How to disable collaboration options in Reader 9

Have you looked at the Acrobat Customization Wizard to set these things prior to deployment?
http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/solutions/it/

That was a tool available for 8 and not for 9. The version for 8 does not work to deploy 9.

Edcmicro - I will contact the team that worked on the A8 customizer and see if they are planning on continuing the work for A9. And if so, if they are looking at incorporating this change into the product.

Thanks.

The Acrobat 9 Customization Wizard is now available for download at:
http://www.adobe.com/support/downloads/detail.jsp?ftpID=3993

Am aware of the customization wizard, but I don't want to reinvent the wheel and create a new install, just want the reg key needed to disable collaboration and the auto updates in both sections:

1) Edit - Preferences... -> General
2) Help -> Check for Updates...If anyone is inteerested I found a reg key to disable Acrobat.com (I haven't tried it yet bt it was in an Acrobat doc):

HKCU\Software\Adobe\Acrobat Reader\9.0\\Workflows\bEnableAcrobatHS=00000000 (dWord)

JohnRWPG,

To be honest, I do not think it is as easy as just simply a reg key to disable downloading updates. Over a number of versions I have tried to disable updates manually through reg-hacking, to much avail. This is before the addition of it in Customizer 7. I am not saying it cannot be done. I am saying that what I was able to get to work, was not stable nor reliable enough for production.

I think that eventually the great deal of 'Jumping up-and-down and screaming like a five-year-old' to Da' Customizer engineering team regarding this issue by others and myself drove them to add the disablement options.

Aside: Any place in an application to perform self-updates is also a location to self-corrupt through site-redirection and other such malicious things*. And as such, is a major security hole you need to keep heavily guarded. That includes registry entries to enable or disable it.

* Example, you have a mal-ware that you install on someones machine that intercepts the autoupdate feature of Acrobat/Reader and directs them to a second site that downloads and installs a 'plug-in'. That plug-in then sends an unencrypted (no user password) copy of every PDF opened to a particular destination. One not so friendly. Outch!

My suggestion would be to re-do your package and redeploy.

Lastly, regarding disabling Acrobat.COM - thanks for the hint. However, take a look at what registry hive that is for? HK Current User. Which means that if you have multi-user workstations (e.g. call/support center) each user will have to implement that update under their login ID. When it's disabled through Customizer ALL USERS of that machine have it disabled. Not just the user that installed it.

Disclaimer: Make sure that your license/contract supports multi-user (more than one user per machine) usage patterns.

Hopefully this helps with your issue...

One thing I did find that I ended up having to hack as part of our installation...

Under Help there is the 'Access on-Line' entry that cannot be disabled via Customizer nor registry hacking. For this we went old-school and just created a knock-out script in the JavaScripts folder...

The menu item was: Help | Online Support | Adobe Support Programs...

app.hideMenuItem("AdobeExpertSupport");
Now, this does require that JavaScript be enabled as well as menu execution privileges, but it works.

Thanks.

Iam not sure if i can put this question here. Would be great if some one can help me here. Iam a packager who customize the application(adobe reader) and deploys to few computers. Is there any property in Wise package studio to disable update or "It shouldn't check for updates" or anything else to make this work.

Packager Beginner,

Use Da' Customizer (Acrobat Customization Wizard) - there is a component in there to disable updates in both Reader and Acrobat. Something you definitely want to do.

Also, sign up for the Enterprise Deployment License - http://www.adobe.com/products/reader/rdr_distribution1.php

This action provides you with two things:
1) You are legally allowed to distribute Reader through CDs and in an enterprise environment
2) You can get the English version of Reader without AIR included.

Why is the second one important? In an enterprise or distributing to a customer base you only want to install exactly what is needed to do the job. Nothing more. If you don't need AIR, do not distribute it. Even in the enterprise space you want to keep Reader and AIR separate. They have separate development cycles, patch issues, etc. You want to be able to update one without having to update the other.

I hope this helps.

Thanks

-Doug