Sharepoint 2010 Adobe Reader error opening .pdf files

Question

_{Friday, June 22, 2012 1:53 PM}

When external to the system, .pdf files in library won't open in client application. Adobe Reader error: There was an error opening this document. The filename, directory name, or volume label syntax is incorrect.

Internally, .pdf files open without issue.

This problem just started within the last 2 days.

Yes, Browser File Handling has been set to 'permissive'.

All replies (10)

_{Tuesday, June 26, 2012 9:00 AM}

Hi,

Thank you for your post.

I'm trying to involve someone familiar with this topic to further look at this issue.

Xue-mei Chang

TechNet Community Support

_{Tuesday, June 26, 2012 11:18 AM}

Thank you Xue-Mei Chang

FYI: I installed an earlier version of Adobe Reader on a test machine and it did not help.

A fix was added to the server in the <system.web.extensions> of the config file a few weeks back. The line <scriptResourceHandler enableCompression="false" enableCaching="true" /> was added which fixed a problem with redirection on external machines. This issue seems to be a similiar in the external way.

One may right-click on the .pdf link and choose 'open', then the .pdf opens just fine in the client application. The 'open in new tab' or 'Open in new window' options will also work.

I just need the link to work!

_{Tuesday, July 3, 2012 5:26 PM}

I turned 'Client Integration' off and everything works.

_{Friday, September 21, 2012 8:55 AM}

This problem has been driving me crackers. The information that we can right click and open in a new tab is making life so much easier. Thanks

_{Friday, September 21, 2012 9:56 AM}

Hi

Please Check these Links

http://community.office365.com/en-us/forums/152/t/48782.aspx

http://preachingsharepoint.blogspot.ca/2012/07/open-pdf-in-sharepoint-online-site.html

_{Thursday, June 13, 2013 2:30 PM}

Hello JohnnySurfs,

Could you explain what you mean with Client Integration to off ?

I've been struggling with this for days now !

Thanks in advance !

Lucien

_{Tuesday, July 9, 2013 3:08 PM}

go to Cental Administration > Manage Web Applications > Highlight your web application and click Authentication Providers > scroll down to where you see Client Integration and disable it.

Solution worked for me, no more adobe errors, but I'm using an FBA site and there is no need to have client integration turned on. 

_{Wednesday, November 13, 2013 1:07 PM | 4 votes}

We had a similar issue where external users got the error.   Turning client integration off worked, but then that posed other issues with Office documents.  You can view that thread here.

To get both Office and PDF documents to work for external users (with client integration enabled), we modified the DOCICON.XML file located location below.  Change the mapping key that controls how PDFs are opened.    Hope this helps others.

<SharePoint WFE>\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\Web Server Extensions\14\TEMPLATE\XML

<Mapping Key="pdf" Value="icpdf.png" OpenControl="PdfFile.OpenDocuments"/>

To:

<Mapping Key="pdf" Value="icpdf.png" EditText="Adobe Acrobat" OpenControl="SharePoint.OpenDocuments"/>

_{Thursday, October 22, 2015 5:49 PM}

We had a similar issue where external users got the error.   Turning client integration off worked, but then that posed other issues with Office documents.  You can view that thread here.

To get both Office and PDF documents to work for external users (with client integration enabled), we modified the DOCICON.XML file located location below.  Change the mapping key that controls how PDFs are opened.    Hope this helps others.

<SharePoint WFE>\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\Web Server Extensions\14\TEMPLATE\XML

<Mapping Key="pdf" Value="icpdf.png" OpenControl="PdfFile.OpenDocuments"/>

To:

<Mapping Key="pdf" Value="icpdf.png" EditText="Adobe Acrobat" OpenControl="SharePoint.OpenDocuments"/>

This resolved our issue for the most part.  Users with Adobe Reader could open PDF's without issue, but users with Acrobat got the error.  After making this change users with Acrobat were able to right click and Open, Open in new Tab, and Open in a new window successfully.  They still got an error if they just clicked the file name but at least we have a viable workaround now.

_{Wednesday, September 13, 2017 7:20 PM}

We had a similar issue where external users got the error.   Turning client integration off worked, but then that posed other issues with Office documents.  You can view that thread here.

To get both Office and PDF documents to work for external users (with client integration enabled), we modified the DOCICON.XML file located location below.  Change the mapping key that controls how PDFs are opened.    Hope this helps others.

<SharePoint WFE>\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\Web Server Extensions\14\TEMPLATE\XML

<Mapping Key="pdf" Value="icpdf.png" OpenControl="PdfFile.OpenDocuments"/>

To:

<Mapping Key="pdf" Value="icpdf.png" EditText="Adobe Acrobat" OpenControl="SharePoint.OpenDocuments"/>

Old thread, I know...But this fixed a similar problem.  In all browsers (including Edge) except for Internet Explorer, PDFs would open in Word Web App (our desired state).  In IE, it tried to open PDFs in Acrobat.

I discovered that a configuration in AutoSPInstaller updates DOCICON.XML with this:

<Mapping Key="pdf" Value="icpdf.png"
    OpenControl="AdobeAcrobat.OpenDocuments" 
    EditText="Adobe Acrobat or Reader X" />

Returning that entry to it's default value fixed the problem, and now IE behaves like the other browsers, and respects the server setting.  

<Mapping Key="pdf" Value="icpdf.png" OpenControl="" />

I have not tested the scenario where a library is configured to open in client applications.

Regards,

Mike Sharp