default settings Adobe Acrobat DC Reader

[TimGrüttner]

Hello Community,

I have a Problem with the Default Settings from the Adobe Acrobat DC.

I would like to install Adobe Acrobat DC Reader in the company. However, this should not be set as standard. How can I set this via cmd or registry that does not set this to default during installation or in later?

Thank you for your help.

[EnterpriseHelp]

Default what? As the default PDF viewer when Acrobat is also installed or something else?

[TimGrüttner]

We use in our Company Foxit PDF Reader as default PDF Viewer. many Departments just use Foxit and Adobe. when we install Adobe by SCCM, he set`s himself as default. The Foxit should continue to remain the standard PDF viewer.

[Steve Cordero]

Use the Adobe Properties in the Command Line or in the Setup.ini file in your deployment package so that the second install does not take ownership of the PDF file type.

Adobe Properties — Enterprise Administration Guide

PDF Ownership	11.0 & later	OWNERSHIP_STATE	New for 11.0. Windows 8.x only. Specifies whether to take ownership of any file type the product recognizes (pdf, fdf, etc.). 0: Do not take ownership. 1: Take ownership for the current user. The UserChoice key for the current user is updated. 2: Take ownership for all existing and new users. The UserChoice key for all existing users is updated and a system level xml file will be updated to handle any future users. Default UI-based installations will display a checkbox that allows the user to set the product as the default PDF owner and set OWNERSHIP_STATE to 1. When the checkbox is not selected, OWNERSHIP_STATE is set to 0. Default silent installations assume OWNERSHIP_STATE is 2. Note: This property is deprecated on Windows 10 machines and DISM-GPO configuration methods must be used.
PDF Ownership	10.0 & later	LEAVE_PDFOWNERSHIP	For new installs. YES prevents the new installation from taking over PDF ownership. NO allows the new install to own opening PDFs. May interact with IW_DEFAULT_VERB for some versions. It is often used for silent installs where the user should not be asked to select a default PDF viewer. For example, the following is the behavior of the Acrobat and Reader installers used with this property: If Reader is present, this property lets the Acrobat installer leave ownership with Reader. If no Reader is installed, then the Acrobat installer will ignore this property and will take ownership. If Reader is installed after Acrobat, then it will by default take over PDF ownership from Acrobat and hence there's no need to use this property for a Reader install. For 11.0 and later, do not use this property when OWNERSHIP_STATE has a value of 1 or 2. Note: This property is deprecated on Windows 10 machines and DISM-GPO configuration methods must be used.
PDF Ownership	10.0 & later	IW_DEFAULT_VERB	Use this property when you need to change the default viewer for existing installs. Make Reader the default PDF viewer: For Reader only. Set IW_DEFAULT_VERB to Read Make Acrobat the default PDF viewer: For Acrobat only. Set IW_DEFAULT_VERB to Open. IW_DEFAULT_VERB interacts with the Adobe property LEAVE_PDFOWNERSHIP which is often used for silent installs where the user should not be asked to select a default PDF viewer. Note: This property is deprecated on Windows 10 machines and DISM-GPO configuration methods must be used.

[TimGrüttner]

The DISM function dosn´t work. The GPO policy also not work.

Can you say me how to set the OWNERSHIP_STATE please.

[TimGrüttner]

I make this in this line:

msiexec /i "AcroRead.msi" EULA_ACCEPT=YES, OWNERSHIP_STATE="0" /qn /l* C:\Temp\Install_AcrobatReaderDC.log

[Steve Cordero]

That line "should" work, unless you are on Windows 10.  Windows 10 requires that the User determine the file type ownership. Installers cannot make that determination.  The DISM and GPO Policy "should" work either way as long as your machines exist on a domain.

[TimGrüttner]

Yes, we use Windows 10 but bad to know. We have use DISM and GPO and both should. But somehow the GPO does not work for the Acrobat DC Reader.

In our GPO Foxit is set as the default.

[EnterpriseHelp]

Here's the doc on this subject: Setting the Default PDF Viewer — Enterprise Administration Guide

[TimGrüttner]

Yes, I`m looking at that. But this doesn't work.

[EnterpriseHelp]

If DSIM is not working (the supported method you must use), post the details about what you did and what the result is.

[robert8705]

I would enjoy being a member

[matthewb20595137]

Alright, I've got this figured out for you.  Although (technically) the Adobe moderator is right that you're not "supposed" to be able to change the default settings globally, you can.  I'll show you what I did.  We have a similar issue going on, where we use Reader DC for our Free PDF reader, and Nitro PDF Pro for our paid reader.  Installing Acrobat reader would always set itself as some defaults, which would irritate my users to no end. 

Solution: Use the Adobe Customization Wizard DC to add registry keys to make your preferred reader the default.  For my example, to make Nitro PDF the default reader, I had to add the following keys: HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT, then change the data under "Default" to the program that you want it to be.  For my example, I added the following:

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.fdf\(Default), \pdf\(default), \ppdf\(default)  - changed to "NitroPDF.PPDFDoc.12"  For your example, you would have to find out what Foxit is called in this context in the registry.  The easiest way would be to set it as the default manually, then go to these keys and see what the default key says.

I then created two applications, one for our more basic computers that only have the free reader DC (YES set as default), and one for my users who have Nitro (NO to all defaults).

Keep in mind that you could also do this with a RegAdd command, if you are not using the customization wizard.

[matthewb20595137]

[TonyHeslington]

Sorry to join this post so late...

So would the following be correct?

We have Win7 64bit.

Using Adobe Customization wizard against Adobe Acrobat Reader.

We do not want adobe installation to modify the default PDF reader as we have many different user scenarios... and non savvy users will be challenged if something was to happen.

I leave the customization wizard settings at:  "Default viewer for PDF Files:  Installer will decide which product will be the default.

And in my install command lines I put the following....

REM - Install primary Acrobat reader (V.15)

msiexec /i "AcroRead.msi" TRANSFORMS="AdobeXIX.mst" LEAVE_PDFOWNERSHIP=YES /qb

REM - Upgrade Acrobat Reader upgrade (V.2019.010.20091)

msiexec /p "AcroRdrDCUpd1901020091.msp" /qn

Thank you for any and all assistance.

Tony

[EnterpriseHelp]

I would think you can just use the Wiz and not use the cmd line. One or the other.

[Steve Cordero]

Those command lines "should" work.

Here is another option, if you want to try all in one

msiexec.exe /i C:\Users\labuser\Desktop\AdobeReaderDC\AcroRdrDC1500720033_en_US.msi /Update C:\Users\labuser\Desktop\AdobeReaderDC\AcroRdrDCUpd1901020091.msp

Note, you will need to add the Tranform=AcroRd.MST, the property LEAVE_PDFOWNERSHIP=YES and switch /qb

[TonyHeslington]

I was so hopeful this would work but the behaviour during install did not change.

As soon as it hit the AcroRead.msi install the default PDF viewer changed.

Any ideas?

REM - Install primary Acrobat reader (V.15)

msiexec /i "AcroRead.msi" TRANSFORMS="AdobeXIX.mst" LEAVE_PDFOWNERSHIP=YES /qb

REM - Upgrade Acrobat Reader upgrade (V.2019.010.20091)

msiexec /p "AcroRdrDCUpd1901020091.msp" /qn

[matthewb20595137]

You have to use the Customization Wizard and change registry keys dude, I already told you.

That being said, it still defaults the IE add-in to Acrobat Reader.  Why can't Adobe just understand that we may not want their product to be the default?

[TonyHeslington]

Hello MattewB.

We have 400 applications in our environment with 2500 computers...

Within the above parameters 75% of our users will have acrobat reader as default and from there some CC applications and like you nitropdf and nuance.

We are hoping to keep individual users default PDF viewer.

We are also doing a report on the current versions of acrobat reader deployed... It seems we may have a few machines with Reader 11 on them which may be a complicating factor.

Your tip is good!  Perhaps we build a job that IDs the current default reg setting and runs the matching adobe install with assigned registry entry as you have shown.

Tony.

[matthewb20595137]

Alright, so here is my final answer, and this is working perfect for me with Nitro 12 and Adobe AcroRdrDC1901020064 on Windows 10 1703, 1709, 1803.  It allows me to install Acrobat Reader, while keeping Nitro as the default, and it keeps the Nitro IE add-in working (Adobe also tries to take over as the default IE add-in otherwise).

-Use the Adobe Customization Wizard DC to make the changes I suggested above.

-Make sure to select "Installer will decide which product will be the default" under "Installation Options."

-Make the registry key changes that I suggested above

-Run a repair of your PDF reader that you want to keep as default (in my case nitro) AFTER the install.  You may need to create dependencies to do so.  To do that with a command line, run "msiexec /fa{xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx} /qn"

-The product code {xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx} can be found in HKLM\software\wow6432node\Microsoft\windows\currentversion\uninstall for 64-bit programs and HKLM\software\Microsoft\windows\currentversion\uninstall.  Once in that node, ctrl+f and search for the name of your product.

[matthewb20595137]

Ahh yes, nitro fun lol. 

Have you used the customization tool to edit the default MSI settings yet?  You just open the customization wizard, go to file-open and open the MSI, and you can change a lot of settings from in there.

I ended up installing adobe and tweaking the registry keys that I mentioned.  Then, I use the Adobe install as a dependency for a Nitro repair (this way, it installs the newest adobe DC, repairs nitro which re-sets nitro as the default application).  THEN, after the repair, I delete the following two registry keys (need to be deleted with a system account, can be tested with PSexec).

del /f "C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\Adobe\Acrobat\ActiveX\AcroPDF.dll"

del /f "C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\Adobe\Acrobat\ActiveX\AcroPDF64.dll"

This ensures that Adobe's IE add-in doesn't come back.

So unnecessarily complicated, but this is what worked for me.  It seems like this is something Adobe could EASILY put in their customization Wizard, but alas, here we are.

Good luck!