Adobe Acrobat Distiller on XP

[Stevieraycover]

I have a problem where Acrobat Distiller (with Acrobat Professional) 6.0 is failing to write a pdf file when running on an application server in the Metaframe XP environment. I am receiving the error "There was an error found when printing to the document 00000f60 to the Desktop*.pdf. Do you want to cancel the print job?
I've installed per the Install instructions whitepaper published by Adobe for XP (and uninstalled/ re-installed again). No luck. Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Steve

 

[xs4citrix]

http://support.citrix.com/kb/entry.jspa?externalID=CTX056512

http://www.printingsupport.com

Free citrixprinting support

 

[Stevieraycover]

Thanks for the reply but this is not a solution to my problem. My problem is where the Distiller is not installed on the user machine but on the citrix application server.
Steve

 

[edlcsre]

Hi there

Just wondered if you'd had any more luck with this particular problem? The reason I ask is that we've got pretty much the same error message appearing, but we've managed to pinpoint the problem to the fact that if we start a remote Citrix session, and then try and run it, it doesn't work. However, as soon as someone logs onto the Citrix server locally, even if they then log off again, this DOES work, and continues to work until the server is next re-booted, at which point the same thing happens again, someone has to log on locally before the application will run.

We're using Citrix XP with Novell DLU, all apps installed onto the Citrix server, none locally, and we create the pdf by clicking on the PDF icon within Word, which, when it works, generates the PDF and automatically launches Acrobat to view the PDF, but stops with the same message you're getting when it doesn't work.

It all appears to be to do with acrotray.exe not running up properly for remote sessions but, somehow, by logging into the server, this starts it correctly, and allows subsequent remote sessions to start it correctly. All extremely strange. Anyone come across applications having to be started via a local logon before they'll actually work remotely before?

Cheers

edlcsre

 

[Stevieraycover]

We found an article that referenced the same type of error on the web someehere. I don't have the article anymore but the main idea of the article was to be sure you have FR3 installed. We apparently did not on this server. Once upgraded to FR3 the printing works ok. However we are not using a server installed acrobat driver. We use the client printer mappings and the end users have distiller installed. So far this works ok for us. Thanks for the help.

Scover@ciena.com

 

[gdsire01]

I have the same issue on my Citrix servers. I'm running W2K sp3/FR2 sp2. Has anyone come up with any answers to this dilema?

 

[Stevieraycover]

I found something in a Citrix article that says only "PDF Writer" is certified on Citrix not Distiller. We are investigating now.
I'll keey you posted.
Steve


Scover@ciena.com

 

[edlcsre]

Just to follow up a bit on this one.

The situation appears to be that in order for this to work correctly, you have to log into the SERVER (eg locally while sat at the machine, not removely via a Citrix session) as an administrator, and leave that account logged into the server, for Distiller to work correctly. As long as you do this, you should find that it works OK for your users. That is certainly the case for us.

Took a while to look at this one a few weeks back, and it all appears to be because of Acrotray.exe not starting up unless there is an administrator logged into the server; just connecting remotely is not enough, even if you connect remotely as an admin.

Tried setting this up to run at server startup, and even to try running it as a service, but this didn't work.

Our current workaround is that we autologin an administrator account at machine startup, and have it set to lock the screen asap. Not ideal, but in a secure server room this is the best we've found to get this to work consistently for users.

Am sure I saw a document from Adobe with precise details about this, will look up the link and post it tomorrow if thats of use....i seem to recall this is a known issue as far as they are concerned!!

Hope this is of use.

Cheers

Chris

 

[Ogi]

Hi Chris,

Create an Admin user that logs onto the console NOT Administrator.

Then, add this into Starttup folder and it will save you panicing about locking the console:-

rundll32.exe user32.dll,LockWorkStation

Hope this helps,
Carl.

 

[Stevieraycover]

Anyone have any info on how fast this works (Distiller on the server). We are currently using the mapped client drives like I mentioned. Distiller is installed locally on the user's PC's. They get mapped client printers when they start a citrix session. They can write PDF's using Distiller V6.0 ok now, the resolution is good, but we have 2 show stoppers.
1. It takes about a minute plus per page which is unacceptable. (60 page doc takes ~ an hour) Way too slow!!
2. Also a horizontal thin line appears in the center of the rendered PDF document when it is completed. No idea why ????
Thanks in advance.
Steve


Scover@ciena.com

 

[BISdude]

We had this problem a while back, we discovered that adobe/dister 4.0 worked great... higher versions require the tweaks you seem to have uncovered.

Also, we have the same trouble with printing, but it is only when printing through distiller/PDF and ONLY when printing to mapped drives, try it to the server drive and it is very fast. Our workaround was to allow printing to a server share and then allowing access via a directory browsing enabled website to that folder.

Fast and easy, users simply browse their web-based folder and open the PDF local, then if desired save it local too - as adobe is running already on their PC.

Still an interesting problem, and it seems Adobe isnt interested in supporting this with Citrix.


Good luck !

 

[Stevieraycover]

Is Acrobat Distiller installed "on" your Citrix server? Is your environment setup to use client mapped printers? Do I need to turn off client mapped prinerts?
Thanks,
Steve

Scover@ciena.com

 

[onslaught]

As with you guys, the site is having a problem after a Terminal Server rebooted. Normally an administrator would log in first and lock the station, but the system was rebooted remotely, and since then the problem has become apparent.

 

[onslaught]

Just some information and corrections on my above post. The server is running Metaframe XP, and has Distiller 5.0 installed.

 

[Ogi]

Hi Onslaught,

Why don't you configure the auto login. Then lock the workstation as with my posting above, would that not help you?

Cheers,
Carl.

 

[JaneDough]

Hi Stevieray
Sorry I don't have any solution contributions - just some questions for you.

We just upgraded to XPs FR3 and running into a similar situation with Acrobat 5.0. We have scenarios where some users (PCs and MACs) have the distiller/writer on their workstations AND some don't. I saw the info that only PDF writer is supported - which is fine for us in the TS environment.

Questions:
When I installed Acrobat - I only see the distiller driver on citrix ... When you installed (server app only - i.e. in your 2nd post) did you get both drivers?

Also you mentioned referencing white papers doc to install for Adobe for XP - was that acrobat v5.0 or v6.0?

Thanks for any help.