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system doesn't recognise pdf - Welliesorter
So
I manually select Adobe Acrobat from a list of programs, and
it opens fine.

>>

When you do, isn't there a little box marked 'Always use the selected program to open this kind of the file', or does it forget the association even after you tick it?
system doesn't recognise pdf - tyro
Yes, but it is in faint print (er, don't know what the technical name for it is!) so that it will not accept a tick in the box
system doesn't recognise pdf - Altea Ego
The technical term is "greyed out"

you need to

start/control panel/folder options/file types.


system doesn't recognise pdf - tyro
you need to
start/control panel/folder options/file types.


& then?
system doesn't recognise pdf - Altea Ego
scroll down to PDF file extension, click change and selct Adobe acrobat.

You have then re registered PDF's to open with Adobe.
system doesn't recognise pdf - Stuartli
If you go to:

www.foxitsoftware.com/pdf/rd_intro.php

you can download a tiny PDF utility that will read .pdf files just as well as Adobe Reader and take up a fraction of the space on your hard drive.
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What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
system doesn't recognise pdf - tyro
Thanks RF, but Adobe acrobat is already selected - redoing it doesn't seem to make any difference
system doesn't recognise pdf - Altea Ego
Right clcik on your file that wont open with Adobe, check properties and tell us waht the full file name and extension is

ie xxxxxxxx.xxx I suspect its not .pdf or needs to be renamed
system doesn't recognise pdf - tyro
RF - I've done that, but 'properties' does not give me a full file name and extension. In fact, it doesn't give me a full file name with extension for any other files either. Presumabely there must be some (other?) way to find full file names with extensions?
system doesn't recognise pdf - Altea Ego
DO a right click, rename and call it tyretest.pdf
system doesn't recognise pdf - tyro
Wow! As if by magic! Thanks RF!
system doesn't recognise pdf - tyro
p.s. but why didn't the system know to do that automatically?
system doesn't recognise pdf - Welliesorter
In fact, it doesn't
give me a full file name with extension for any other
files either.


Windows hides extensions by default. I've no idea why, or why anyone would want it to do so. Perhaps someone in Microsoft thinks it looks tidier.

To show extensions for all files, go to any Windws Explorer window, select 'Tools' - 'Folder Options' and click the 'View' tab in the box that appears. Untick 'Hide extensions for known file types' and your extensions will be visible.

system doesn't recognise pdf - tyro
Thanks Welliesorter.

This is interesting. The key word there is "known" file types.

Why is it that some files - nothing unusual, things like jpegs, gifs, and yes, even pdfs - remain unknown?
system doesn't recognise pdf - Welliesorter
Why is it that some files - nothing unusual, things like
jpegs, gifs, and yes, even pdfs - remain unknown?


At a guess, they aren't associated with a program on your PC. I don't know why anything so common wouldn't be.
system doesn't recognise pdf - Baskerville
Doesn't Windows require a suffix so it knows which program to use (could be wrong, but I'm wondering)? Maybe the pdf came from a Mac user and thus didn't originally need a suffix; what you've done is give it one. This may also account for the other "unknown" files too.
system doesn't recognise pdf - Stuartli
Slightly away from the topic but still related, a free PDF converter with no catches:

www.primopdf.com/
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What\'s for you won\'t pass you by