Answered
Hi,
How can I set Adobe Acrobat as the default app on a per user basis? I'm aware that HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Software\Adobe\Acrobat\Exe sets the default app for all users (which I have set to reader), but I need to make exceptions on a per user basis. I'm guessing that it'll be something somewhere in HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Classes
thanks.
-Steve
You are close... the .PDF extension is stored in HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.pdf with a link to AcroExch.Document. This, in turn, points to AcroExch.Document.7 (on my computer).
HKCU\Software\Classes does not contain any Reader/Acrobat related info that I am aware of. If so, it is undocumented.
There is also a link in HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\MIME\Database\Content Type\application/pdf. If you trace back the CLSID, it will point to Acrobat or Reader.
In short you can see that this stuff points back and forth throughout the registry.
My suggestion would be to use a registry snapshot tool to identify which changes need to be made for a particular user that needs it. Encapsulate that, package and test.
The general situation you will need to change which tool opens a PDF is when they have Acrobat installed. In that case, there is a setting in Customizer to identify which app (Reader vs. Acrobat) will be the default tool.
For us, we have Reader as the default for all installations. We then point our associates to a document letting them know how to change it if they desire.
Last thought - be very careful in this part of the registry. It is here that not only are the linkages for desktop PDFs encoded. But how the AcroIEHelper integration works as well. Something very easily damaged.
I hope this helps.
-Doug
Douglas Hanna is a member of the Production Print Technology team at Aon.
www.aonhewitt.com