CYFN Web Troubleshooting Guide
When I click on a link...
- nothing happens
- I get the error message “File does not begin with %pdf.”
If nothing happens,you should make sure your browser is version 4 or better (4, 5, or 6) by selecting “About Internet Explorer” or “About Netscape” from the Help menu. You should also check the settings to see if JavaScript is enabled. For this, see instructions below for the particular browser. If it is, you should see a second window pop up when you click on the link. Depending on the version and type of your browser as well as the configuration of your Acrobat Reader, the document will either open in this second browser window or it will be opened in Acrobat Reader.
Internet Explorer Netscape Navigator AOL
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Internet Explorer 3.x:
  1. Select Options from the View menu
  2. click Security
  3. check Enable Java Programs
  4. click OK, then
  5. click the Reload button
 Internet Explorer 4.x:
  1. Select Internet Options from the View menu
  2. click the Security tab
  3. click Custom
  4. click Settings
  5. scroll down to locate Scripting
  6. click Enable for Active Scripting
  7. click OK, then click the Reload button
 Internet Explorer 5 or higher:
  1. Select Internet Options from the Tools menu.
  2. In Internet Options dialog box select the Security tab.
  3. Click custom level button at bottom right. The Security settings dialog box will pop up.
  4. Under Scripting category check Active Scripting, Allow paste options via script and Scripting of Java applets
  5. Check radio boxes.
  6. Click OK twice to close out.
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Netscape Navigator 3.x:
  1. Select Options from the Edit menu.
  2. Click Network Preferences.
  3. Click Languages.
  4. Check both Enable Java and Enable JavaScript.
  5. Click OK.
   Netscape Navigator 4 or higher:
  1. Select Preferences from the Edit menu.
  2. Click Advanced.
  3. Check in both Enable Java and Enable JavaScript.
  4. Click OK.
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AOL 3.x:
  1. Click My AOL.
  2. Click Preferences.
  3. Click Security.
  4. Check Enable Java Programs, if blank, click it on.
  5. Click OK.
  6. Click reload.
   AOL 4 or higher:
  1. Click My AOL.
  2. Click Preferences.
  3. Click WWW.
  4. Click the Security tab.
  5. Click Custom.
  6. Click Settings.
  7. Scroll down to locate Scripting.
  8. Click Enable for Active Scripting.
  9. Click OK, then click reload.
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If you get “File does not begin with %pdf.”, you should make sure that your Acrobat Reader is version 5.0 or above by selecting “About Acrobat Reader” from the Help menu. You can download the newest version of Acrobat Reader free from the Adobe web site at http://www.adobe.com. Depending on which version of Adobe Acrobat and Internet Explorer you are using, you may or may not have access to your documents. You can upgrade Acrobat and/or IE, which would then allow you to access your file within your browser; or you can change the setting in Acrobat to open PDFs outside your IE browser (see instructions below). With a properly configured browser and Acrobat Reader, you should see a second window pop up when you click on the document link. Viewing documents in Acrobat Reader (and not the browser) provides more tools for navigating, though the load time might be longer. Certain builds of Netscape, Internet Explorer and AOL do not properly display embedded PDF files, even if Acrobat Reader is installed. Instead they display a blank screen, an error message like “File does not begin with %PDF” or a blank screen with a small document image in the upper left corner. To get around this, Adobe recommends configuring Acrobat as a helper, not a plug-in. Here's how you do it:
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Acrobat 4.0 on Windows:
  1. Select Preferences/General from File menu.
  2. General Preferences dialog box opens.
  3. Select Options from list on the left.
  4. Uncheck “Web Browser Integration” under Options.
 Acrobat 5.0 on Windows:
  1. Select Preferences/General from Edit menu.
  2. Preferences dialog box opens.
  3. Select Options from list on the left.
  4. Uncheck “Display PDF in Browser” under Web Browser Options.
 Acrobat 4 or above on Mac:
  1. Select Preferences/General from Edit menu.
  2. Preferences dialog box opens.
  3. Select Options from list on the left.
  4. Uncheck “Allow Fast Web View”.
Note: The next time you select a link to a PDF file in Internet Explorer and AOL, a dialog box will prompt you to specify what to do with the file. If you select "Open this file from its current location," Internet Explorer and AOL open the PDF file in Acrobat 4.0 or later or Acrobat Reader 4.0 or later as a helper application. If you select "Save this file to disk," Internet Explorer saves the PDF file to your hard disk, from where you can open it later. You may find other PDF solutions by searching the Support Knowledgebase on Adobe's Web site at www.adobe.com/support/main.html. Adobe Acrobat®, Microsoft Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator™, are third party products, and we cannot provide direct user support for installation, configuration or usage of any third party product. If you need general assistance with these products, you must contact the specific manufacturer, or your local software support team.
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