Troubleshoot Adobe Reader installation | Windows

Macintosh users: If you are trying to install on the Mac OS, see Troubleshoot Adobe Reader installation | Mac OS.

If you had trouble downloading or installing Adobe Reader, follow the troubleshooting steps below. For instructions on installing Reader, see Install Adobe Reader XI | Windows.

Adobe has identified some issues with the current Reader download center. The engineering team is working to address them. Here are temporary workarounds for these known issues.

Issue: The Adobe Reader installer can have trouble working behind some proxy server environments. 

Workaround: Download the Adobe Reader installer directly by clicking this link: http://get.adobe.com/reader/direct.

Issue: Antivirus software from vendors like Comodo, Jiangmin, and Rising incorrectly identify the Adobe Reader installer as malware. False reports from these vendors include “TrojWare.Win32.Trojan.Agent.Gen,” “Trojan/JmGeneric.bcy,” and “Suspicious.” Users also report “Failed to Initialize” errors and the installer getting quarantined.

Workaround: Antivirus software vendors and service providers are addressing this issue so that the Adobe Reader installer is recognized as legitimate. Ensure that your antivirus signatures are up-to-date.

Make sure that your system meets the minimum system requirements.

Note: Microsoft Windows 7 requires Adobe Reader 9.2 or later.

If one of the following errors occurs when you try to connect to or download from the Adobe website, work through the tasks below. 

• Nothing happens.
• A file stops downloading prematurely.
• Any of the following errors occur:
  "The server returned extended information."
  "Connection failure has interrupted the download. Check your Internet settings and click retry."
  "Cannot connect to server, server cannot be found."
  

Try to download Adobe Reader again by clicking the Download button.

An unstable Internet connection can prevent you from downloading from other websites. Try downloading a file from another website, such as www.microsoft.com, www.apple.com, or www.mozilla.com. If the problem persists, contact your network administrator, help desk resource, or Internet service provider (ISP). See Resolve an unstable Internet connection to the Adobe website or FTP site for details.

After you establish a stable Internet connection, try to download the file again. If the original attempt to download the file was interrupted, restart the download process within the web browser you were using.

A high volume of activity can interfere with an Internet connection. For best results, try to download files when there is less activity (for example, late in the evening, early in the morning, or on weekends).

Try downloading the Adobe Reader installer directly by clicking this link: get.adobe.com/reader/direct.

Video card manufacturers frequently update their software drivers. If you haven't recently updated the video card driver, contact the video card manufacturer for an updated driver, or download one from the manufacturer's website. (To determine the manufacturer of a video card, view the card's properties in Device Manager.)

You cannot install Adobe Reader onto a network drive and share it on multiple workstations. Instead, install Adobe Reader onto each workstation or in each user's folder. 

Make sure that the Internet Explorer security default level is set to Medium. This level allows viewing ActiveX controls. To set browser security to Medium, follow these steps:

To enable JavaScript, follow the steps below specific to your browser. See the browser documentation for more information.

If you get a specific error code or message when you download or install Reader, enter it in the knowledgebase search tool above.

The following documents can help you resolve some common problems during and after installation:

• Error 1402 | Error 1406 | Acrobat, Reader (329137)
• Problems uninstalling Adobe Reader (kb400769)
• Error 1327 | "Invalid Drive" | Install | CS4. CS5, Acrobat, Reader (kb404946)
• Error: "The Adobe Acrobat/Reader that is running cannot be used to view PDF files in a web browser" (kb405461)
• Errors and freezes | Adobe Reader | Windows (333626)
• Errors and freezes | Adobe Reader | Mac OS (kb403917)

Visit the forums. See if other users are experiencing similar download and installation problems by visiting the Reader user-to-user forum, or the Deployment & Installation forum on AcrobatUsers.com. Try posting your problem on the forums for interactive troubleshooting. When posting on forums, include your operating system and your product's version number.