pdf reader

[gemma10]

Can someone inform me please which dowload of adobe I should be using. I recently cant open anything in that format, its just all gobbledegook. I tried downloading the latest from adobe but Avast says its not safe. Or am I doing something wrong. I have just uninstalled the version 11.03. Thanks in advance.

[vulcanised]

Try installing & using Foxit. It's a better bit of software anyway but do beware any optional 'extras' that might come with a download - I can't remember if Foxit do that.

[The Flying Pram]

I used to use Foxit, but it became rather bloated, and I remember it trying to foist other software on me. I now use PDF-XChange Viewer:
Tracker Software Products :: Product (http://www.tracker-software.com/product/pdf-xchange-viewer)

It starts faster than Foxit and is also available in a "Portable" version which doesn't need installing, and can be run from a memory stick.

Or if you want a really basic tool try Sumatra: Free PDF Reader - Sumatra PDF (http://blog.kowalczyk.info/software/sumatrapdf/free-pdf-reader.html)
Again, available as installed or portable.

[mixture]

Can someone inform me please which dowload of adobe I should be using.

Erm... go to the Adobe website and download the latest version they are offering ?

Ignore the people who go on about Foxit and other third party readers. As long as you keep Adobe Acrobat up to date, there's nothing wrong with it.

[gemma10]

Like I said, Avast claims the latest Adobe is not safe. Anyhow Sumatra is now up and running with thanks. So why is the Adobe pdf file a massive 138Mb download and the Sumatra file only 9 Mb?

[mixture]

Avast claims the latest Adobe is not safe

Avast is talking utter bull. If you downloaded an official copy via the official website, it is not unsafe. End of story, no argument. Your Avast definitions are either wildly out of date or there's some bug in Avast.

Adobe are a large, reputable company. There is nothing to worry about.

Infact, you should be more worried about Sumatra which looks like its some sort of one-man-band job... not only would I be worried about potential hidden stuff, but I would also be weary of the lack of long term support. I would also suggest you look at the whole litany of unresolved bugs in Sumatra see here.... Issues - sumatrapdf - PDF, EPUB, MOBI, CHM, XPS, DjVu, CBZ and CBR viewer for Windows - Google Project Hosting (http://code.google.com/p/sumatrapdf/issues/list) ... that lot is going to take one man quite a while to fix.

o why is the Adobe pdf file a massive 138Mb download and the Sumatra file only 9 Mb?

(a) Are you sure you deselected the optional extras ? The consumer version contains optional extras.

(b) Sumatra is probably a more minimal implementation.

(c) Believe me, at some point or another you'll find certain types of document will only open in Adobe Reader and won't work with third party readers.

[Ancient Observer]

I found this problem aswell.
As ever mixture is right about Avast. There is a website somewhere that carefully explained to me that Avast was off its rocker. (Huh! Can't now find that url). It is. Ignore it when it (currently) tells you 2 things.....
1. Your Adobe is out of date. Likely to be wrong.
2. Your Adobe is Unsafe. Likely to be wrong.
My first problem with Avast.
Not my first problem with Adobe,.

[mixture]

Thanks AO !

There is a website somewhere that carefully explained to me that Avast was off its rocker. (Huh! Can't now find that url).

I can't seem to find the website you refer to, however a quick Google suggests Avast has been issuing false positives against Adobe Acrobat on and off since Acrobat 7 !

You would have thought they could have figured out a fix by now, obviously some hard-coded stuff lurking around the depths of Avast code. :ugh:

gemma10, forgot to mention it earlier, but I believe Adobe sign all their binaries these days, so you can just check the signature is kosher if you want to do something extra to put your mind at rest.

[gemma10]

Well there certainly seems to be a lot that wants fixing with Sumatra, but all I wanted to do was to open a large document of a Garmin GPS for the aircraft I`m currently flying. Now I have Adobe pdf, AIR, flash player and acrobat installed. Assuming its the pdf that reads the file I want opening, and it wouldn`t, you can see why I tried to download the latest version and hence the starter thread. Ive never had a problem with Avast and in fact it updates sometimes twice a day. Having just redownloaded the Adobe pdf file, Avast again states its unsafe, but I ignored it. Guess what- it still wont open the Garmin file. :ugh:

[Tarq57]

Does Avast actually tell you that the Adobe installer file (or website) is hosting something malicious, or is it Avast's behaviour shield merely alerting you to potentially suspicious activity?

Big difference.

[gemma10]

No, Avast just pops up during the download. I`m also assuming that for 135Mb or so it also encompasses the other Adobe programmes, ie Acrobat etc. Right or wrong?

[Sunnyjohn]

I think you'll find - and Mixture can shoot me down if I'm wrong, cos he knows a lot more about this than me - that Avast! is flagging up long-term security and vulnerability issues with Adobe and Java. I know that Apple won't allow the use of some versions of Java, and I recall that I had the same issue as Gemma when working on my friend's pc. This was posted on the web in December 2012.:
According to the recently published Kaspersky Security Bulletin 2012, Oracle Java was the most frequently exploited software by cybercriminals during the year, with Adobe Reader and Adobe Flash Player ranking in the second and third places, respectively.

Exploiting vulnerabilities is one of the primary methods used by cybercriminals to install malware on victims’ computers. Cybercriminals exploit applications or software that have un-patched security vulnerabilities, which exist because either the individual or business have failed to patch their vulnerable applications with the latest security updates from vendors.

Exploit packs – or malicious programs that try to infect a computer utilizing various vulnerabilities in popular software – are the main tool behind web-based attacks.