Since this is happening in the Finder... try this:
Locate this file: com.apple.finder.plist /Users/YourName/Library/Preferences. Drag that file from the Preferences folder to the Trash, empty the Trash and reboot.
If that didn't do the job, do a Spotlight search and look for any .pdf files you have downloaded and saved and DELETE them. Somewhere in your system you have a corrupted .pdf file.
And, check the hard disk. Even if you've done this already, try again:
Open Disk Utility, in the Utilities folder in the Applications folder.
Insert your Mac OS X Install disc in your computer’s optical drive or an optical drive connected to your computer, and then restart your computer. When you hear the startup tone, hold down the C key until you see the progress indicator, which looks like a spinning gear.
Follow the onscreen instructions until the menu bar appears with the Utilities menu in it, choose Utilities > Disk Utility, click First Aid, and then click Repair Disk. When it's finished, from the Menu Bar, select Utilities/Startup Disk. In the Startup Disk window select MacintoshHD 10.x.x and click Restart.
Also, the best way to have Apple be aware of these issues is to send them crash reports. Here's how to do that:
Reporting problems to Apple
When an application quits unexpectedly, you see a dialog that gives you the option to submit a report about the problem, called a “bug report,” to Apple.
When you submit a bug report to Apple, it includes information about the problem and your computer’s configuration. Many problems are directly attributable to the hardware and software configuration.
No personal information is gathered about you or your computer. No information that can be used to identify your computer is sent, such as volume names, network addresses, or hardware addresses. For more information, click the link at the bottom of the page to see Apple’s customer privacy policy.
To submit a bug report to Apple:
Connect to the Internet.
In the dialog that appeared when the application quit, click the Submit button.
Type a description of what you were doing when the application quit. List the applications that were open when the problem occurred, and any steps or hints to reproduce the problem.
Review the report in the Crash Report window.
Click “Send to Apple” to submit the report.
You won’t receive an immediate response, but Apple greatly appreciates your taking the time to submit a bug report. As the software is revised, these reports are reviewed to help improve the software.
Your computer also records details about the problem in a log file. You can use log files to troubleshoot problems with an application, or you can send a log to the application’s developer if it is requested.
You can view the logs in Console, located in the Utilities folder in the Applications folder.
Carolyn 🙂
Message was edited by: Carolyn Samit
