An open community 
of Macintosh users,
for Macintosh users.

FineTunedMac Dashboard widget now available! Download Here

Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
Caution: Adobe Reader 10.1.3
#21692 04/24/12 06:04 PM
Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 14
ryck Online OP
OP Online

Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 14
It appears that, although Reader 10.1.3 was installed without incident, there actually are problems with it.

When I tried to print an online PDF, the dialogue box showed a blank page. If I tried a "Save As", a dialogue box said it can't be done. I tried both actions at a few sites and the results were consistent. As well, I tried with FireFox (I use Safari) and it was no better.

I went to the Adobe site and, while they had various suggestions, none generated a positive result. I finally reverted to 10.1.2 and things were back to normal.

Note: In reverting I found that 10.1.3 had two plug-ins where 10.12 only had one. In my first attempt I didn't properly change the plug-ins and had problems.

When you go to Hard Drive/Library/Internet Plug-Ins, after the 10.1.3 upgrade, you will find that there is a 10.1.3 AdobePDFViewer plug-in as well as another called AdobePDFViewerNPAPI.

As well as changing back to 10.1.2 AdobePDFViewer plug-in, I found I also had to remove the AdobePDFViewerNPAPI.

Last edited by ryck; 04/24/12 06:06 PM.

ryck

"What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits" The Doobie Brothers

iMac (Retina 5K, 27", 2020), 3.8 GHz 8 Core Intel Core i7, 8GB RAM, 2667 MHz DDR4
OS Ventura 13.6.3
Canon Pixma TR 8520 Printer
Epson Perfection V500 Photo Scanner c/w VueScan software
TM on 1TB LaCie USB-C
Re: Caution: Adobe Reader 10.1.3
ryck #21708 04/25/12 07:23 PM
Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 16
Moderator
Online
Moderator

Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 16
Murphy's Law makes me suspect I will regret saying this, but…

I am running Adobe Reader 10.3 and I have AdobePDFViewerNPAPI installed all of this running OS X 10.7.3 and everything works completely normally. I know recent Adobe updates have sometimes been very flakey so you might delete Adobe Reader altogether and reinstall Reader 10.3 from scratch to see if that works. You might also want to try from a test account to see if perhaps there is a questionable Adobe preference file, or perhaps some other application that is causing Reader to have saving indigestion.


If we knew what it was we were doing, it wouldn't be called research, would it?

— Albert Einstein
Re: Caution: Adobe Reader 10.1.3
joemikeb #21710 04/25/12 09:08 PM
Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 14
ryck Online OP
OP Online

Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 14
Originally Posted By: joemikeb
I am running Adobe Reader 10.3 and I have AdobePDFViewerNPAPI installed all of this running OS X 10.7.3 and everything works completely normally.

I wonder if there any chance that it works better in Lion than in Snow Leopard. I used Cocktail to look for corrupted Preferences but, nada. I also did a Permissions Repair and used DiskWarrior to do a directory rebuild (using the scavenge option). As I now have everything running okay with 10.1.2, I'm not overly anxious to goof with it. If it ain't broke......

Is there a compelling reason I should shoot for 10.1.3?

Last edited by ryck; 04/25/12 09:11 PM.

ryck

"What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits" The Doobie Brothers

iMac (Retina 5K, 27", 2020), 3.8 GHz 8 Core Intel Core i7, 8GB RAM, 2667 MHz DDR4
OS Ventura 13.6.3
Canon Pixma TR 8520 Printer
Epson Perfection V500 Photo Scanner c/w VueScan software
TM on 1TB LaCie USB-C
Re: Caution: Adobe Reader 10.1.3
ryck #21712 04/26/12 01:27 AM
Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 16
Moderator
Online
Moderator

Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 16
Originally Posted By: ryck
I used Cocktail to look for corrupted Preferences

All Cocktail, or any of the other utilities do in checking preference files is to see if they are in the proper XML format. There is no way they could possibly know what the argument values should be or whether or not the values are corrupted. Beyond that, not all preference files are in a format that is recognized by the Unix utility used by all these apps that check preferences. So, best case, I would say you have covered somewhere between ¼ and ⅓ of the possible errors and those are not necessarily the most common kind of plist file error. shocked

The only reliable test for a plist file is to move it from the folder where it is located to the desktop when the application is not running. Then relaunch the associated application which should recreate a clean copy of the plist file in the proper location. If the app runs correctly then you can trash the plist file from the desktop. If not then you can move the plist from the desktop back to the original location — overwriting the new plist that was just created — which will restore all you preference settings.

I can't answer your question about running under Snow Leopard or Lion as I no longer have anything around here running Snow Leopard.

Last edited by joemikeb; 04/26/12 01:29 AM. Reason: afterthought

If we knew what it was we were doing, it wouldn't be called research, would it?

— Albert Einstein
Re: Caution: Adobe Reader 10.1.3
joemikeb #21714 04/26/12 08:16 AM
Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 14
ryck Online OP
OP Online

Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 14
That's very interesting and educational information about checking Preferences, and certainly something I didn't know. Thanks, I'm glad to have learned it.

It certainly makes one wonder why utilities include certain functions that don't actually do anything meaningful but have the potential for leaving the less enlightened user thinking their software is okay when, in fact, it may not be.


ryck

"What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits" The Doobie Brothers

iMac (Retina 5K, 27", 2020), 3.8 GHz 8 Core Intel Core i7, 8GB RAM, 2667 MHz DDR4
OS Ventura 13.6.3
Canon Pixma TR 8520 Printer
Epson Perfection V500 Photo Scanner c/w VueScan software
TM on 1TB LaCie USB-C
Re: Caution: Adobe Reader 10.1.3
ryck #21715 04/26/12 08:42 AM
Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 15
Online

Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 15
> It certainly makes one wonder why utilities include certain functions that don't actually do anything meaningful but have the potential for leaving the less enlightened user thinking their software is okay when, in fact, it may not be.

Why should utilities cater to the less enlightened any more than the rest of the world does? If you're using it, if you actually paid for it, you'd best know what you're using. (What does Cocktail Help have to say about the functionality?)

Checking XML compliance is a meaningful function in the context of those who actually want to check it.

And, then again, it gives them another line in their resumes. tongue


The new Great Equalizer is the SEND button.

In Memory of Harv: Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. ~Voltaire
Re: Caution: Adobe Reader 10.1.3
ryck #21717 04/26/12 11:18 AM
Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 16
Moderator
Online
Moderator

Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 16
Apps like Cocktail, OnyX, Tinkertool System, etc all use pretty much the same Unix commands, just wrapping their own GUI around them. So in that regard they are limited to the functionality available to them in the Unix that underlies OS X. Granted the description of some of these commands could be more accurately descriptive. For example Check Preferences could be Check XML Structure of Preference Files. But I doubt that would give an uninformed user any more understanding of the limitations of the command. Developers could take the time and money to write their own XML parser, but checking the parameters and parameter values would still be an impossible task and the cost of that development would inevitably be passed on the user.


If we knew what it was we were doing, it wouldn't be called research, would it?

— Albert Einstein
Re: Caution: Adobe Reader 10.1.3
ryck #21718 04/26/12 02:08 PM
Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 15
Online

Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 15
By the way, I didn't mean to imply that I've never clicked on a radio button without knowing what was going to happen. wink

The subject of XML corruption came up here, but with reference to DiskWarrior and TechTool Pro, which, I believe, do the same file parsing as Cocktail. (Do Cocktail's results look anything like those of the others?)


The new Great Equalizer is the SEND button.

In Memory of Harv: Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. ~Voltaire
Re: Caution: Adobe Reader 10.1.3
artie505 #21719 04/26/12 02:28 PM
Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 14
ryck Online OP
OP Online

Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 14
Originally Posted By: artie505
If you're using it, if you actually paid for it, you'd best know what you're using. (What does Cocktail Help have to say about the functionality?)

I don't use any program I haven't paid for.

The Help file has a two sentence description of what a Preference is and then goes on to say: "With Cocktail's search tool one can search for corrupted preference files with ease." It then says you will be able to reveal the file in Finder or move it to Trash, followed by a caution that corrupted files can cause problems.

Clearly, none of the information is aimed at anyone with in-depth knowledge, which suggests to me that an unenlightened user should feel confident that the program is doing as much as can be done. It would be more helpful to say: "By the way, you can run this test but still have a corrupted Preference file. We suggest...."

Joemike's information was much more useful.

You are probably right, it is just another line in the resume.

Last edited by ryck; 04/26/12 02:31 PM.

ryck

"What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits" The Doobie Brothers

iMac (Retina 5K, 27", 2020), 3.8 GHz 8 Core Intel Core i7, 8GB RAM, 2667 MHz DDR4
OS Ventura 13.6.3
Canon Pixma TR 8520 Printer
Epson Perfection V500 Photo Scanner c/w VueScan software
TM on 1TB LaCie USB-C
Re: Caution: Adobe Reader 10.1.3
ryck #21724 04/26/12 06:25 PM
Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 7
Online

Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 7
I installed AR 10.1.3 when it came out and noticed a problem with PDFs. At one site, I was able to access a PDF but, when I went to print it, I got an unexpected dialog box suspiciously similar to the one in AR (I had previously set my AR preferences so that it would not be the default for downloading PDFs). At another site, the PDF wouldn't even appear; I got a blank page. The only way that I could access it was with Opera, which uses PDF Browser PlugIn.

After reading this thread, I quit Safari and moved /Library/Internet Plugins/AdobePDFViewer.plugin and /Library/Internet Plugins/AdobePDFViewerNPAPI.plugin to /Library/Internet Plugins/Disabled Plug-Ins (a folder that is a carryover from Tiger, I believe; not everyone will have it). Then, I launched Safari and found that the problem had disappeared.

Last edited by jchuzi; 04/26/12 07:12 PM. Reason: corrected a typo

Jon

macOS 11.7.10, iMac Retina 5K 27-inch, late 2014, 3.5 GHz Intel Core i5, 1 TB fusion drive, 16 GB RAM, Epson SureColor P600, Photoshop CC, Lightroom CC, MS Office 365
Re: Caution: Adobe Reader 10.1.3
artie505 #21725 04/26/12 06:45 PM
Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 14
ryck Online OP
OP Online

Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 14
Originally Posted By: ryck
Joemike's information was much more useful.

By way of clarification, artie, I didn't mean Joemike's info was better than yours....I was referring to the Cocktail information. blush


ryck

"What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits" The Doobie Brothers

iMac (Retina 5K, 27", 2020), 3.8 GHz 8 Core Intel Core i7, 8GB RAM, 2667 MHz DDR4
OS Ventura 13.6.3
Canon Pixma TR 8520 Printer
Epson Perfection V500 Photo Scanner c/w VueScan software
TM on 1TB LaCie USB-C
Re: Caution: Adobe Reader 10.1.3
jchuzi #21726 04/26/12 06:57 PM
Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 14
ryck Online OP
OP Online

Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 14
Originally Posted By: jchuzi
After reading this thread, I quit Safari and moved /Library/Internet Plugins/AdobePDFViewer.plugin and /Library/Internet Plugins/AdobePDFViewer.plugin to /Library/Internet Plugins/Disabled Plug-Ins (a folder that is a carryover from Tiger, I believe; not everyone will have it). Then, I launched Safari and found that the problem had disappeared.

I have the Disabled Plug-ins folder although I have only one of the AdobePDFViewer.plugin (Did you have two the same, or is that a typo?). Does this mean the program is able to function without plugins, or does some other plugin take over?

Last edited by ryck; 04/26/12 06:58 PM.

ryck

"What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits" The Doobie Brothers

iMac (Retina 5K, 27", 2020), 3.8 GHz 8 Core Intel Core i7, 8GB RAM, 2667 MHz DDR4
OS Ventura 13.6.3
Canon Pixma TR 8520 Printer
Epson Perfection V500 Photo Scanner c/w VueScan software
TM on 1TB LaCie USB-C
Re: Caution: Adobe Reader 10.1.3
ryck #21727 04/26/12 07:11 PM
Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 7
Online

Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 7
Oops! It was a typo. In addition to Adobe PDFViewer Plugin, I have AdobePDFViewerNPAPI.plugin, so the second one should have said that. I'll edit my original post to correct that error.

Safari is able to open PDFs without any third-party plugins.


Jon

macOS 11.7.10, iMac Retina 5K 27-inch, late 2014, 3.5 GHz Intel Core i5, 1 TB fusion drive, 16 GB RAM, Epson SureColor P600, Photoshop CC, Lightroom CC, MS Office 365
Re: Caution: Adobe Reader 10.1.3
ryck #21729 04/26/12 08:42 PM
Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 15
Online

Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 15
> I don't use any program I haven't paid for.

Sorry, ryck, I didn't mean that, and I apologize for the confusing implication. blush

I meant that once you've paid for an app you're under something of an obligation to yourself to know what you've got on your hands...more-so than when you're merely testing shareware or running freeware. (And I readily admit to not always living up to my own standards...to never even cracking the Help sections of most of the apps I own before desperately needing the help.)

Cocktail's description of the functionality is as lacking as is DiskWarrior's, and while it can be written off to developers' thinking that none but experts are running their apps, I don't think there's much doubt that such is not the case, that the devs know it, and that they're pumping up their wares with ambiguity.

And, by the way, this particular discussion has been running for years, going back to the days when Preferential Treatment was the only game in town, but PT is kinda-sorta up-front in that it at least mentions, albeit not in depth, XML and plutil.

Originally Posted By: man:plutil
plutil can be used to check the syntax of property list files [....] (Emphasis added)

I think "check the syntax" is a more accurate description of the functionality than "search for corrupted preference files."


The new Great Equalizer is the SEND button.

In Memory of Harv: Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. ~Voltaire
Re: Caution: Adobe Reader 10.1.3
jchuzi #21734 04/26/12 10:55 PM
Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 14
ryck Online OP
OP Online

Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 14
Originally Posted By: jchuzi
I installed AR 10.1.3 when it came out and noticed a problem with PDFs. .... et cetera.... Then, I launched Safari and found that the problem had disappeared.

I've just done the same and appear to have lift-off. Thanks.


ryck

"What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits" The Doobie Brothers

iMac (Retina 5K, 27", 2020), 3.8 GHz 8 Core Intel Core i7, 8GB RAM, 2667 MHz DDR4
OS Ventura 13.6.3
Canon Pixma TR 8520 Printer
Epson Perfection V500 Photo Scanner c/w VueScan software
TM on 1TB LaCie USB-C

Moderated by  alternaut, dianne, MacManiac 

Link Copied to Clipboard
Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.4
(Release build 20200307)
Responsive Width:

PHP: 7.4.33 Page Time: 0.041s Queries: 44 (0.028s) Memory: 0.6523 MB (Peak: 0.7722 MB) Data Comp: Zlib Server Time: 2024-03-29 00:32:05 UTC
Valid HTML 5 and Valid CSS