Most desktop software applications rely upon a number of components within and beyond the operating system. For this reason installing, updating, and uninstalling these applications should go smoothly, and most do. On rare occasions a user may not be able to complete these tasks due to some registry or file conflict or permissions issue on the machine.
The Adobe Reader and Acrobat Cleaner Tool for Windows is designed to help IT and support professionals fix such issues and enable the successful installation of subsequent new installs or updates. It does so by removing standalone installations of these products (for version 9 and higher), including removing corrupted files, and removing or changing permissions on registry entries, even after a standard uninstall. The tool also provides options for removing problematic Acrobat items only while leaving Adobe Reader untouched, and vice versa, so that workflows are not broken. Additionally, it has both a user interface and command-line mode, both of which are documented.
You can download this tool for free from the Enterprise IT Tools for Adobe Acrobat and Reader page
on Adobe Labs. Please note that although we are releasing these tools free of charge, like other technologies on Adobe Labs, they do not come with an official support program.
