not seeing thumbnails in windows explorer

ymmp · Post by **ymmp** » Thu Jul 07, 2011 8:54 pm

Hi,
I was sure I saw this discussed recently, but I couldn't find the topic, so I apologize for repeating something probably already discussed.
I installed the Shell Extensions, but I am not seeing thumbnails of my pdf's in Windows Explorer. Am I misunderstanding what I should see?
Also how can I tell if the ifiltering is working?
Thanks

Jamie - Tracker Supp · Thu Jul 07, 2011 9:27 pm

Hey Ymmp,

Let's make sure we had the Shell Extensions check box checked during the install. So lets remove the viewer from add remove programs/programs and features in the control panel, download it using the link below and re-install. When we reach the Select Components dialog windows be sure it looks like the image pasted below. Follow these steps and let me know how it goes.

Image link

Download link:
https://www.pdf-xchange.com/PDFXVwer.zip

ymmp · Post by **ymmp** » Thu Jul 07, 2011 9:49 pm

Hi Jamie,
I am absolutely sure I left the box checked. In fact in my previous install of .195 I had the same problem, and even took screenshots of the box checked.

Jamie - Tracker Supp · Thu Jul 07, 2011 10:15 pm

Well then, let's try something else. There is a wonderful bit of freeware called ShellExView. I have place a link to the installer below. It will tell you if the PDF-XChange PDF Thumbnail Provider is installed and if it has been disabled. Download and install the Shell extensions viewer. Scroll down the list until you find PDF-XChange PDF Thumbnail Provider and check if it is disabled. It will tell you this in the "Disabled" column.

Check that and let me know how it went.

http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/shexview_setup.exe

ymmp · Post by **ymmp** » Fri Jul 08, 2011 12:24 am

It's listed there and says "No" in disabled column (btw, what an interesting program. there are 257 items in the list. Is that a lot?)

bmalt · Post by **bmalt** » Fri Jul 08, 2011 5:02 pm

I'm having the same issue on one Win7 x64 pc, but I have another Win7x64 computer that is working fine with thumbnail view in explorer.

On the broken system, I installed with the "shell extensions" option, also cleared out my thumbnail cache via Disk Cleanup, still no thumbnail view.

I'm pretty sure part of the shell extensions are working because I do get pop-up tool tips on PDF files in explorer - showing author, producer, title, etc. I assume that information is coming from the "InfoTip Handler" that ShellExView shows on XCShInfo.dll.

When I compare ShellExView reports on the system that is working vs. the broken one, they look the same as far as the 5 PDF-Exchange entries.

The broken system does have an older version of TechSmith SnagIT installed - SnagIT appears to have broken my preview for .jpg and some other image files, so I can't say that's not related.

Jamie - Tracker Supp · Fri Jul 08, 2011 5:16 pm

ymmp,

There are many different challenges that the windows environment can throw up that could cause these symptoms. We are going to have to do some detective work. Do you have any other pdf viewers or image viewers installed? If you do, please uninstall them and our viewer, reboot, and then reinstall our product.

The broken system does have an older version of TechSmith SnagIT installed - SnagIT appears to have broken my preview for .jpg and some other image files, so I can't say that's not related.

Bmalt. Please remove our viewer and SnagIT, reboot and re-install our viewer.

Let me know how these steps go.

bmalt · Post by **bmalt** » Wed Jul 13, 2011 3:19 pm

The issue does not appear to be related to Snag-IT. I uninstalled Snag-iT on the broken system and reinstalled PDF-xchange viewer, cleared icon cache, thumbnails still do not work. I then installed Snag-IT on the system that has good thumbnail preview, and the thumbnail preview is still working on that system.

Jamie - Tracker Supp · Wed Jul 13, 2011 9:54 pm

How long has the challenge been happening on the broken computer and can you remember any changes you have made to your system recently?

bmalt · Post by **bmalt** » Wed Jul 13, 2011 10:08 pm

I'm pretty sure thumbnails have never worked on the broken system. I will just reimage that system and start over. I will install PDF exchange first after the rebuild and verify thumbnails work. If I find anything that breaks the thumbnail view during the rest of the rebuild I will post back to this thread.

Jamie - Tracker Supp · Wed Jul 13, 2011 10:11 pm

Sounds good to me.

Keep us posted and let me know if there is anything else we can do for you!

ymmp · Post by **ymmp** » Fri Jul 15, 2011 7:24 pm

Hello Jamie,

I'm sorry I didn't get back sooner.
Thumbnails still not working. I uninstalled everything I could inc. Adobe Reader, but there was one reader I couldn't uninstall (can't get new reg code for it), but I did go into "Uninstall Programs" and canceled its shell program.
Do you have any other ideas?
Thanks.

Jamie - Tracker Supp · Fri Jul 15, 2011 8:48 pm

Hey Ymmp,

What version of windows are you using? I want to try to craft you up a reg fix.

ymmp · Post by **ymmp** » Fri Jul 15, 2011 9:47 pm

Windows 7 64 bit Professional. If it makes a difference, it's a Lenovo x201 Tablet PC.

Jamie - Tracker Supp · Fri Jul 15, 2011 10:01 pm

I just emailed you a reg fix. Just double click it and it will add to your registry.

Zacchia · Post by **Zacchia** » Wed Aug 10, 2011 2:58 pm

Hi
I had the same problem, sometimes the thumbnail view was correct sometimes they are missing. Now i just installed X-Chance Viewer again and now it seams to work again. Windows XP.

Post by **Paul - PDF-XChange** » Wed Aug 10, 2011 3:08 pm

HI Zacchia,

interesting to hear. Can you identify an action that might have precipitaed this? Something new installed that might have changed the Shell Extensions perhaps?

Do let us know if you have any further issues.

Zacchia · Post by **Zacchia** » Thu Sep 22, 2011 8:11 am

Sorry Paul
Seen your message right now... I think maybe it has to do with adobe pdf viewer. Everytime when adobe viewer makes an update then the thumbnails view is gone... Now I deinstalled adobe viewer! Think adobe will always get the viewer open pdf as default.

In my profile I should get message when someone answer my posts. I guess I did not...

Thu Sep 22, 2011 1:35 pm

Hello Zacchia,

Thanks for the follow up. Yes - it's quite possible that Adobe Reader messes with the shell extensions we install (they are the ones that generate the thumbnails"), and are not setting up theirs properly.

Glad to hear that a reinstall of the Viewer did help!

Cheers,
Stefan

Zacchia · Post by **Zacchia** » Thu Sep 22, 2011 2:20 pm

Now without the adobe viewer is seems to be ok

Thu Sep 22, 2011 2:42 pm

David.P · Post by **David.P** » Thu May 31, 2012 7:42 pm

Same problem here...

No thumbnails in Windows Explorer (I have set Acrobat 7 as standard PDF viewer for technical reasons).

PDF thumbnails are only generated if PDF-XChange Viewer OR Adobe Reader X is set as standard PDF handler in Explorer.

I think it used to be possible to have Acrobat 7 as standard PDF viewer AND get PDF thumbnails in Windows Explorer (at least it was like that in Windows XP).

Now on Win7 64bit I can't get this to work

Post by **Paul - PDF-XChange** » Thu May 31, 2012 10:21 pm

Hi David,

can you try using Windows Explorer to set first PDF-XChange as the default, check that your thumbnails are working then again use Explorer to set the default to Adobe. I just did this and can have thumbnails available with both as default on my Win 7 box.

hth

David.P · Post by **David.P** » Fri Jun 01, 2012 7:12 am

Yes Paul that works, however with two caveats:

a) it only generates thumbnails for one currently open folder in Explorer (with the view of that folder set to thumbnails); and

b) PDF files that are added later don't receive thumbnails, until the standard handler is switched back to PDF-XChange or Adobe Reader, AND additionally step a) is carried out.

Thus, it seems that PDF thumbnail generation and PDF standard "Open file" assignment can't be associated with two different programs?

Regards David.P

Post by **Paul - PDF-XChange** » Fri Jun 01, 2012 4:40 pm

Hi David,

the shell extensions and file associations are not linked as such. We cannot be 100% certain what Adobe is setting when they are set as default.
All you should need to do is register the Shell Extensions DLL and they should work regardless of what application is set as the default PDF application.

In an administrative Command Prompt run:

Code: Select all

C:\>regsvr32 "\Program Files\Tracker Software\Shell Extensions\XCShInfo.dll"

for x86 systems.

For x64 you may also need to register the dll in the Win32 subfolder:

Code: Select all

C:\>regsvr32 "\Program Files\Tracker Software\Shell Extensions\Win32\XCShInfo.dll"

hth

David.P · Post by **David.P** » Fri Jun 01, 2012 4:48 pm

Thank you Paul,

I registered the two files successfully, but still no thumbnails (when Acrobat 7 is set as standard Open File handler for PDF) unfortunately.

Regards David.P

Post by **Chris - PDF-XChange** » Sat Jun 02, 2012 4:54 pm

Hi David,

Have you tried to run the Viewer, and goto Edit->Preferences->File Associations, and check the Make default PDF-Viewer button.

I didn't see that in the posts, as well can you clarify that you want to retain the Adobe default reader, and our Shell Extensions?

Chris

David.P · Post by **David.P** » Mon Jun 11, 2012 8:50 am

Hi Chris

Chris - Tracker Supp wrote: Have you tried to run the Viewer, and goto Edit->Preferences->File Associations, and check the Make default PDF-Viewer button.

Yes I did that, and then chose Adobe Acrobat 7 as standard viewer in the Windows Explorer options (since at the moment, I need Acrobat as standard viewer, not PDF-XChange Viewer).

can you clarify that you want to retain the Adobe default reader, and our Shell Extensions?

Yes, I want to retain Adobe Acrobat 7 (not Adobe Reader X which however is also installed) as default reader, and possibly the PDF-XChange Viewer Shell Extensions. Actually, it doesn't matter which Shell Extensions are used, as long as thumbnails are generated (which they are not when I set Acrobat 7 as standard viewer in Windows Explorer).

Regards David.P

Post by **Paul - PDF-XChange** » Mon Jun 11, 2012 10:28 pm

Hi David,

Ivan has suggested that we take a look directly on your system as t appears it is not doing what we expect. If you take a look here https://www.pdf-xchange.com/knowled ... e-an-issue and send us the indemnity form we can connect at 10:00 am tomorrow Pacific Time in Canada (GMT+8:00)

Let us know by email your TeamViewer ID and password when you submit the Indemnity form.

regards

David.P · Post by **David.P** » Tue Jun 12, 2012 9:33 am

Paul, thank you for your friendly offer for remote assistance.

I don't have problems with it, however it seems a little complicated at the present stage (fill out Indemnity form, change my configuration temporarily from three monitors to single monitor, establish connection etc.)

Isn't there anything else I could do myself?

Putting it another way, are you already sure that there actually is a way to have Adobe Acrobat 7 (not a later version) as standard viewer AND still get PDF thumbnails in Windows Explorer (for example by PDF-XChange Viewer)?

Thank you again,

Regards David.P

Post by **Paul - PDF-XChange** » Tue Jun 12, 2012 2:13 pm

Hi David,

I made the suggestion at my development team leader's suggestion. This is because none of the things we have suggested have worked and he does not offer to do this without good reason so I think it is actually at that point now. I can certainly ask him again but I suspect the answer will be the same.

The form is only one page and very short. We have never to date actually done any harm but it is required in the day and age I'm sorry to say.

Ivan is very sure that the Shell Extensions should be completely independent of the associated browser. I believe the issue is not so much that, as that there are other settings changes made when using Adobe to make itself the default, as I understand it the key here is to set just the file association explicitly.

Will you make the machine available at 10:00?

Paul

David.P · Post by **David.P** » Tue Jun 12, 2012 3:32 pm

OK Paul, I'll send the form and the TeamViewer login data via e-mail. I suppose 10:00 Pacific Standard Time is in about 1h:30mins from now.

Regards David

Post by **Paul - PDF-XChange** » Tue Jun 12, 2012 3:41 pm

That's right.

1 hr 19 as I type this...

David.P · Post by **David.P** » Tue Jun 12, 2012 3:43 pm

OK

Post by **John - Tracker Supp** » Tue Jun 12, 2012 4:49 pm

David.P · Post by **David.P** » Tue Jun 12, 2012 4:51 pm

I will be away from the PC for 10-15 mins and then come back as quickly as possible. The TeamViever session is still running.

Post by **Paul - PDF-XChange** » Tue Jun 12, 2012 6:04 pm

For the benefit of those readers following this, Ivan found that there was an issue with the thumbnail cache. Clearing the cached thumbnails using Windows Disk Cleanup resolved this.

David.P · Post by **David.P** » Tue Jun 12, 2012 7:37 pm

Thanks to the tracker team once more for the amazing support.

After a restart I can confirm that thumbnails are still being generated in Windows Explorer (and Dopus) as soon as a folder containing PDF's is opened and switched to thumbnails view.

At the same time, Adobe Acrobat 7 is still working as standard PDF viewer, while PDF preview in the Windows Explorer and Dopus preview panes, respectively, is being generated by the PDFXChange preview handler.

Fantastic team, world class products!

Regards David.P

Post by **Paul - PDF-XChange** » Tue Jun 12, 2012 8:02 pm

and especially to Ivan who was the one who actually fixed this...

David.P · Post by **David.P** » Tue Jun 12, 2012 8:16 pm

...and who visibly had no problem at all finding his way around in the innards of a German Windows PC some 5000 miles away

Post by **Paul - PDF-XChange** » Tue Jun 12, 2012 8:32 pm

aaah - isn't the internet wonderful... I remember when an upgrade from a 1440 BPS to a 2880 BPS modem was considered FAST!!!

David.P · Post by **David.P** » Tue Jun 12, 2012 9:10 pm