Problem downloading pdf file in Safari

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Level 1

13 points

Problem downloading pdf file in Safari

My website has a link which downloads a pdf file, which opens in a new browser window. In OS X, this works properly using the latest Safari update (4.0.5), as well as in Firefox and several other browsers (the file opens in Preview). I also run Windows XP using Boot Camp. I updated Safari to 4.0.5 in Windows, and also installed the latest version of Adobe Reader. But when I link to the pdf file in Windows using Safari, the program freezes. Both Firefox and Internet Explorer download the pdf file properly in Windows (the file opens in Adobe Reader).

I'm pretty sure that earlier Windows Safari versions correctly downloaded pdf files. Could this be a problem with Safari 4.0.5? Is there plugin in the new Safari that I'm missing, or something that needs to be set in either Safari or Adobe Reader?

2.66 GHz Mac Pro, Mac OS X (10.6.2)

Posted on Mar 12, 2010 2:37 PM

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Answer 1

b noir

Level 9

72,324 points

Mar 12, 2010 4:06 PM in response to hearncl

Could you give us a link to the page, please? (I could try testing to see if the download works on my 4.0.5, on a "pure Windows" box ... the results of the test might help determine what sort of issue we're looking at here.)

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Answer 2

hearncl Author

Level 1

13 points

Mar 12, 2010 5:20 PM in response to b noir

Thanks--here is the link:

http://www.hearnweb.com/hearnvillecemetery/HearnvilleCemetery.pdf

I see that doesn't open in a new window. Here is a link to the original page--it's the third link on this page, and should open in a new window--if that makes a difference:

http://www.hearnweb.com/hearnville_cemetery/

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Answer 3

b noir

Level 9

72,324 points

Mar 12, 2010 7:32 PM in response to hearncl

Okay ... I'm getting that one to open and display in a new window (Using Safari for Windows 4.0.5, XP SP3). Here's a link to a screenshot:

[Hearnville Cemetery|http://www.pixentral.com/show.php?picture=1iPH8DoJPr0syBfccWbdtWcQEKEN l5]

On the other hand, I've got Adobe reader 8 and Acrobat Standard 7.0 installed on the PC.

Can anyone else with an Adobe reader version 9.0 get the pdf to display in their Safari for Windows 4.0.5?

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Answer 4

hearncl Author

Level 1

13 points

Mar 13, 2010 3:19 PM in response to b noir

In Boot Camp Windows XP, I removed and reinstalled both Adobe Reader 9.3 and Safari 4.0.5. Safari still freezes (after opening a blank window) when downloading the pdf file. Firefox and Internet Explorer continue to download and display the file properly. Is Safari missing a plug-in that lets it display a downloaded pdf file?

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Answer 5

b noir

Level 9

72,324 points

Mar 13, 2010 3:40 PM in response to hearncl

Let's try that approach again, Charles. (Are you one of the Hearnville Hearns, by the way?) This time, we'll also take out Apple Application Support as well as Safari, since it contains a number of program files that Safari uses. See the following user tip for a bit more information on the relationship between the two:

[Safari for Windows and Apple Application Support|http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=2353930]

In addition to that we'll take a few other explicit precautionary steps, just in case.

For the XP procedure, see the following post:

http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=10598385&#10598385

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Answer 6

hearncl Author

Level 1

13 points

Mar 15, 2010 9:38 AM in response to b noir

I went through the recommended uninstall/reinstall procedure, but unfortunately it didn't fix the problem. When I first ran the new Safari install and clicked on the link to download the pdf, it opened a new window with a message that it couldn't find the server on which the pdf file is located (but of course it's on the same server as the parent page). After churning (hourglass cursor) for a couple of minutes, the new page (now running Adobe Reader, I think) displayed a small cube with question marks (missing file). On subsequent tries, Windows shut down Safari as "not responding".

I suspect that the problem is with Adobe Reader 9.3.1 and its interaction with Safari. (The other browsers continue to download the pdf properly.) I checked the Adobe site but didn't see an obvious way to install an earlier version of Reader, but willl investigate this further.

Many thanks for your help. (I've been forced to learn more about Windows than I really wanted to know.)

Charles Hearn

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Answer 7

hearncl Author

Level 1

13 points

Mar 15, 2010 10:31 AM in response to hearncl

I found that I could download Adobe Reader 8.2, and installed it after uninstalling 9.3.1. No change in behavior of Safari, though. The problem seems to lie on the Safari side.

It's not a big deal, as I suspect that most people attempting to download my file will be using a Windows PC and/or another browser. But I am curious if anyone else running Safari 4.0.5 under Windows XP on Boot Camp has a problem downloading and displaying a pdf file.

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Answer 8

b noir

Level 9

72,324 points

Mar 15, 2010 10:54 AM in response to hearncl

When I first ran the new Safari install and clicked on the link to download the pdf, it opened a new window with a message that it couldn't find the server on which the pdf file is located (but of course it's on the same server as the parent page). After churning (hourglass cursor) for a couple of minutes, the new page (now running Adobe Reader, I think) displayed a small cube with question marks (missing file).

Is your Safari still functional at that stage of proceedings, Charles?

If so, it's probably worth doing (in Safari itself) a "Help > report bugs to Apple". There's facility in there for attaching the source code of the page as well as screen shots.

(Not a short-term solution I'm afraid, but perhaps some good may come of it.)

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Answer 9

hearncl Author

Level 1

13 points

Mar 15, 2010 1:30 PM in response to b noir

I sent a bug report. I included the URL of this thread, since Safari is not functional after linking to the pdf file. Thanks again for your help.

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Answer 10

b noir

Level 9

72,324 points

Mar 15, 2010 1:39 PM in response to hearncl

🙂 No problem.

I'll keep an eye out over at the Safari for Windows forum too on issues with pdfs. (Sometimes the waiting game pays off.) Will try to remember to let you know if something useful comes up.

(Memory might be a bit tricky for me over the next few weeks, unfortunately. I'm thinking that it is highly likely that a new iTunes for Windows version is going to be needed for the iPads when they come out. When hundreds of thousands of people try updating an iTfW version in a single day, it makes for a busy time of it at the iTunes for Windows forums, and I'm expecting to be run a bit ragged over there.)

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Answer 11

b noir

Level 9

72,324 points

Mar 30, 2010 5:19 PM in response to hearncl

Are you still there Charles?

Something that might be worth a try ... can you get the pdf to display if you update to QuickTime 7.6.6?

Here's the theory. Both QuickTime and Safari use Apple Application Support. See the following user tip for some info on that:

http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=2353930

There's a newer version of Apple Application Support (1.2.1) in the latest QuickTime installer than there would have been in the Safari 4.0.5 installer that you used. So the QuickTime update would have the effect of updating your AAS from 1.2.0 to 1.2.1, which might help with the pdf display issue.

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