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I cannot open PDF files. I reinstalled Adobe and receive a message stating that it cannot download due to running in Safe Mode or improperly installed Windows. How do I check these problems?

Adobe Reader Troubleshooting

First, let’s make sure that your computer is NOT in Safe Mode and that no earlier versions of Adobe Reader are installed. Start by rebooting your computer. It should boot up into Normal mode if you shut it down properly and then power it back up. Any error messages upon startup? Any other indications that Windows is improperly installed other than the Adobe message?

If your computer starts normally and isn’t generating any errors, then go into Add and Remove Programs and remove any instances of Adobe Reader. While you can have several versions of Adobe Reader on your computer at once, they can conflict with each other, so it’s smart to remove the old ones.

Cleanup the Failed Installation

Since you’re having trouble with the installation, it’s also possible that your computer has leftover remnants of the failed installation. Use the Microsoft Installer Cleanup Utility to remove the installation files before trying a clean install.

Once all versions of Adobe Reader have been removed, download the latest version of Reader to your computer and save it to your desktop. Since you’ve been having problems with the installation, do not install just yet.

Start Computer in “Simplified” Mode

Starting your computer in “Simplified” mode is different than starting it in Safe Mode. Adobe recommends doing this when users encounter installation problems. Go to Start > Run and type in msconfig. Click the Startup Tab and click Disable All. Next, go to the Services tab and choose “Hide all Microsoft Services.” Once those are hidden, choose “Disable All.” Click OK to confirm your choices and reboot your computer.

This will reboot your computer with just its bare bones services running. Now, install Adobe Reader. Once installed, go back into msconfig and go to the General tab. Choose “Normal Startup,” click OK, and reboot your computer.

Hopefully, this will do the trick and Adobe Reader will work properly for you.

I cannot open PDF attachments. The comment I get is that I need a “Set Association Control Panel.”

Download Adobe Reader

Sounds like your computer doesn’t yet understand how to open PDF files. It is telling you that it does not know what program to use to open the file. In fact, your computer may not have the program installed, so let’s start there. PDF files are portable document files that require Adobe Reader in order to view them. The idea behind PDF files is that it is a more universal format. Not everyone has Word, WordPerfect, Excel, Quickbooks, or other programs. Therefore, not everyone can read the documents created by these programs. However, if the documents are published as PDF files, then they are more easily shared.

Set File Associations

Once you have Adobe Reader installed on your computer, your computer most likely will know to use it whenever a PDF file is clicked. If it does not, then you will need to manually set the file association. This is a simple matter of right-clicking a PDF file and choosing Open With. Windows will display several suggested programs. If Adobe Reader is suggested, select it. If not, you’ll need to browse your computer (Choose Default Program > Browse) and select it that way. Once Adobe Reader is selected, place a check mark in the box that says, “Always use the selected program to open this type of file.”

If you have Windows Vista, you can also use the Default Programs icon in the Control Panel to perform this action. Go to the Start button and type “Default Programs” in the Search bar. Click the Default Programs icon once it appears. Click the “Associate a file type or protocol with a program” link. Find PDF in the list, highlight it, and click “Change.” Select Adobe Reader as the program for opening the file and place a check mark in the box that will make it the default program for PDF files.