Why won't PDF files open anymore?

Suddenly my iMac won't open most .PDF files - specifically those that are imbedded in the body of emails or may be identified by a hotlink on websites. But if one is simply attached to an email, that seems to open!?! The only thing I think I've done since everything worked properly was to agree to install Adobe Reader 10.1.3 and Adobe Flash Player. Can anyone help me to rectify whatever error I'm experiencing so that I can open .PDF files once again? Thanks, in advance, for your help!

Please read this whole message before doing anything.
This procedure is a test, not a solution. Don’t be disappointed when you find that nothing has changed after you complete it.
Step 1
The purpose of this step is to determine whether the problem is localized to your user account.
Enable guest logins and log in as Guest. For instructions, launch the System Preferences application, select Help from the menu bar, and enter “Set up a guest account” (without the quotes) in the search box.
While logged in as Guest, you won’t have access to any of your personal files or settings. Applications will behave as if you were running them for the first time. Don’t be alarmed by this; it’s normal. If you need any passwords or other personal data in order to complete the test, memorize, print, or write them down before you begin.
Test while logged in as Guest. Same problem(s)?
After testing, log out of the guest account and, in your own account, disable it if you wish. Any files you created in the guest account will be deleted automatically when you log out of it.
Note: If you’ve activated “Find My Mac” or FileVault in Mac OS X 10.7 or later, then you can’t enable the Guest account. Create a new account in which to test, and delete it, including its home folder, after testing.
Step 2
The purpose of this step is to determine whether the problem is caused by third-party system modifications that load automatically at startup or login.
Disconnect all wired peripherals except those needed for the test, and remove all aftermarket expansion cards. Boot in safe mode and log in to the account with the problem. The instructions provided by Apple are as follows:
Be sure your Mac is shut down.
Press the power button.
Immediately after you hear the startup tone, hold the Shift key. The Shift key should be held as soon as possible after the startup tone, but not before the tone.
Release the Shift key when you see the gray Apple icon and the progress indicator (looks like a spinning gear).
Safe mode is much slower to boot and run than normal, and some things won’t work at all, including wireless networking on certain Macs.
The login screen appears even if you usually log in automatically. You must know your login password in order to log in. If you’ve forgotten the password, you will need to reset it before you begin.
Test while in safe mode. Same problem(s)?
After testing, reboot as usual (i.e., not in safe mode) and verify that you still have the problem. Post the results of steps 1 and 2.

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Some files I have on a flash drive will not open. Some error messages say file is damaged and cannot be repaired or cannot read (109) or internal error.

Damn. What about files that say "internal error"? Those files I have can open up, but some of the pictures and pages and text is missing on those files.

Why won't pdf files print from Safari?

why won't pdf files print from Safari? I get blank pages. They print fine from Firefox. OS X 10.8.4

Back up all data.
If Adobe Reader or Acrobat is installed, there should be a setting in its preferences such as Display PDF in Browser. I don't use those applications myself, so I can't be more precise. Deselect that setting, if it's selected. Otherwise do as follows.
Triple-click the line of text below on this page to select it, the copy the selected text to the Clipboard (command-C):
/Library/Internet Plug-ins
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Go ▹ Go to Folder
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From the folder that opens, remove any items that have "Adobe" or “PDF” in the name. You may be prompted for your login password. Then quit and relaunch Safari, and test.
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Why won't PDF's open in Yosemite. I uploaded current Adobe and still no opening.

I just downloaded the new Yosemite, and now it seems that my PDF's won't open. I downloaded the newest version of Adobe reader last night and still they won't open. When I try, using Preview, they just disappear.

Solutions11 wrote:
I just downloaded the new Yosemite, and now it seems that my PDF's won't open. I downloaded the newest version of Adobe reader last night and still they won't open. When I try, using Preview, they just disappear.
After the installation, did you repair permissions and restarted your computer? If so, then I suggest that you should contact Adobe Support and/or post in the Adobe Forums since it's their product.
I try, using Preview, they just disappear.
Highlight your PDF file>File>Get Info>
In the Get Info window, scroll down to "Open with:"
Select the application you want to open the file with. In your case - Preview
Click the "Change All..." button if you want to "Use this application to open all documents like this.”
==========================
Short cut:
Control mouse click (right mouse click if available), Open With...-> Other
Pick Preview on a PDF document, and make sure to check Always Open With before hitting Open.
Thanks to a brody for the above.

Why won't .mp4 file open in QT 10.0 (or iMovie'09) and OS 10.6.8?

I'm trying to edit some .mp4 movie files, but I can't open them in Quicktime (10.0 or 7.6.6), or iMovie '09 (8.0.6) or Final Cut Express (4.0.1). I've got a MacBook Pro running OS X 10.6.8 (Snow Leopard). When I try to open the file in QT 10, it says "The document “name.mp4” could not be opened"; whereas in QT 7 it says "The file could not be opened. An invalid sample description was found in the movie." In iMovie, the file is greyed out when I try to import it.
The file will open and play fine in VLC, but I can't do the editing I want there. The Media Information pane in VLC says: the codec is "H264 - MPEG-4 AVC (part 10)(avc1)", it is HD resolution (1920 x 1080), it has a frame rate of 59.940060, and the Decoded format is "Planar 4:2:0 YUV". It also has an audio track (MPEG audio) and a subtitle track. I also tried opening these .mp4 files on two Mac laptops that a friend of mine has. Interestingly, they would not open on one (I think running Lion with QT 10.0), but they DID open on the other newer laptop (running Mountain Lion with QT 10.2).
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I tried opening one of these .mp4 files in Handbrake (0.9.8) and it was able to open and convert the file to an .mp4 that is then openable in QT 10 with a format of H.264, AAC, and a reduced frame rate of 29.84. However, this doesn't seem like a good solution because it takes about 2 hours to convert a file with 30 minutes of video. I just want to be able to trim these big files down to some short video clips that are in an accessible format.
Any help would be MUCH appreciated. Am I missing the right codec? Or, as I'm beginning to wonder, is this format one that is too demanding for OS 10.6.8 and QT 10 and they just cannot handle it no matter what codecs I have on my computer (because of the 60 fps frame rate? Or is it the subtitle track?). Or is the solution to upgrade my operating system to Mountain Lion (10.8) and QT 10.2? My 15" MacBook Pro is about 2 years old with a 2.66 GHz Intel Core i7 and 4 GB of RAM (1067 MHz DDR3). Thanks.

Wow! A lot of ifs, ands, and maybes here.
I'm trying to edit some .mp4 movie files, but I can't open them in Quicktime (10.0 or 7.6.6), or iMovie '09 (8.0.6) or Final Cut Express (4.0.1). I've got a MacBook Pro running OS X 10.6.8 (Snow Leopard). When I try to open the file in QT 10, it says "The document “name.mp4” could not be opened"; whereas in QT 7 it says "The file could not be opened. An invalid sample description was found in the movie." In iMovie, the file is greyed out when I try to import it.
To start off with, these messages and/or inability to opent/import files could stem from either security updates that see something in the file that it interprets as a possible breach of file integrity or the inclusion of data not expected in the associated file type while missing codecs are either identified and load but do not display or refuse to load but issue a message to that effect and possibly asking if you want to visit a web page containing codes you may want to add.
The file will open and play fine in VLC, but I can't do the editing I want there. The Media Information pane in VLC says: the codec is "H264 - MPEG-4 AVC (part 10)(avc1)", it is HD resolution (1920 x 1080), it has a frame rate of 59.940060, and the Decoded format is "Planar 4:2:0 YUV". It also has an audio track (MPEG audio) and a subtitle track. I also tried opening these .mp4 files on two Mac laptops that a friend of mine has. Interestingly, they would not open on one (I think running Lion with QT 10.0), but they DID open on the other newer laptop (running Mountain Lion with QT 10.2).
In the future, could you be more specific when describing the file contents. For the moment, I will assume the video is H.264 (MPEG-4/AVC) and the audio is AAC (MPEG-4) audio and not MPEG-1 layered audio. (I.e., while the former is to be expected with the MP4 file extension, some apps can "stuff" incompatible data into an MP4 container or users can manually change the file extemsion.) It also important to know if the "subtitle" track is embedded within the file or is contained in a separate file. (I.e., a screen capture of the media "info", "inspector", or "properties" window is usually the least ambiguous way to track content information.) It would also be nice to know if the VLC frame rate is for progressive or interlaced video if possible.
Basically, some apps are very touchy about file extensions and track content. iMovie '08, for instance, will not open a file containing extraneous tracks like 'tween, text, chapter, etc. embedded within the file. I assume this may also be true for "subtitle" tracks as far as your Snow Leopard players are concerned. In any case, if your version of the QT 7 player is keyed for "pro" use, I would perform a simple test here by deleting the "subtitle" track, saving the file, and then re-trying to load, open, play, and/or import the file in the various applications currently giving you problems. If this fixes the problem, then you will know the source and solution of your problem
I first assumed it was just a case of not having the right codec. So I tried copying all the codecs from the Mac laptop that *could* open them, but that didn't work. Then I searched for and downloaded codecs that I might be missing, such as "avc1Decoder.dmg" from MyCometG3 and http://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/23875/avc1decoder, and x264Encoder 1.2.27 also from MyCometG3, and I put them in my Library/Quicktime folder and restarted Quicktime, but neither solved the problem. I also tried opening the .mp4 files in MPEG Streamclip (1.9.2), but it says "File open error: unrecognized file type". When I tell it to "open anyway" it tries and then says "File open error: can't find video or audio tracks".
The indiscriminant installation of additional codecs often creates more problems than it solves owing to the logrithmic increased potential for the introduction of QT codec component conflicts. The normal "rule of thumb" here is to identify a missing codec and to then install only that specific codec component. Even then, there is a possibility that there may be a conflict but at least it is more easily identified so you can better evaluate which of the conflicting codecs to leave installed and which to swap only when needed/required. As to the use of MPEG Streamclip, it basically uses your system's QT component configuration of access of most codecs as opposed to VLC and HandBrake which contain their own, built-in codec support. So if QT is having a problem, it is often likely that MPEG Streamclip will also have problems.
I tried opening one of these .mp4 files in Handbrake (0.9.8) and it was able to open and convert the file to an .mp4 that is then openable in QT 10 with a format of H.264, AAC, and a reduced frame rate of 29.84. However, this doesn't seem like a good solution because it takes about 2 hours to convert a file with 30 minutes of video. I just want to be able to trim these big files down to some short video clips that are in an accessible format.
The HandBrake workflow forces a recompressing of the file data which is why it takse so long. That is why I suggested you try deleting any extraneous data tracks found in the source MP4 file container using QT 7 Pro and then use the "Save" or "Save As..." option to re-write the original audio and video data to a new MOV file container which takes much less time.
Am I missing the right codec? Or, as I'm beginning to wonder, is this format one that is too demanding for OS 10.6.8 and QT 10 and they just cannot handle it no matter what codecs I have on my computer (because of the 60 fps frame rate? Or is it the subtitle track?). Or is the solution to upgrade my operating system to Mountain Lion (10.8) and QT 10.2? My 15" MacBook Pro is about 2 years old with a 2.66 GHz Intel Core i7 and 4 GB of RAM (1067 MHz DDR3).
Probably not. The VLC reported data rate may either indicate the MP4 content is AVCHD/BD sourced or it is reading interlaced content as progressive which I have noted it can do on occasion when I compare the media info as read by various different apps and/or utilities. Since you indicate the file opens in Mountain Lion, my guess would be that your MP4 content is actually AVCHD/BD sourced since such support was only recently added to Mac OS X v10.8 software. As to moving up to Mountain Lion, as always, that is something you would have to evaluate for yourself. For instance, do you require PNG compression for video content? By default you would lose it under Mountain Lion and have to re-enable it manually if needed. Are there other pros and cons that you need to consider before upgrading to Mountain Lion? These are the types of questions and compatibility issues that only you can answer for yourself.

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Canon50d wrote:
Hi
I renamed a couple of folders and when I tried to open the folders from the folders panel in Bridge a dialog said they were missing or had been moved.
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It says "the document has features not supported in this reader" and I haven't been able to open it in literally anything except for on my friend's laptop, nothing on my tablet will open it and there isn't many things I can download on the tablet instead
Date: Mon, 20 Jan 2014 18:06:40 -0800
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: why wont my .pdf files open?
    Re: why wont my .pdf files open?
    created by Rob McAfee in Adobe Reader Touch for Windows 8 - View the full discussion
What error messages are you seeing (if any) when trying to open the PDF file with Adobe Reader Touch?
Have you been able to open that PDF file with other PDF software, e.g. Adobe Reader XI?
     Please note that the Adobe Forums do not accept email attachments. If you want to embed a screen image in your message please visit the thread in the forum to embed the image at http://forums.adobe.com/message/6034073#6034073
     Replies to this message go to everyone subscribed to this thread, not directly to the person who posted the message. To post a reply, either reply to this email or visit the message page: http://forums.adobe.com/message/6034073#6034073
     To unsubscribe from this thread, please visit the message page at http://forums.adobe.com/message/6034073#6034073. In the Actions box on the right, click the Stop Email Notifications link.
           Start a new discussion in Adobe Reader Touch for Windows 8 at Adobe Community
For more information about maintaining your forum email notifications please go to http://forums.adobe.com/thread/416458?tstart=0.

Why won't some pdf-files open on tablet/phone?

I simply get the error saying: The document cannot be opened because it's not a valid pdf-document.
However I have no problems opening the file with my laptop, only my phone and tablet (Jellybean 4.2.2) won't open it.
My friends also have managed to open the file on their tablets (android/windows).
Have reinstalled and checked updates and tried other programs but none has worked for me.
I simply have no clue and would appreciate help.

Hey,
Seems like the problem was in the web browser I was using, as the file just
didn't download correctly.
Thanks for the help anyway, much appreciated.
Tuomo
2014-10-15 1:03 GMT+03:00 Tuomo Stenberg <[email protected]>:
Hey,
spent some time discussing this with some friends of mine and found out
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transferring then to the tablet or phone. The difference is that when
downloading with tablet/phone I get a .pdf file, which only has some html
code. So I guess the problem has something to do with the encryption of the
file. Here are the 2 different files I get as attachments. After all this
might not have anything to do with adobe, but some other stuff I don't
really understand.
Tuomo
2014-10-14 22:26 GMT+03:00 Romil Mittal <[email protected]>:
>> Why won't some pdf-files open on tablet/phone? created by Romil
>> Mittal <https://forums.adobe.com/people/Romil+Mittal> in *Adobe Reader
>> for Android* - View the full discussion
>> <https://forums.adobe.com/message/6825723#6825723>
>>

Why won't PDF files open anymore?

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