Foxit Reader is/gone wonky! help!

Foxit Reader version 2.0 build 1516 running on Win98 was working well,
then started crashing system. Especially, when opening more than a
few .pdf files. Totally unacceptable behaviour when trying to get some
work done. As Foxit Reader started crashing system more and more
[started to beomce multiple times a day], had to uninstall it and went
back to using Adobe which doesn't crash the system, but won't open
all .pdf files either!

For example, for some unknown reason Analog Devices now publishes
their data sheets in new .pdf format, incompatible. Nothing added by
doing that, though.

So the solution would be to reinstall Foxit Reader to use just to open
those pesky files, only. Sounds good. Yes, Foxit Reader opens
the .pdf files, that Adobe cannot, great!

Now make this automatic rename the pesky files .pdff That way they'll
look like pdf and the extra f will allow me to link and just double
click. NOT! Didn't work.

If I run Foxit Reader and go to the folder to select the .pdf that
would not open with Adobe, Foxit Reader opens the file very fast. ok,
rename file to .pdff then run Foxit Reader and go to the folder
containing the newly renamed .pdf file [now having the
extension .pdff] and request the file to open, nothing happens!
screen stays blank like nothing happens.

After linking to automatically open, double clicking on the .pdff
causes an 'error' dialog comes up stating the form is
FoxitReader [a bunch of silly options]

ok, try again to open the file directly, The Foxit Reader selects *.*
all files to find the newly named file, but nothing happens when I
open it, nothing, just same old blank screen like nothing has
happened.

Thus, can't double click to open and can't open directly !!! However,
if I leave the extension .pdf; Foxit REader opens the file. But can't
leave the file with the same name, because Adobe tries to open it.

I tried: renaming Foxit Reader.exe to FoxitReader.exe and open a DOS
window with the newly renamed file, SPEC.pdff and type in the words:
C:\Program Files\Foxit Software\Foxit Reader\ FileReader SPEC.pdff
Foxit Reader opens the renamed file and views it normally!

What's strange is that simply changing the extension back to .pdf
from .pdff allows me to select the file while running Foxit Reader and
open it.

So, how do I make this diferentiation automatic? I can't play around
everytime I'm jumping through sets of data sheets. Just need to
double click and view. So how?

Also note: There was originally a file called fxdecod1.dll in the
folder containing .exe, which was not replaced when I reinstalled, so
I just put it back in the folder, but that made little difference.

Robert Macy wrote:
Foxit Reader version 2.0 build 1516 running on Win98 was working well,
then started crashing system. Especially, when opening more than a
few .pdf files. Totally unacceptable behaviour when trying to get some
work done. As Foxit Reader started crashing system more and more
[started to beomce multiple times a day], had to uninstall it and went
back to using Adobe which doesn't crash the system, but won't open
all .pdf files either!

For example, for some unknown reason Analog Devices now publishes
their data sheets in new .pdf format, incompatible. Nothing added by
doing that, though.

So the solution would be to reinstall Foxit Reader to use just to open
those pesky files, only. Sounds good. Yes, Foxit Reader opens
the .pdf files, that Adobe cannot, great!

Now make this automatic rename the pesky files .pdff That way they'll
look like pdf and the extra f will allow me to link and just double
click. NOT! Didn't work.

I think you might be asking for trouble by using a non-standard 4 letter
file extension. Why not rename it following the 3 letter standard, say
like .pdg or something? File extensions are 3 letters (or sometimes less,
but not more to my knowledge)

On Thu, 30 Sep 2010 16:56:23 -0600, "Bill in Co"
wrote:

I think you might be asking for trouble by using a non-standard 4 letter
file extension. Why not rename it following the 3 letter standard, say
like .pdg or something? File extensions are 3 letters (or sometimes less,
but not more to my knowledge)

Well, Microsoft may have started the 8.3 file naming practice, but
their later Office apps have gone to four-character extensions - xlsx
and docx for example.

So in fact Robert's chosen route to tag the
later_format_incompatible_with former_format_app files with an
"extended" extension is actually quite Microsoftesque.

On Thu, 30 Sep 2010 13:58:07 -0700 (PDT), Robert Macy
put finger to keyboard and composed:

Foxit Reader version 2.0 build 1516 running on Win98 was working well,
then started crashing system. Especially, when opening more than a
few .pdf files. Totally unacceptable behaviour when trying to get some
work done. As Foxit Reader started crashing system more and more
[started to beomce multiple times a day], had to uninstall it and went
back to using Adobe which doesn't crash the system, but won't open
all .pdf files either!

For example, for some unknown reason Analog Devices now publishes
their data sheets in new .pdf format, incompatible. Nothing added by
doing that, though.

So the solution would be to reinstall Foxit Reader to use just to open
those pesky files, only. Sounds good. Yes, Foxit Reader opens
the .pdf files, that Adobe cannot, great!

I have the same crashing problem. I think this is because Foxit is
resource hungry. You can watch the resources disappear with
RSRCMTR.EXE which ships with Win98SE.

I use a combination of Foxit and Adobe for exactly the same reasons as
you. For example, whenever Adobe complains that some PDFs cannot be
opened due to "dictionary" errors, Foxit handles them perfectly OK.

One other downside with Acrobat is its slow launch. You can speed it
up by disabling unnecessary plugins:

http://www.softpedia.com/get/Office-...-SpeedUp.shtml

To give me the option of opening a PDF with either Adobe or Foxit, I
have added "Open with Foxit" and "Open with Acrobat" options to
Explorer's r-click menu.

Open Explorer, select View - Folder Options - File Types, scroll
down to "PDF document", select Edit - New.

In the Action box, type Open with Foxit.

In the "Application used to perform action" box, type the following,
including quotes:

"C:\Program Files\FoxitReader\FoxitReader.exe" -NoRegister "%1"

Adjust the filespec as applicable. The "NoRegister" switch prevents
Foxit from registering itself as the default application for PDFs.

Similarly, for Acrobat, use the following:

Open with Acrobat

"C:\Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat 6.0\Reader\AcroRd32.exe" "%1"

You don't actually need the latter Action. That's usually accounted
for by the Open default.

After completing the above, r-clicking a PDF should present you with
the two options.

- Franc Zabkar
--
Please remove one 'i' from my address when replying by email.

In message , who where
writes:
On Thu, 30 Sep 2010 16:56:23 -0600, "Bill in Co"
wrote:

I think you might be asking for trouble by using a non-standard 4 letter
file extension. Why not rename it following the 3 letter standard, say
like .pdg or something? File extensions are 3 letters (or sometimes less,
but not more to my knowledge)

You beat me to it.

Well, Microsoft may have started the 8.3 file naming practice, but
their later Office apps have gone to four-character extensions - xlsx
and docx for example.

So in fact Robert's chosen route to tag the
later_format_incompatible_with former_format_app files with an
"extended" extension is actually quite Microsoftesque.

But some software isn't happy - especially if it's using old-style
filenames. (If you look at a file with an extension of more than three
characters, you'll see it has a DOS name with a ~ in it - look in its
Properties.)

Since this seems a bit uncomfortable with spaces (from what the OP said
elsewhere), it's probably not comfortable with long extensions, either.
--
J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/1985 MB++G.5AL-IS-P--Ch++(p)Ar@T0H+Sh0!:`)DNAf

DOS means never having to live hand-to-mouse.

On Fri, 1 Oct 2010 08:15:10 +0100, "J. P. Gilliver (John)"
wrote:

In message , who where
writes:
On Thu, 30 Sep 2010 16:56:23 -0600, "Bill in Co"
wrote:

I think you might be asking for trouble by using a non-standard 4 letter
file extension. Why not rename it following the 3 letter standard, say
like .pdg or something? File extensions are 3 letters (or sometimes less,
but not more to my knowledge)

You beat me to it.

Well, Microsoft may have started the 8.3 file naming practice, but
their later Office apps have gone to four-character extensions - xlsx
and docx for example.

So in fact Robert's chosen route to tag the
later_format_incompatible_with former_format_app files with an
"extended" extension is actually quite Microsoftesque.

But some software isn't happy - especially if it's using old-style
filenames. (If you look at a file with an extension of more than three
characters, you'll see it has a DOS name with a ~ in it - look in its
Properties.)

Having written apps in VB-DOS I'm fully aware of the 8.3 implications.
But I can't see something as recent as Foxit having any legacy 8.3
hangups or issues.

Since this seems a bit uncomfortable with spaces (from what the OP said
elsewhere), it's probably not comfortable with long extensions, either.

It IS possible, but if so that's another black mark against Foxit. So
far, its score is trending downwards towards Acrobat Reader.

"who where" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 1 Oct 2010 08:15:10 +0100, "J. P. Gilliver (John)"
wrote:

In message , who where
writes:
On Thu, 30 Sep 2010 16:56:23 -0600, "Bill in Co"
wrote:

I think you might be asking for trouble by using a non-standard 4 letter
file extension. Why not rename it following the 3 letter standard, say
like .pdg or something? File extensions are 3 letters (or sometimes
less,
but not more to my knowledge)

There are .html and .jpeg .mpeg ...

[...]

But some software isn't happy - especially if it's using old-style
filenames. (If you look at a file with an extension of more than three
characters, you'll see it has a DOS name with a ~ in it - look in its
Properties.)

Win 98s support of long filenames is probably different than those OSes that
were designed with them in mind.

Having written apps in VB-DOS I'm fully aware of the 8.3 implications.
But I can't see something as recent as Foxit having any legacy 8.3
hangups or issues.

It would be the OS that had issues with file associations based on name
extensions, not the reader I would think.

[...]

On Sep 30, 3:56*pm, "Bill in Co"
wrote:
Robert Macy wrote:
Foxit Reader version 2.0 build 1516 running on Win98 was working well,
then started crashing system. Especially, when opening more than a
few .pdf files. Totally unacceptable behaviour when trying to get some
work done. As Foxit Reader started crashing system more and more
[started to beomce multiple times a day], had to uninstall it and went
back to using Adobe which doesn't crash the system, but won't open
all .pdf files either!

For example, for some unknown reason Analog Devices now publishes
their data sheets in new .pdf format, incompatible. *Nothing added by
doing that, though.

So the solution would be to reinstall Foxit Reader to use just to open
those pesky files, only. *Sounds good. *Yes, Foxit Reader opens
the .pdf files, that Adobe cannot, great!

Now make this automatic rename the pesky files .pdff *That way they'll
look like pdf and the extra f will allow me to link and just double
click. *NOT! *Didn't work.

I think you might be asking for trouble by using a non-standard 4 letter
file extension. * Why not rename it following the 3 letter standard, say
like .pdg or something? * File extensions are 3 letters (or sometimes less,
but not more to my knowledge)

I also tried an extension that FoxitReader includes .fdf and that thre
letter extension does not allow foxit to open it either.

I believe it has something to do with the fact I would NOT let Foxit
become the default reader. Last time I did that. it caused no ends of
problems and didn't want to go through that again.

On Sep 30, 10:25*pm, Franc Zabkar wrote:
On Thu, 30 Sep 2010 13:58:07 -0700 (PDT), Robert Macy
put finger to keyboard and composed:

Foxit Reader version 2.0 build 1516 running on Win98 was working well,
then started crashing system. Especially, when opening more than a
few .pdf files. Totally unacceptable behaviour when trying to get some
work done. As Foxit Reader started crashing system more and more
[started to beomce multiple times a day], had to uninstall it and went
back to using Adobe which doesn't crash the system, but won't open
all .pdf files either!

For example, for some unknown reason Analog Devices now publishes
their data sheets in new .pdf format, incompatible. *Nothing added by
doing that, though.

So the solution would be to reinstall Foxit Reader to use just to open
those pesky files, only. *Sounds good. *Yes, Foxit Reader opens
the .pdf files, that Adobe cannot, great!

I have the same crashing problem. I think this is because Foxit is
resource hungry. You can watch the resources disappear with
RSRCMTR.EXE which ships with Win98SE.

I use a combination of Foxit and Adobe for exactly the same reasons as
you. For example, whenever Adobe complains that some PDFs cannot be
opened due to "dictionary" errors, Foxit handles them perfectly OK.

One other downside with Acrobat is its slow launch. You can speed it
up by disabling unnecessary plugins:

http://www.softpedia.com/get/Office-...-SpeedUp.shtml

To give me the option of opening a PDF with either Adobe or Foxit, I
have added "Open with Foxit" and "Open with Acrobat" options to
Explorer's r-click menu.

Open Explorer, select View - Folder Options - File Types, scroll
down to "PDF document", select Edit - New.

In the Action box, type Open with Foxit.

In the "Application used to perform action" box, type the following,
including quotes:

"C:\Program Files\FoxitReader\FoxitReader.exe" *-NoRegister "%1"

Adjust the filespec as applicable. The "NoRegister" switch prevents
Foxit from registering itself as the default application for PDFs.

Similarly, for Acrobat, use the following:

*Open with Acrobat

*"C:\Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat 6.0\Reader\AcroRd32.exe" "%1"

You don't actually need the latter Action. That's usually accounted
for by the Open default.

After completing the above, r-clicking a PDF should present you with
the two options.

- Franc Zabkar
--
Please remove one 'i' from my address when replying by email.

THANK YOU!!!

I went to the File type list and .pdf does not come up per se. BUT!
my old attempt at linking to the .pdff did, so per your excellent
directions I modified the action phrase and voila! Double clicking
now opens the document.

I did not always want a choice because once the .pdf won't open,
nothing else will open the .pdf, so now I can permanently mark the
file as unreadable.

Thanks again.

Regards,
Robert