Viewing .pdf's in Images module

[Hersheydmd]

I can not view .pdf's that are in the Images module since upgrading to the latest version of Adobe Reader.
Is anyone else having a problem?
I am on OD v15.1.22 and Adobe Acrobat Reader DC version 2015.007.20033.
I can double click on them and open them in Adobe Reader, but I can't preview them in the Images module.

[jsalmon]

This issue is usually hard to solve. The following steps usually help:

1. Set Internet Explorer as the default internet browser.
2. Verify that Adobe Reader plug-ins are set correctly. See http://helpx.adobe.com/acrobat/using/di ... at-xi.html.
3. Open the PDF file using Internet Explorer. The PDF should open in Internet Explorer, not Adobe.
4. In Open Dental, Images module, open the PDF file. It should now be viewable.

http://www.opendental.com/manual/images.html

Keep in mind, once you've viewed a PDF within IE, you can absolutely set a different browser back to the default. For whatever reason, viewing a pdf using the Adobe plugin triggers some setting or something deep in the computer somewhere that makes it start working with Open Dental. Other computers won't have this problem with the same version (probably an installation thing that we have yet to pin down).

[bpcomp]

I tried your steps Jay but no success. I have to uninstall Reader DC and install the old Reader 11 to get it to work again.

[jsalmon]

Yeah, Reader DC has been awful for me. It hard crashes my computer quite often. I do not recommend it at all. Some users in the office use it just fine (not sure what OS they have) but my Windows 8 box does not like it one bit.
When it does work, I have to single click into the preview area for the pdf to show up otherwise it's a dark gray screen.

[bpcomp]

It looks like Adobe is hard coded to be the reader for OpenDental. Any option for choosing an alternate pdf viewer like Mupdf or SumatraPDF?

[jsalmon]

It looks like Adobe is hard coded to be the reader for OpenDental. Any option for choosing an alternate pdf viewer like Mupdf or SumatraPDF?

Correct, Adobe is our hard coded PDF viewer. There are no other options for PDF viewers within the Images module. You would have to install your favorite PDF viewing alternative software, set it as your default PDF application in Windows and then double click on your PDFs within the Images module to get them to open up outside OD in the designated PDF viewing software.

[bpcomp]

Well it sounds like pdf support needs some looking at because I won't upgrade to the latest Adobe reader in our office until this issue is resolved. Thanks Jason.

[Hersheydmd]

Jason,
Has any progress been made in figuring this out.
I have two identically configured Win 8 machines at my front desk. On one the pdf's are visible in the Image module and on the other they are not. Both machines are on the latest version of Adobe Acrobat Reader DC 2015.009.20077. OpenDental v. 15.2.28.0.
Could it be a problem with my OD setup on this computer?

[Jorgebon]

I had the same problem in one of my machines. I uninstalled adobe viewer, downloaded and installed again. It works now, but sometimes when you click on a .pdf the preview is all black. I have to click on the dark window for the document to appear.

[jsalmon]

Jason,
Has any progress been made in figuring this out.
I have two identically configured Win 8 machines at my front desk. On one the pdf's are visible in the Image module and on the other they are not. Both machines are on the latest version of Adobe Acrobat Reader DC 2015.009.20077. OpenDental v. 15.2.28.0.
Could it be a problem with my OD setup on this computer?

Every case that I've help solve always ended up being an Adobe installation issue that I could not explain. Therefore I'm inclined to say it is not a problem with your OD setup.

There hasn't been any progress cause the issues with Reader DC are so intermittent that it is making it hard to track down. We've recently changed our approach and are looking into Adobe documentation to see if they've changed anything architecturally which might require us to update the dll we use to interface with them. I do not look forward to doing such a thing because it never goes over smoothly. Each time we've updated a 3rd party dll there are always unforeseen issues that arise.

[bpcomp]

Well it looks like there is already an issue

[jsalmon]

Well it looks like there is already an issue

Tell me about it, their SDK for DC has C# examples that don't even work (e.g. their BasicIacOCXCS solution). I'm kind of embarrassed for them to be honest.

On the bright side, there are some promising (well to me at least) known issues that they will hopefully fix and we'll see if that ends up helping.
https://helpx.adobe.com/acrobat/kb/know ... eader.html

[Hersheydmd]

PROBLEM SOLVED
Took Jorge's suggestion.
Uninstalled Adobe Reader. Rebooted. Reinstalled Adobe Reader.
It works fine now.
So simple...