Copy Adobe Acrobat

[David]

For Christmas my French neighbours were given a TomTom One GPS system.  They have a computer, but they are not connected to the internet.

They asked me to download the full instruction manual which I have done, and saved to a memory stick to copy to their computer, but this manual is in Adobe Acrobat format.

They do not have Adobe on their machine, so I have tried without success to copy the full Adobe program to the memory stick in order to copy Adobe to their machine.  Any download to "Save" only copies the first folder, and then stops before downloading the program.  Clicking on the saved folder starts downloading the program to my computer without the option to save to disk (or memory stick).

I have tried copying the Adobe folder in Windows Explorer, but again only the first file seems to copy, not the full program.

I have also tried to convert the file to Microsoft word but without success.

We both run windows XP, but theirs is French, and mine is UK.

Apart from printing out the full manual, I would be greatful if anybody could advise how to copy the manual from my machine to their machine.

Many thanks,

David

[AnOther]

To simply read a PDF manual all they will really need is an older version of Acrobat Reader which you can download from here:

http://www.nics.gov.uk/acrobat/

Choose 5 for Windows 95, 98, ME, NT, 2000

It's only about 8mb as opposed to the later versions which are increasingly bloated.

Current version is 8 I think and comes in @ 20mb+ !

PS. Except for the very simplest of programmes you cannot simply copy a programme folder from one machine to another and expect it to work, you have to properly install it.

[Dick Smith]

Instead of using Save try drag and dropping Acrobat onto the desktop.  Well, it would work on a Mac!

[David]

Thanks Ernie and Dick.

Did try drag and drop, but that took the program off my machine, and it did not seem to work on the copy media.  If all else fails will try your link Ernie, but I have been reminded that the satnav came with an installation disk - DOOH(?) idiot me to forget it.

My neighbours have a computer, but do not know how to use it, and are frightened of it, so I bet they have not loaded the disk.

I also suspect that the manual will be on the disk, so hopefully problem solved.

Tomorrow I will raid their computer and find out, if not successful I will try Ernie's link.

Many thanks, especially for your fast response.

David

EDIT - I tried Ernie's link, but I had the same problem, it would only download the first part.

[Dick Smith]

Just a thought - did it not come bundled with the computer? My experience of PCs is limited, but they have all come with it - do they still have any bundled discs?

[Bugsy]

Why not just do a free download from

http://www.nics.gov.uk/acrobat/

[AnOther]

[quote user="Gary aka Bugbear"]

Why not just do a free download from

http://www.nics.gov.uk/acrobat/

[/quote]Like wot I said then....!

[Dick Smith]

They don't have an internet connection, therein lies the problem.

[AnOther]

Quite so Dick but we but we are talking to David, the OP with Internet, who is trying to find out the best way for him to get the pdf manual on to his neighbours PC via memory stick.

[Dick Smith]

I was replying to Gary.

How about burning a CD and then trying to install from that?

[Bugsy]

[quote user="ErnieY"][quote user="Gary aka Bugbear"]

Why not just do a free download from

http://www.nics.gov.uk/acrobat/

[/quote]Like wot I said then....![/quote]

 

Sorry Ernie, I missed your bit, I'm getting too excited again........................[:D]

Sometimes when a file won't load directly from disc or m/stick you can get round it by saving the file into a folder and then running it. I don't know why that works, but it does.

[David]

Many thanks for all your advice.

This morning I went to the neighbours house and checked their TomTom box.  In it they had a disk which contained the manual - DOOH!.  After loading the disk the manual was accessible for them in French, so job done.  They are now loading the TomTom into the car and going for a happy joy ride this afternoon to test it out.  Good result I hope, as if they have more problems I will have to sort it out for them.  I should say that these are wonderful people, but they know nothing about computers or any modern electrical gadgets.  The kids have just mastered video recorders.

I also checked whether their machine had Adobe loaded, or in the bundle of disks which came with the computer, but no joy.  I tried the memory stick with the manual loaded, but their machine could not read the manual.  By the way the memory stick has 244 mb memory so no problems there.

However, the theoretical question of how to download Adobe for transfer to a computer not connected to the internet remains.  Every time I tried to download it via the places recommended here I was only able to download the first part.  After that the Adobe download wanted to talk to the computer, not possible for the neighbours, and I was not able to copy the download either to memory stick or disk.

Think I will give this a rest now, and go and have lunch.

Many thanks,

David

[AnOther]

If you downloaded version 5 as I suggested then it should not require anything else, it is 100% stand alone.

There is an option (enabled by default) to check for a newer version but you can just dismiss it.

Better still, you can also go into Edit/Preferences/Update and select Manual after which it will never ask again.

[Loiseau]

I know they are in crime-free France, but do tell your neighbours not to leave their shiny new TomTom in their car when they get out of it.  I know countless people who just left it "for a minute", and then....

In fact I drove through one London suburb the other day that was bristling with police notices saying :
"Free sat-nav. Dear thieves, just help yourselves from the cars parked here..." or words to that effect.  Well, it was obviously a campaign to make people remove them, but it did make me do a double-take at first!

Angela

[David]

I did try downloading version 5 as you suggested Ernie, but perhaps I did something wrong as I could not get it to load on their French computer running windows XP.

I assumed it would not load as the version 5 was advertised for Windows 95, 98, ME, NT, 2000, and not XP, so I did not investigate.  Perhaps I should have tried harder to get it to load, but I found it difficult working on a French computer with the family gathered round and assuming that I am something of a computer guru, which I am most definitely not.  So I settled for loading the manual from the disk, and let the Adobe drop.

Many thanks for the suggestion.

David

[David]

Since experimenting with downloading Adobe, I now have versions 5, 6, 7 & 8 on my machine.  Should I delete some of these if so, how, as only versions 5 & 8 are shown on the add and remove program?

Many thanks,

David

 

[Ecossais]

Hi David,

I’ve just had a look at the CD which came with the last “PC Pro” (UK) magazine I bought (February 2007 – doesn’t time fly!) and it includes a copy of Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Maybe the French PC magazines will have it on their CD’s?  (You can usually find what is on the CD listed in the magazine).

If you cant find a copy, if you send me your details by PM I’ll make a copy of the magazine CD and send it to you.

If your neighbours ever go online, they will have a huge amount of Microsoft updates to download.  For now, by not connecting to the internet they are fairly safe from viruses and other PC nasties!

[Dave Plumb]

David ,  most computer mags carry a lot of free programes including Adobe reader, I  also got recently got free from a mag a programe to convert to Adobe (. pdf) from word saving hundreds on the original Adobe distiler , makes lovely presenations of Devis for them with a Pc.

 

Dave

[AnOther]

I have no idea why Adobe 5 won't install on your neighbours XP PC David because I have it installed here on 2 PC's and 2 Laptops, all runnung XP, on top of which, before I specified that version to you, I downloaded it myself and installed it to check it would install OK on XP. I did so because I have had my copy of v5 for years and can't remember where it came from, probably a magazine CD, so I wanted to be sure that this download would work under XP even though it didn't mention it.

I can't believe it's anything to do with XP being in French but likewise I can't think of any other reason for it to fail to install. What message or messages did it throw up ?

Re the multiple versions you now have, so long as pdf's open up OK I wouldn't worry too much about it.

[David]

Hi Ernie,

I think apologies are in order.  I cannot now remember the order of downloading, but either before or after your advice I had tried to download all the various Adobe versions recommended for Windows XP.  Certainly before your advice I had not managed to get past the first stage.

I did download your recommendation, but I had not realised from your posts that you had actually tried it out with Windows XP.

I thought I had a full download as the memory stick showed 8614 kb, so that was the version I tried to load on their machine.

As noted before I managed to obtain the manual from the installation disk, so the question of Adobe assumed far less importance.

After loading the manual, out of curiosity I tried to load your Adobe version.  I did get warning signs in French, but I cannot now remember what they were.  At that time I was surrounded by the extremely interested family.  I had two kids to my left shouting instructions and with the youngest trying to press buttons and me trying to fend him off.  To my right I had the oldest kid (14 years old) offering differing advice about the messages displayed, and she took the huff if I agreed with the two younger boys to my left.  Behind me I had the parents, also arguing and offering yet different advice about the French translations.  My French is not good and in those circumstances it failed me completely.  Therefore I cancelled the Adobe installation, showed them the manual, and the parents and myself enjoyed a celebratory pastis.

This is where the apology is due.  I am afraid that I bottled out and cancelled the installation because I thought it was wanting to connect to the internet (my first thought after my previous experience in the safety of my study), or that it was conflicting with XP, or that it was conflicting with the French computer.  I then posted here and made an unjustified assumption that the problem was with the download.

From your latest post it seems that I was wrong, and that the fault was mine.  I would like to go back to the neighbours, but on balance as they have the manual I think I will chicken out, and leave well alone.

Sorry if I upset you with my incompetence Ernie.

Many thanks to all the other posters, your advice and offers of help were very welcome.

Yes Ecossais, the neighbours are planning to connect to the internet in about one months time.  I dread being called in, as I will be, to handle all the updates, firewalls and virus checkers when they do connect.  I am hoping to persuade them that somewhere they have a family member who can do it for them.  Still can't complain as they do an enormous amount for me.  I just worry about letting them down and ruining their computer.  Perhaps I will go away on holiday?

Many thanks for all your help,

David

 

[AnOther]

I'm not in the least upset David and no apologies necessary. Computers can be very scary things to the layman, doubly daunting in a foreign language.

I must admit though I'd never thought of installing Adobe Acrobat Reader as a family affair and I can vividly imagine the scene so don't blame you in the slightest for giving up!

If you do feel brave enough to give it another go, perhaps in the dead of night when you have no "assistants", then The 2 boxes which pop up are a copyright warning and the location to install to, on both of which you just click NEXT. Finally there is a Thank You message which you can just dismiss and thats it. This is for the English version of course but I can't imagine it's any different for the French.

Good luck with the neighbours by the way...!

[Oldie]

If you simply want to read PDF files, I would recommend FOXIT Reader. It is a free, very small program and is brilliant. Their website also offers alternatives to Adobe Acrobat in other forms.

I am not affiliated in any way, just a satisfied user.

http://www.foxitsoftware.com/