Embedded PDF in WORD file will not open

[mstgmbh]

Hello,
we started to receiving word files with embedded PDFs, but although set as standard PDF viewer, these embedded files do not open when clicked - instead word gives an error:

"the server application, source file, or item cannot be found.
make sure the application is properly installed, and that it has not been deleted, moved, renamed, or blocked by policy."

we verified that it is not some policy and/or security setting in office, and that the received file in fact does contain the pdfs.

some googling indicated that, if the PDFs were embedded on a system with Adobe Acobat, the target system needs to have it as well otherwise it would not work.... can it be? also this would bluntly defeat the purpose of pdf?

if looking at the properties of he embedded objects, they show as "Acrobat..." and cannot be converted to anything else.

thanks for any suggestions how to solve this without actually having to switch to adobe!

best regards,
Michael

[Will - Tracker Supp]

Hi Michael,

Thanks for the post - these are very specific objects that MS Office uses and will only work with Adobe Reader or Acrobat. I'm afraid that there isn't anything that we can do to help, you'd need to contact Microsoft for help on this.

Sorry we couldn't help more!

[Willy Van Nuffel]

I know it is a little bit out of the scope of this forum, but I wonder if you are not able to open the PDF's indicated in Microsoft Word as "Adobe Acrobat Document", via the free available Adobe Reader. Is this PDF-reader installed on your PC?
If not, then you can try it out. The download and installation of Adobe Reader will cost you nothing, just a little bit of time. Normally, you should not need Adobe Acrobat to open these kind of PDF-objects in Word.

Unfortunately, it is like Will said, you can not open them with PDF-XChange Editor, nor Viewer.

Best regards.

[mstgmbh]

thanks Will and Willy for your comments and insight
- terrible news.
Willy, using Adobe reader is exactly what i didn't want to have to do.
i've successfully defended my systems against this ugly bloat for years by using PDFX.
if, because of this story i now need adobe anyhow, i can as well give in completely and cancel on PDFX - mainaining two softwares for the same thing makes no sense for me.
Will, maybe it's not me who should complain with MS but you? after all it's your product being shut out and losing users by this?
thanks anyway,
Michael

[Willy Van Nuffel]

Hi Michael and Tracker support,

Can't you just ask your contact person to embed the PDF's in the Word documents, in another way ?

Like this, in Microsoft Word 2010:
- Instead of
> Insert > Object > Create New > Adobe Acrobat Document (display as icon) > OK
- Click
> Insert > Object > Create from file + browse to the PDF and Insert (display as icon) > OK
- or
> drag-and-drop the PDF from Windows Explorer onto the open document in Microsoft Word.

So, you should be able to open them with PDF-XChange Viewer/Editor.
In attachment, you can find a Word document in which I have embedded two times the same PDF, to check this out.

Best regards.

[Will - Tracker Supp]

Hi Willy,

Thanks for that, that's great! I didn't actually know that was possible - I'm not that familiar with MS Word and I've only seen the ability to embed PDF's that open with Adobe, previously.

I'll be sure to pass this info. along to the rest of Tracker's team

[mstgmbh]

Dear Willy,
many thanks for the suggestion and the effort you put into demonstrating your idea!
very much appreciated!
i tried to pass on this suggestion because to me it looked like a very acceptable solution - however unfortunately the documents in question are coming from a large external source who will unlikely change their procedures because of us.
so after many years of successfully avoiding the big "A", it looks like i will have to finally give in. it's really frustrating.
nevertheless a big thanks for your kind assistance.
best,
Michael

[Stefan - PDF-XChange]

Hi Willy and Michael,

The alternative solution Willy offered is really nice, too bad that some organisations might be reluctant to switch to it

And sorry that we can't help further here Michael, but once those files are embedded as the special OLE objects - there's really no way to open them apart from with the software originally used to embed them in Word.

Regards,
Stefan