Creating a Layer of Adobe Reader 9

Adobe Reader is one of those programs that make up a basic desktop. One problem with throwing Adobe Reader into a layer is that it likes to automatically update itself. That is fine until you reset the layer for any reason, then you are back to square one. There are some ways to deal with that, but the simplest way is to turn automatic updates off in Adobe Reader.

Adobe has released the "Acrobat Customization Wizard 9". This program allows you to tweak the basic settings of Adobe Reader and Adobe Acrobat. Adobe has made turning off automatic updates (and many other settings) a breeze to build into the install. This article will talk about how to create a Adobe Reader 9 layer that works well with layers.

Prerequisites:

There are a few things that you will need to download. Here they are:

1. Download Adobe Reader 9 from the following location: Adobe Reader 9
2. Download Adobe Customization Wizard 9: Adobe Customization Wizard 9. This just came out today. Get it while it's hot!
3. Once the Adobe Customization Wizard is downloaded, install it on your PC. It usually installs itself into the following path: Start >> All Programs >> Adobe Customization Wizard.

Finding the MSI:

The Adobe Customization Wizard needs an MSI to do its work. We downloaded an EXE above. Some programs ship as self-extracting executables. When you double click them, they will unpack their files on the hard drive. Knowing where the program unpacks itself can be hard to find out. I create a layer to help me find this info.

Here is how to get to the Adobe Reader 9MSI:

1. Open SVS Admin (or Symantec Software Virtualization Solution Admin)
2. Deactivate all of your layers
3. Click on File >> Create a new layer... (or press Control + N)
4. Select the "Install application" radio button and select the "Next" button
5. You can name this layer something like: Adobe Reader 9 Test
6. Select the "Single program capture" radio button, then click the "Browse" button.
7. A new window titled "Open" will appear. Navigate to the Adobe Reader 9 EXE and select it. Once it is selected, click on the "Open" button
8. We are now back on the "Install virtual software" screen, click the "Next" button to continue.
9. On the "Create new layer" screen, click the "Finish" button to begin creating the layer.

At this point an "Adobe Reader 9 - Setup" window will appear. It will unpack the EXE to a location on the hard drive. Once the EXE is done unpacking, you will see one of the two screens:

• "Default application for viewing PDF" - You will see this if you have Adobe Acrobat installed on your computer
• "Destination Folder" - You will see this screen if this is a fresh install.

Now, do the following steps to continue:

• Find the SVS twirling icon near the clock on your system tray.
• Right-click the icon and select "Stop Capture".
• Close the Adobe Reader 9 - Setup window
• When the "Are you sure you want to cancel Adobe Reader 9 installation?" window appears, select the "Yes" button
• In the "Adobe Reader 9 - Setup" window, select the "Finish" button.

Now we have stopped the Adobe Reader 9 installation, we can find the MSI. Here is how you do it:

• Right click on the layer title "Adobe Reader 9 Test" and select "Deactivate Layer"
• Right click on that same layer again and select "Edit advanced layer properties..."
• A window titled "Edit Layer" will appear. Navigate to the following location: User-Specific >> LOCALAPPDATA >> Adobe >> Reader 9.0 >> Setup Files >> READER9
• Right click on the folder titled "READER9", and click on "Copy"
• Right click on your desktop and select "Paste"

Congrats, you have successfully found the Adobe Reader 9 MSI installer! At this point you may ask why I went to all of the effort to create a layer to just capture the installer files. Why didn't I just navigate to them without the layer. It was a pretty simple decision for me. I had no idea where Adobe decided to drop those files, I used a layer to help me find them faster.

Tweaking the MSI:

Let's open the program, and load the MSI that we just found:

• Navigate to: Start >> All Programs >> Adobe Customization Wizard 9
• Once that program has opened, select File >> Open Package
• Navigate to the MSI on your desktop
• Select the AcroRead.msi file and click the "Open" button
• This is what the program looks like once it has opened:
  
  

  Click to view.

Let's go through each option in the Wizard:

• Personal Options: I want Adobe Reader to install in the default path, so I skip over this option
  
  

  Click to view.

• Installation Options: There are a few changes I make on this screen. I make sure that if Adobe Acrobat is installed that it opens all PDFs. I have found that is much less confusing to people. Also, under "Run Installation:" I set it to "Unattended". I want it to install itself and I also want to see that it is doing something. The last thing that I change is under "If reboot is required...". I change this to "Suppress Reboot".
  
  

  Click to view.

• Files and Folders: I don't make any changes in this category
  
  

  Click to view.

• Registry: I don't make any changes in this category
  
  

  Click to view.

• Shortcuts: I like to place Adobe Reader into a folder called "Document Readers" in the start menu, so I add the folder in and drag the default icon into it. I also don't want an icon on my desktop so I remove it.
  
  

  Click to view.

• Server Locations: I don't make any changes in this category
  
  

  Click to view.

• Security: This is one of the more updated sections of the Wizard. We don't have any special security needs, so I left this screen alone
  
  

  Click to view.

• Digital Signature: This screen deals more with Adobe Acrobat, I left the settings on this screen left to their default
  
  

  Click to view.

• EULA and Document Status: On this screen I checked the box next to "Suppress display of End User License Agreement (EULA)".
  
  

  Click to view.

• Online and Acrobat.com Features: This section is brand new. It deals with the new online security settings in Adobe Reader 9. I made the following changes: I disabled all updates, disabled Help > Purchase Adobe Acrobat, disabled the users ability to create a PDF online (this feature requires Adobe Air, and I have not installed that in my environment yet).
  
  

  Click to view.

• Comments and Forms: I made sure that Auto-Complete was off and that users can't change that setting. For security reasons I don't want Reader saving user's information.
  
  

  Click to view.

• File Attachments: No changes
  
  

  Click to view.

• Launch Other Applications: I thought that I could add in applications that Reader could open. For instance, if there is a link to a web page in a PDF, this setting would allow the browser to open automatically. That is NOT the case. If you set programs in this section they will open after Reader is installed.
  
  

  Click to view.

• Direct Editor: This has every little setting found in the MSI. If you feel comfortable using this screen, you should probably be using Wise Package Studio
  
  

  Click to view.

Now, if you look back in the folder on your desktop you will see some new files:

Click to view.

If you simply run "Setup.exe" it will install Reader with your tweaked settings.

Creating the Layer:

Now we can create the layer:

1. Open SVS Admin (or Symantec Software Virtualization Solution Admin)
2. Deactivate all of your layers
3. Click on File >> Create a new layer... (or press Control + N)
4. Select the "Install application" radio button and select the "Next" button
5. You can name this layer something like: Adobe Reader 9
6. Select the "Single program capture" radio button, then click the "Browse" button.
7. A new window titled "Open" will appear. Navigate to the setup.exe and select it. Once it is selected, click on the "Open" button
8. We are now back on the "Install virtual software" screen, click the "Next" button to continue.
9. On the "Create new layer" screen, click the "Finish" button to begin creating the layer.

The new layer will be created with all of your custom settings automatically.

Conclusion:

There is no easier way to setup Adobe Reader or Adobe Acrobat. One thing that you need to make sure you do is keep your settings consistent. People get mad when on one computer Adobe Acrobat opens PDF, and on another computer Adobe Reader opens PDFs. Using the Adobe Acrobat Wizard you can simplify the rollout of Adober Reader and Adobe Acrobat 9 by creating a layer that has all of the settings you want automatically, and that does not autoupdate.