Adobe Reader 11.0.06 failing on approximately 50% of the Macs.

[Seide]

Sorry to start a new thread. I posted a question here: https://jamfnation.jamfsoftware.com/discussion.html?id=7111 - Please the last post by me. I didn't get any responses.

I am using the Adobe Reader update from the Enterprise Distribution link.

Any input appreciated.

Thanks!

Here's what I posted in that thread:

I'm having a similar issue except I am installing Adobe Reader 11.0.06. I did get it from the Adobe Distribution site. It works on some Macs, but fails on others.

this is one error message in the logs:
Installation failed. The installer reported: 2014-01-28 14:09:42.528 installer[468:4007] PackageKit: ** Missing bundle identifier: /Library/Receipts/Office2008_en_automator.pkg 2014-01-28 14:09:42.532 installer[468:4007] PackageKit: ** Missing bundle identifier: /Library/Receipts/Office2008_en_autoupdate.pkg 2014-01-28 14:09:42.556 installer[468:4007] PackageKit: ** Missing bundle identifier: /Library/Receipts/Office2008_en_errorreporting.pkg 2014-01-28 14:09:42.578 installer[468:4007] PackageKit: ** Missing bundle identifier: /Library/Receipts/Office2008_en_fonts.pkg 2014-01-28 14:09:42.580 installer[468:4007] PackageKit: ** Missing bundle identifier: /Library/Receipts/Office2008_en_helpviewer.pkg 2014-01-28 14:09:42.581 installer[468:4007] PackageKit: ** Missing bundle identifier: /Library/Receipts/Office2008_en_ooxml.pkg installer: Package name is Adobe Reader XI (11.0.06) installer: Installing at base path / installer: The install failed (The Installer encountered an error that caused the installation to fail. Contact the software manufacturer for assistance.)

Here's the other:

Installation failed. The installer reported: installer: Package name is Adobe Reader XI (11.0.06) installer: Installing at base path / installer: The install failed (The Installer encountered an error that caused the installation to fail. Contact the software manufacturer for assistance.)

Not sure why it works on some and not on others.

[jhalvorson]

My Acrobat Reader 11.0.06 update policies were failing too. (Just assembled it all this morning.) I use the made for Enterprise installer.

Looked in the Installer.log and believed that it was failing if the system already had Acrobat Reader.app. (This I have to go back and test again. See the next reason for failures...)

Open Console > then browse to /Var/log/install.log for some times good, some times confusing details.

So I wrote a script that deletes Acrobat Reader and then installs the newer app, but the installs were failing on some others too.

Looked in the installer.log again and discovered it fails if the Acrobat Reader is currently running. Since I didn't build in the proper logic, a few systems had Acrobat deleted and then the install failed so there's no longer any copy of Adobe Reader.

For now, I've halted the policy and will do more testing, then get back restoring order in the universe.

[krichterjr]

I've seen issues when running software updates for other apps with similar logs. Seeing your logs and remembering a post somewhere on JN I believe the is issue has to do with some bad files in the /Library/Receipts/ folder. Specifically, it was something with Microsoft Office.

While you may loose history of any previous installs, you may want to try running something like this. Then try your Adobe install again.

rm -R /Library/Receipts/*

If you want to be a little less destructive you could try something like this since it looks like it was related to Office

rm -R /Library/Receipts/Office*

Certainly test it on a machine that it's failing on before you start pushing it out on a large scale.

[shakim]

If Adobe Reader is opened when you deployed the package then it will fail. Try killing Adobe Reader first then run the installer. Something like killall -m Adobe Reader

[daz_wallace]

There's an issue where if you try and run the adobe Reader install at the login window, it has a preflight script to move the current Adobe Reader app to the logged in user's Trash folder. At the login window only Root is 'logged in' and generally doesn't have a Trash so this causes the package to fail. It could be this you're seeing?

Munki rolled out a fix by running the following script before the Installer is run:

#!/bin/sh
if [ -e "/Applications/Adobe Reader.app" ]; then
rm -r "/Applications/Adobe Reader.app"
fi
exit 0

If you are having issues still, you could tack on a quit option in the script or have it run at logout?

Hope that helps

Darren

[Seide]

Thanks for everyone's suggestions. Looks like I have a few things to try. :)

Is there a script that can check to see if Adobe Reader is open, and if so, to quit it?

Thanks again.

[musat]

Thanks @daz_dar, That script solved our issues.

[frozenarse]

Pardon the thread hijack...

What are the reasons for installing Adobe Reader vs just using Preview? Just wondering if there is something i'm missing.

[jhalvorson]

@frozenarse][/url, I can't keep on top of everything so I continue old traditions :) ....I recall we deployed Acrobat simply because it allowed entering into forms when a forms based PDF loaded in a web page.

[musat]

@frozenarse, we are deploying Reader because we have some ebooks from Pearson that have audio embedded in them and Preview didn't seem able to play that audio.

[pditty]

We also deploy Acrobat reader due to a need to populate forms. Specifically our Special Ed forms in Campus.