Limited Number of Windows can Open in Windows XP

[jillsy]

I built a system about 2 years ago which now has the following specs:

Intel D955XBK mobo
Intel P4 EE w/HTT 3.73 GHz CPU
Hitachi Deskstar T7K250 SATA II 250 GB Hard Drive running Windows XP Pro w/SP2
Seagate 320 GB Sata II HD (ST3320620AS) running Windows Vista Ultimate
Sony DRU835A IDE DVD Burner (currently disconnected due to unknown problem causing random shutdowns - possibly IDE cable)
Plextor 716 SA/SW SATA DVD Burner
eVGA e-GeForce 6800 GT 512 MB DDR3 PCI-E Graphics Card
4x1GB Patriot PC2 5300 667MHz DDR2 Memory
Ultra Floppy Drive/Card Reader
Enermax Noisetaker 600-W PSU

I am running several Adobe CS2 applications on my XP drive and at least 2 seem to mess up my PC constantly. I have the greatest amount of trouble with Adobe Acrobat. I have both the free Reader and the Professional versions. Both seem to cause trouble in general and also specifically with another CS2 app, GoLive.

For instance, if I open a PDF (especially if I open an online one in a browser), most often if I later try to open GoLive, it will crash while starting up or while I'm using it with no warning. The most frustrating thing, however, is it will limit how many windows I can open. This happens even after I have shut down Acrobat and will continue to limit the number of windows I can open until I finally can do nothing and have to restart. I have noticed that Acrobat.exe continues to run even after I've closed it, but it doesn't seem to help to shut it down via Task Manager Processes. This doesn't just affect actual windows, either. It will also affect dropdown menus within windowed applications.

I am also running AVG Internet Security which has caused a few quirks (e.g., certain startup programs open sometimes but not others), but I can't recall if this particular problem was occurring before AVG installation or not.

I really don't want to go through a whole reformat since it's a huge pain now that I have a dual-boot system. Is anyone familiar with using Adobe apps in a Windows XP environment? There seem to be a lot of problems with these apps besides these I'm having now. I have all available updates for Windows and Adobe apps and I don't know where else to look in order to figure out this problem. If anyone has any ideas, please share. I should also add that my husband is running a Windows XP Pro system and AVG and does not seem to have this problem related to Acrobat.

Thanks,
Jill

[Negeva]

Confused as to why you'd want both Acrobat Pro and Reader installed; when you try to open a .pdf Acrobat Pro will do it for you. Unless, this is an issue to do with load times then, I would ditch Acrobat Reader and install the smaller quicker to load Foxit Reader - which is what I do and I use Acrobat Pro a few times a week and no crashes (touch silicon).

Can't comment on GoLive!, but I never try to open .pdf in a webpage as most often they crash - always best to download and open. However, does this crash occur if you use Adobe Reader or Acrobat Pro to read .pdf in a web-pager?

There could be a good chance that the firewall in AVG Security suite isn't configured correctly - all of the Adobe products will need 'net access; especailly when you wish to open a .pdf in a web-page. Check it's settings - if you not sure it might be best to remove all Adobe entries and start fresh.

Have you checked for updates for these products? They might help solve the issue(s).

[jillsy]

Thanks for your help, Negeva. To be honest, I don't recall why I have Reader installed as I installed Pro as part of CS2. I'm pretty sure I open all PDFs stored on my PC using Pro (I'm at work right now so I can't double-check on the problem PC at home). They don't usually cause this limited number of windows problem, or at least not nearly as often as opening PDFs in a browser.

If I recall correctly, I think if I have GoLive! open first and then open a PDF stored on my PC (not in a browser), GoLive! doesn't seem to have as much of a crashing problem. It mainly occurs if I have or have had a PDF open at some point before I start GoLive! GoLive! has always been temperamental for me - both CS and CS2.

AVG does allow my Adobe apps to connect to the internet. The first time it asked me, I clicked Allow and also checked the little box to have AVG not ask me in the future. All my CS2 apps do have their latest updates.

How can you download a PDF instead of opening it if all your given is a link to it? Also, we put out a newsletter on our website each month and it's in PDF format. If I want to check to make sure it opens properly, I have to open it with the link on my site as my subscribers will. We have a few other PDF documents linked to from our site as well.

One thing I haven't tried is opening PDFs on the internet via Firefox, Opera, etc. to see if the same problem occurs as when I open them with IE7. I thought of that as I was typing this question yesterday, but again I was at work and forgot to try it when I got home. Maybe I'll remember to check that today. I will also check into the Foxit Reader you mentioned.

Thanks again and feel free to share anything else you think of.

Jill

[Negeva]

Simple to save a .pdf from the link; right click 'Save as'. Otherwise you can save the .pdf that has been opened in the browser by clicking on the floppy disk icon - it is generally best to save a copy before you even attempt to scroll through the document as it speeds up browsing as Acrobat seems to only stream it (save in temp file).

Have vague re-collections of a problem that affected a few ppl when they upgraded to IE7 (Internet Explorer). Only solution was to repair Acrobat or re-install - if I recall correctly it was to do with the plug-in modules getting slightly corrupted after the upgrade.

There shouldn't be any issues using Firefox to view .pdf; at least I never have issues with it. There is a plug-in for FF that will allow you to download the .pdf instead of opening them within a browser window.

All of your problems seem to stem from GoLive!. Since I don't use it nor any one else that does I won't make comments on it. Also, might be an idea to open a support ticket with Adobe over this issue as a quick google show many ppl have this sort of problem with GoLive! Most even advise you to remove GoLive! as it seems to be more trouble than it's worth - and in your case it's a loss of manhours and work as it on't save any changes when it crashes.