Acrobat Failed To Connect To A DDE Server - Fatal Error When Opening a downloaded PDF file

Acrobat Failed To Connect To A DDE Server is a nasty problem but it has a solution. Read on!

Today I'm getting a FATAL ERROR - Acrobat Failed to Connect to a DDE Server on Windows Vista SP2. Just trying to view a downloaded PDF file. Searched the web, a lot of folks have the problem. No time right now. Just downloaded Foxit Viewer: http://www.foxitsoftware.com/pdf/reader/addons.php This worked! I'm now reading the PDF in FoxIt! Anyone has a better solution that could work with Adobe Reader? Comment, let me know! ---update--- I saw this:
Generally this error comes from an anti-virus program blocking the software from connecting. Check McAfee for any type of Software blocks or firewall issues. If that doesn't work then uninstall and reinstall the program and see if McAfee then pops up with a message asking you for permission to let it access the internet.
at http://itknowledgeexchange.techtarget.com/itanswers/cant-open-pdf-files-in-windows-7/ so I stopped real time blocking with Avast. Result: Adobe Reader still not working with this file...

8 comments:

Disclosure said...

I'm still getting Acrobat Failed To Connect to a DDE Server, even after Avast real time is off.

Any other suggestions, comment away!

Anonymous said...

Make sure the DDE Server Service (there are 2 of them) are set to automatic.

Reboot then see how you go

Disclosure said...

Anon, Not sure what the names of the two services are? I looked under Services in Vista, no such name? How do I install these services?

Thx!

Anonymous said...

I had this issue as well. The DDE Services both were named Network DDE..

I set the both to automatic, and started both (one depends on the other, so if one won't start you just need to start the other first).

Disclosure said...

I see at msdn.microsoft.com [http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa365135%28VS.85%29.aspx] that Network DDE is no longer supported, see below. Maybe Adobe and other programs, even Firefox and Windows Mail are still using it?

About Network DDE

[Network DDE is no longer supported. Nddeapi.dll is present on Windows Vista, but all function calls return NDDE_NOT_IMPLEMENTED.]

Network DDE is used to initiate and maintain the network connections needed for DDE conversations between applications running on different computers in a network. A DDE conversation is the interaction between client and server applications. You use network DDE along with DDE and the DDE management library (DDEML) in your application.

DDE is a form of interprocess communication that uses shared memory to exchange data between applications. Applications can use DDE for one time data transfers or for ongoing exchanges and updating data. For more information on DDE, see Dynamic Data Exchange.

DDEML simplifies the task of adding DDE capability to an application. Instead of sending, posting, and processing DDE messages directly, an application uses the functions provided by the DDEML to manage DDE conversations. For more information on DDEML, see Dynamic Data Exchange Management Library.
Network DDE Files

To use the API elements of network DDE, you must include the NDDEApi.h header file in your source files and include NDDEApi.lib file on your link line. You must also make sure that the NDDEApi.dll file is loaded.

For more information, see the following topics:

* Network DDE Agent
* DDE Shares
* Trusted Shares and Security
* Managing DDE Shares





Send comments about this topic to Microsoft

Build date: 8/19/2010

Disclosure said...

By The Way, I am still using Foxit Reader for reading PDF files because of this. At the same time errors in following the URL links have been occurring with WindowsMail, and they still occur there.

If anyone has experienced "Acrobat Failed to Connect to a DDE Server" and has solved the problem so Acrobat can start normally, please post the Acrobat Reader version and your operating system here, and what else you might have done.

Thanks!

Anonymous said...

I use Sumatra PDF with great satisfaction:

http://blog.kowalczyk.info/software/sumatrapdf/free-pdf-reader.html

best

raheez said...

acrobat version 10..cannot connect to the dde server..

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