Acrobat Reader 5.0.1. freezes at "weblink api.." stage.

Have Windows 98. My problem is with Adobe Acrobat 5.0.1. (downloaded version). Acrobat was operating great until recently when it began stopping and "freezing" at the "weblink.api..." stage. Anyone ever had this problem and what was solution??

Also, when attempting to load up H&R Block 2004 Deduction Pro software, the screen would turn blue. I could not shut down my computer since no dialogue boxes were accessible. Thus, had to turn off computer at the tower's power control button. Have I been asleep or is this the Ides of March coming early????

 

Joe - not sure about the exact problem but when I was supporting 9x systems, I found that the vast majority of strange, new problems that showed up would be 'fixed' by the cleanup posted below. At worst, it will give a faster and smoother system and will give us a known clean starting place to troubleshoot from.

******************************

General clean-up instructions for Win95/98/ME

• Open a browser window and dump all TIF (temporary internet files) and cookies. Close.
• Open windows explorer and
  .. delete the contents of all temp folders
  .. delete any files in c:\ with a name filennnn.chk (where nnnn is any number so file0001.chk, file1034.chk, etc)
• verify that you have fewer than 500 files & folders directly under c:\. If you are close to that number, remove or move some files.
• empty the recycle bin
• boot to DOS
• from the command prompt do the following
  .. scanreg /fix <ENTER> (press the ENTER key)
  .. scanreg /opt <ENTER>
  ****note that 95 does not have scanreg.exe but a copy from 98 or ME will run fine if you can get one
  .. scandisk c:\ /nosave /autofix /surface <ENTER>
  .. Win /D:M (forces a safe mode windows start)
• Run another scandisk (start~programs~accessories~system tools) and check for a standard scan and to fix all errors found. The DOS scan couldn't check for long file name issues.
• Run a defrag
• Reboot to normal Windows.

 

Joe Ogden--After doing what Newt suggests, you might consider installing a newer version of Reader. This site will help tell you what Adobe considers best for your system.
http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html
However, notice that there are some boxes to check as to whether you want Yahoo Toolbar and Photosuite as part of the download. I suggest you uncheck those boxes and download only Reader.

 

Acrobat Reader Freezes

Thanks to both of you. I have tried to download the newer versions of Acrobat Reader, but the results are the same; i.e., the Acrobat hangs up when it reaches "weblink.api..." In a related matter, I purchased H&R Block tax software (Taxcut - Federal, Deduction Pro, and Taxcut - State). I could load Tax Cut - Federal, and, with some difficulty, Deduction Pro. However, I could not load Tax Cut - State. Both load ups were related to Acrobat Reader. My computer is an HP which, lately, I believe stands for "Halloween Perfect ".

 

You could poke around here for some additional suggestions.
Acrobat Reader 5, 6 plugins "“ what they do.
Check both, proper folder and plugins.
To allow acces to Web pages from links within the pdf, you need in addition: weblink.api and EScript.api

 

Joe Ogden --

Did you uninstall the old version of Reader (using Control Panel|Add/Remove Programs) before you installed the new version? If not, uninstall whatever version you now have installed and reinstall the new version.
Also to open a .pdf file from the web, you have to
1) Set "ActiveX controls and plugins" to Prompt or Enable In IE Tools|Internet Options|Security tab|Custom Level
2) In Reader Edit|Preferences|Internet, you have to check the box "Display PDF in Browser ".