One of the most frequent conversations we see online about Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Reader are about updates. With the program running smoothly, many users wonder why there are updates at all. To help keep everyone in the loop on why we update when we do, check out our guide on what makes these updates crucial to the health of your software.
Why should you update?
The most important reason for updating your Adobe Acrobat and Adobe Reader software is security. These updates safeguard your system against malicious attacks that may be executed through universally-used PDF files. The updates often fix bugs within the system that develop between the updates. Updates also improve basic functionality and features associated within Acrobat and Reader, including addressing bugs.
Why are there so many updates?
Actually, since Acrobat and Adobe Reader version 10.1 we have only released updates on a quarterly basis, following Microsoft’s model of a “Patch Tuesday” (see http://helpx.adobe.com/acrobat/release-note/release-notes-acrobat-reader.html) Only once have we had to release an “out-of-cycle” patch that fell between these quarterly releases (in February of 2013). Also, these quarterly updates are cumulative so you don’t have to install multiple updates to get to the current version and keep your system and files safe. If you do receive multiple update messages, just make sure the last update did fully install.
Taking control of updates
Although we don’t recommend it, unless you are managing controlled desktops within an organization, we know that some of you would prefer to update your Acrobat or Reader software at your convenience and not have Adobe run the updates for you. In that case, you would need to disable the automatic updates. If you do so, though, remember that it’s important to update the programs when you have a little downtime or you are going out to lunch, take a few minutes to run the updates. When you get back, Acrobat and Reader will be ready to go with the most up-to-date version.
Now that you get the logic of updating your Acrobat and Reader software, we hope you’ll install the updates as we publish them. Unfortunately, we do occasionally hear from people who want to update but run into some trouble when they try to install it. If you find yourself scratching your head over an Acrobat or Reader update, below are some troubleshooting steps and remedies for you to try:
- Reinstall Reader or Acrobat.
- See this link for instructions on how to do this.
- Follow these steps if installation “hangs” (stalls).
- Reinstall Reader or Acrobat.
- Select from this list of possible errors along with solutions to those specific errors.
If reinstalling Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Reader is the route you have to go to make sure you have the latest version, the Adobe Cleaner tool is a great thing to know about. The Adobe Reader and Acrobat Cleaner Tool is designed to fix corrupt installations, files, and changing permission registry entries – scary-sounding stuff, we know; the Cleaner Tool can take care of the messy behind-the-scenes to make sure that your reinstallation goes smoothly.
