with version 6.0.4 it does not do this reliably and it's causing a lot of us network oriented types a lot of unecessary headaches.

please fix this. as a matter of fact don't specify the default locations, don't even use the last location saved to option. simply give us a blank line with an empty location when the save or save as command is called.

let us choose, that is good software design.

Report · Mar 25, 2007

I manage 2 ASP (1500 Microsoft Environments) with Win2K/Citrix XP FR3 and another brand new W2k3 R2/PS4 and this situation still exists with Adobe Actobat 6 Professional. I have realised that porting to desktop and to my documents, Test Page is correct from ICA/RDP session. In the other hand, if I map a network drive Z: for example, my test page looses I dont know where, but I go to server console, acceding by DameWare and I use to find Distiller in the Task Bar running, trying to find specific path.

Does anyone know which path is Adobe trying to find.

The only one way to print to network drive is to open Word/Excel and convert it throught the add-in Verisigned macros included with Microsoft Word first execution over citrix/terminal server profile or console/xp new profile.

Besides I find myself in your situation, all I can do is invite you to a coffee if you come to Barcelona.

Can e-mail me to: javier@itconsult.es, web: www.itconcult.es

NOTE:

To whom it may concern from "Adobe Corporation", you have a real bad solution. I deploy hundreds of applications and I hope that Acrobat 8 may be better, because we're all in false.

XVC, Barcelona, Spain
MCSE Security CCA Citrix

Report · Feb 01, 2008

you have to install acrobat from the console or use:
mstsc /console to log in to the console remotely.
If you install it from a session it will not work.

Comment by VND (http://www.vndx.com)

Report · Oct 12, 2009

I had the same issue with a user logged in remotely to the terminal server and not be able to create pdf files. The TS console had to be logged in as adminstrator and we needed to restart the Print Spooler on the TS. Worked fine after that.