Wrong PDF file generated from FM 10 book

[lisadames]

Sometimes when I generate a PDF from a FrameMaker 10 unstructured book, the generated PDF overwrites an existing file with a totally different name and location.  After I try a few times without changing anything, it finally does it right.  Any ideas?

[Jeff_Coatsworth]

Are you printing to the AdobePDF printer instance or Saving As PDF?

[lisadames]

Save as PDF.  And when I look at the job in Distiller after it's done, it has the right file name.

[Arnis Gubins]

Lisa,

You can always set Distiller Preferences to prompt you bfore over-writing an existing file. This way you can intercede if it's doing somehting it's not supposed to.

IF Distiller has the correct filename in its internal log, how do you know that it is the culprit overwriting an exising file with a totally different name and location?

[lisadames]

I'll try setting the Distiller preferences that way.  Thanks.

Distiller is the only program creating the PDF.  Is there something else that could be the culprit?

[Arnis Gubins]

If you really want to get to the bottom of what's grabbing and overwriting(?) your files, you could use Microsoft's Sysinternals Process Monitor (Procmon) available from here:

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb896645

You can configure the filters to watch what's going on in a folder or on a file, but it's a bit geeky to setup all the filters - it also logs a ton of data, so interpreting it or tracking down an event could also be tedious. If you have an IT department, they  should be consulted and could help set this up.

Here is an article that details how to set up the Process Monitor to watch specific files:

http://www.veryant.com/support/phpkb/question.php?ID=136

Otherwise, just run Distiller with the Ask setting, to see if something odd is happening at this stage. If you're still getting mysterious deletions, then dig deeper with the Process Monitor.

[lisadames]

Thank you.  I'll have to see whether having Distiller ask about overwriting resolves the problem before I go to IT.  The problem is intermittent, though not infrequent, so I shouldn't have to wait too long to be able to tell.

[chrispitude]

YES, I've had this problem for years, and it still drives me nuts! (And it's overwritten some pretty important PDF files.) We just upgraded to FrameMaker 2017 and Acrobat DC, and it overwrote some random PDF file on my system on the very first book PDF I generated...