1. First obtain the self-extracting Adobe Acrobat Reader Installer file from Adobe Systems, Inc. The Installer file is called "ACROREAD.EXE."
    
2. Launch the Installer file in Windows by double clicking on it from the File Manager or selecting [File] and then [Run] from the Program Manager Menu and typing in the path to the downloaded Installer file in the window provided.
    
3. The Installer program partially decompresses itself in the directory listed in the "Set Temp=" line in the AUTOEXEC.BAT file. Once the installer application is decompressed in this directory, it displays the license agreement.
    
4. After selecting "Accept" in the "Electronic End User License Agreement" dialog box, "Install" in the "Acrobat Installer" dialog box, and "OK" after entering your name and company, Acrobat Reader files are installed.
    
5. If the "Set Temp=" line in the AUTOEXEC.BAT file points to an invalid drive or directory or there is insufficient free disk space on the drive specified, an installation error will occur during the Acrobat Reader installation.
    
6. The Acrobat Reader Installer installs the Acrobat Application, supporting libraries, on-line documentation, configuration (.INI) files, fonts, and Adobe Type Manager (ATM) 3.01 into the pre-desginated locations. The location for the Acrobat Reader is "c:\acroread" unless otherwise specified. ATM 3.01 included with Acrobat Reader isn't a complete version of ATM; it will only run under Windows 386-enhanced mode, does not include a control panel for adding or removing fonts, and, by default, is not available to other applications.
    
7. During the Acrobat Reader installation, the following line is added to the [extensions] section of the WIN.INI file:
   PDF=C:\ACROREAD\ACROREAD.EXE ^.PDF
   This line enables double-clicking files with a .PDF extension to launch Acrobat Reader and open the file.
    
8. The Acrobat Reader Installer program will create a new program folder that contains an icon for launching Acrobat Reader and an icon for the latest "READ.ME" file.
    
9. It is suggested that the Acrobat Reader Installer program, ACROREAD.EXE be deleted from your hard disk, so as not to confuse it with the Acrobat Reader application, also called "ACROREAD.EXE."
    

1. When selecting a Portable Document Format (PDF) file link on an Internet server, Netscape Navigator displays a prompt for downloading the PDF file instead of launching Acrobat Reader to display the PDF file if Netscape Navigator has not been configured to use Acrobat Reader.
    
2. To configure Netscape Navigator to use Acrobat Reader as a helper application do the following:
    
• Depending on the version of Netscape Navigator, select either "Preferences..." or "General Preferences..." from the [Options] menu.
   
• In the "Preferences" or "General Preferences" dialog box, choose either "Helper Applications" or "Helpers" from the popup menu located at the top of the dialog box.
   
• Click either the "New Type..." or "Create New Type" button.
   
• In the either the "Create New Mime Type" or "Configure New Mime Type" dialog box, enter "application" in the "Mime type:" field, enter "pdf" in the "Mime subtype:" field, and enter ".pdf" in the "File Extensions:" field.
   
• Select the "Launch Application" option and click on the "Browse" button.
   
• In the "Select an appropriate viewer" dialog box, use the drive, directory tree, and file navigational tools to select the directory in which Acrobat Reader was installed (typically c:\acroread) and select ACROREAD.EXE.
   
• Click "OK" to close the "Preferences" dialog box.
   
• Select "Save Options" from the [Options] menu.
   

When a PDF file link on an Internet server is selected, Netscape Navigator downloads the PDF file to the Netscape Temp folder. When Netscape Navigator is configured to use Acrobat Reader as a helper application, after downloading a PDF file, it automatically launches Acrobat Reader to display the downloaded PDF file. Once the PDF file is opened in Acrobat Reader, it can be printer to the local printer. Current versions of Acrobat Reader (2.1 or earlier) cannot be used to save the file to disk. If a local copy of the PDF file is required, it is suggested that the user first download the file and then read it with Acrobat Reader or acquire Adobe Acrobat Exchange, which has the capability of saving PDF files to disk.

1. When selecting a Portable Document Format (PDF) file link on an Internet server, NCSA Mosaic displays a prompt for either saving the PDF file to disk or adding a viewer instead of launching Acrobat Reader to display the PDF file if NCSA Mosaic has not been configured to use Acrobat Reader.
    
2. To configure NCSA Mosaic to use Acrobat Reader as a helper application do the following:
    
• Select "Add Viewer" and click on "OK." The "Add Viewer" screen will appear.
   
• In the "Associate MIME Type of" dialog box, "application/pdf" is indicated (but is greyed out). In the "Description of MIME Type" dialog box, enter any description you choose (e.g., "Portable Document Format"). In the "With This/These Extensions" dialog box, type ".pdf".
   
• Type in the path to Acrobat Reader (e.g., c:\acroread\acroread.exe) in the "To This Application" dialog box or click on the "Browse" button and use the drive, directory tree, and file navigational tools to select the directory in which Acrobat Reader was installed (typically c:\acroread) and select ACROREAD.EXE.
   
• Click "Add" to close the "Add Viewer" dialog box.
   

When a PDF file link on an Internet server is selected, NSCA Mosaic downloads the PDF file to the Mosaic Temp folder. When NCSA Mosaic is configured to use Acrobat Reader as a helper application, after downloading a PDF file, it automatically launches Acrobat Reader to display the downloaded PDF file. (Some versions of NCSA Mosaic leave Acrobat Reader in the background. To bring it to the front, hit the ALT and TAB keys simultaneously.) Once the PDF file is opened in Acrobat Reader, it can be printer to the local printer. Current versions of Acrobat Reader (2.1 or earlier) cannot be used to save the file to disk. If a local copy of the PDF file is required, it is suggested that the user first download the file and then read it with Acrobat Reader or acquire Adobe Acrobat Exchange, which has the capability of saving PDF files to disk.

Posted April 16, 1997.
DOE Environmental Policy and Guidance