What is making Adobe Acrobat Reader DC keep coming back onto my Widnows computer?

[rdb]

What is making Adobe Acrobat Reader DC keep coming back onto my Widnows
computer?

I deleted it multiple times using Win+I>Apps>Uninstall
But Adobe Acrobat Reader DC keeps coming back.

I get a message it has been installed.
Who installed it?

I'm the only use of the PC and I didn't install it.
I want it gone.

Forever.
How?

When I press the uninstaller for details it says it runs
C:|Windows\Installer\76afbe0.msi

Is that a special Adobe only app in my Windows folder?

It then asks to close the "Abobe Acrobat Reader DC Updater".
Is that the app I need to find and destroy?

If that "Adode Acrobat Reader DC Updater" show up when I
pressed Win+I>Apps & features?

I can open and edit PDFs without the Adobe products,
which I never want to see on my Windows computers again.

Adobe is all over my registry, unfortunately. For example
HKLM\Software\Adobe\Acrobat Reader\DC
C:\Windows\Installer\{AC76BA86-7AD7-1033-7B44-AC0F074E4100}\SC_Reader.ico
and so on.

Do I have to kill and destroy every Adobe reference
in my registry? If so, why does Adobe make it so difficult?

What can I do to get Adobe Reader DC off of my PC forever?

[knuttle]

Do you have another program that depends on Adobe, and when you use that
program, that programs installs Adobe Reader?

What is the default program for PDF files. There are several types of
Files used by the Adobe reader. Have you removed all of the file
associations that refer to the Adobe Reader.

What about the defaults in your browse, newsreader, or email program.

[RonTheGuy]

On Feb 05, 2023, rdb wrote
(in article<news:tros8u$3efe1$1...@paganini.bofh.team>):

> What is making Adobe Acrobat Reader DC keep coming back

https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/startups/AdobeARM.exe-25493.html

Name
Adobe ARM

Filename
AdobeARM.exe

Command
"C:\Program Files\Common Files\Adobe\ARM\1.0\AdobeARM.exe"

Description
Adobe Arm, otherwise known as Adobe Reader and Acrobat Manager, is an
autoupdate utility that notifies you, downloads, and installs new updates
for these products. If you install these updates manually then you do not
need this program to start up automatically.

File Location
%ProgramFiles%\Common Files\Adobe\ARM\1.0\AdobeARM.exe

Startup Type
This startup entry is started automatically from a Run, RunOnce,
RunServices, or RunServicesOnce entry in the registry.

HijackThis Category
O4 Entry

Note
%ProgramFiles% refers to the Program Files folder. The path to this folder
is C:\Program Files\ or C:\Program Files (X86)\ depending on whether the
version of Windows or the program being installed is 32-bit or 64-bit.

This entry has been requested 607,892 times.

ADOBEARM.EXE Information

This is a valid program but it is not required to run on startup.

This program is not required to start automatically as you can run it when
you need to. It is advised that you disable this program so that it does
not take up necessary resources.

Ron, the humblest guy in town.

[Ken Blake]

On Sun, 5 Feb 2023 18:24:31 -0000 (UTC), rdb <r...@usa.usa> wrote:

>What is making Adobe Acrobat Reader DC keep coming back onto my Widnows
>computer?

Just a guess: you keep going to a web site to do something else, and
an option prechecked on that page is Adobe Acrobat Reader, and you
click OK without first unchecking the option.

[rdb]

On 06 Feb 2023, Ken Blake <K...@invalid.news.com> posted some news
<news:ro10uhprv421bhqbv...@4ax.com>:

>>What is making Adobe Acrobat Reader DC keep coming back onto my Widnows
>>computer?
>
> Just a guess: you keep going to a web site to do something else, and
> an option prechecked on that page is Adobe Acrobat Reader, and you
> click OK without first unchecking the option.

If it were that simple I wouldn't be asking for help where I've seen your
always stupid posts before and they're always never any help to anyone.

Please don't even bother wasting everyone's time with your stupidity.

Someone else said what the problem was only it was in the x86 folder.
"C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\Adobe\ARM\1.0\AdobeARM.exe"

I wiped out the entire Adobe directory just to be sure.
If it comes back, I'll keep an eye out on how that happens.

[rdb]

On 05 Feb 2023, knuttle <keith_...@yahoo.com> posted some news
<news:trotqm$2kvqe$1...@dont-email.me>:

> Do you have another program that depends on Adobe, and when you use that
> program, that programs installs Adobe Reader?

I have the adobe acrobat writer which has been on the pc for a decade.
It works fine. I did install the reader once, a few years ago though.
Just to read a newer pdf format but I've since moved to non-Adobe apps.

> What is the default program for PDF files.

The default reader is Foxit Reader 9.3 for *.pdf files.
The default reader is gsview64.exe for *.ps *.eps & *.prn files.

I only use Ghostscript/GhostView to remove print & editing permissions.

> There are several types of
> Files used by the Adobe reader.

I only know of these. Do you know of any others?

pdf Portable Document Format file
ps PostScript file
eps Encapsulated PostScript file
prn PostScript or Encapsulated PostScript print files

> Have you removed all of the file
> associations that refer to the Adobe Reader.

I checked all the file associations above and none are set to that.

> What about the defaults in your browse, newsreader, or email program.

Browsers are always set to download all file types other than images.
Email and newsreader also set to download as they're lousy viewers.

It's something sneaky that only started happening after the last Microsoft
Windows update which I suspect turned back on one of the "scheduled tasks"
that I typically turn off by shutting service - but I don't remember which
one. (As an aside, someday I'll implement a system log of my changes.)

What I deleted is the Acrobat writer updater which maybe was misbehaving.
C:\Program Files\Acrobat8\Acrobat\AdobeUpdateManager.exe
And I deleted everything in the Adobe Common Files directory too.

C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\Adobe

That's where the Adobe updater and its services was located.
%ProgramFiles%\Common Files\Adobe\ARM\1.0\armsvc.exe
%ProgramFiles%\Common Files\Adobe\ARM\1.0\adobearm.exe

I also wiped out all the Adobe keys that seemed to be updating in the
system registry & I ran this tool to permanently disable Adobe updates.
https://www.raymond.cc/blog/quickly-check-change-critical-software-auto-update-status/

Also I disabled the Adobe scheduled tasks in taskschd.msc.
taskschd.msc > Task Schedule Library > Adobe Acrobat Update Task > Disable
And the Adobe Acrobat Update Service too.
services.msc > Adobe Acrobat Update Service > Properties > Disabled

The registry is always the hardest to deal with because you don't know what
it will effect when you mess with it, where the main keys seem to be in
Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Adobe\

Some of the keys I deleted were, for example.
\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Adobe\Adobe ARM\1.0\ARM\Products\Reader

What anything is doing in a directory called "WOW" is confusing though.

Anyway, I think I probably killed it. But now I have to wait and see
because it comes back after every automatic Windows update it seems.

[Paul]

On 2/5/2023 1:24 PM, rdb wrote:

It is doing this too, on company servers.

https://community.adobe.com/t5/acrobat-reader-discussions/adobe-reader-dc-keeps-updating-itself-to-adobe-acrobat-pro-dc/m-p/12450057

The Adobe marketing monkeys are pleased as punch,
as there is no reply regarding the issue. Adobe is
not interested in fixing this.

There's a suggestion that Reader is wired (bomb squad style)
to start a seven-day trial of Pro, if you click the "rotate page"
button (CW or CCW buttons).

Paul