Alternate PDF reader?

I am looking for recommendations for an alternate to Adobe Reader. Does anyone know of a good PDF viewer that has all the features of the latest Adobe Reader, but does not install spyware (like Foxit Reader)?

 

http://www.tracker-software.com/product/pdf-xchange-viewer
has a decent free PDF program.
or
http://blog.kowalczyk.info/software/sumatrapdf/free-pdf-reader.html

 

I use SumatraPDF. It's a standalone program, meaning you don't install it. Simply download it, unzip it, copy it to your Program Files (or where-ever). Then be sure Adobe Reader (or whatever PDF reader you now use) is completely uninstalled, then double-click a PDF file. You will be asked what program to use, so then you browse to the SumatraPDF .EXE file (which you copied to Program Files or where-ever), select it, and be sure the little box is checked for "Use this program every time...". It works great! It opens PDFs really fast, it's open source and therefore free, and is much more secure than Adobe Reader (which is somewhat famous for its vulnerabilities), and it has the same features as Adobe Reader (you can zoom, un-zoom, search, etc).

 

What do you mean by installing spyware by Foxit? I've never had that issue.:confused

 

Thank you foogoo and dlb for the recommendations.

@augiedoggie: Foxit Reader installs the infamous Ask toolbar spyware, even if you uncheck it. (At least it behaved like that when I installed version 1.x some years ago. The spyware was almost impossible to remove after uninstalling Foxit, as there was no installer/uninstaller.)

 

Even the Ask toolbar is easily removed with the Add/Remove program.

 

We have dumped Acrobat Reader at work and now use only Foxit. I think the latest version is 4.x. There is no Ask toobar.

 

True. I installed Foxit Reader on 6/11/10 and discovered the Ask toolbar had been installed. I'd bet I had the option to decline the Ask toolbar when installing Foxit but I overlooked it. Anyway, I simply removed it via Programs and Features in Windows 7's Control Panel.

 

That was not the case when I tested Foxit (v1.x or 2.x) a few years ago. I am also sure that I unchecked the Ask toolbar offer at the time, but it was installed anyway (without any uninstaller).

Foxit and its bundled spyware are now forever banned from any computer under my control.

Adobe Reader is fine for me, but there are some rare instances when installing it on Vista or Windows 7, when it turns the desktop into a unworkable disaster. I have never found any solution for this, except to recommend an alternate PDF reader - that is why I am asking here for specific recommendations.

Thank you again.

 

A few years ago? I don't recall the Ask toolbar being bundled with Foxit that far back (and I've been a Foxit user from way back when it fitted on a floppy disk with room to spare).

I do however recall installing a new version to update Foxit only 2/3 months ago, as usual on any installation, I selected the Custom install, opted out of Ask but I saw it being installed regardless I believe this was a bug and was fixed within a few days.

Bugs (and user mistakes) happen.

 

How you can say "Adobe Reader is fine for me" and "but there are some rare instances when installing it on Vista or Windows 7, when it turns the desktop into a unworkable disaster" seems like an obviously contradictory statement. Foxit Reader has over 13 million downloads just from one source (see http://download.cnet.com/Foxit-Reader/3000-10743_4-10313206.html) and it is downloaded from numerous other sources. What is going take to convince you downloading and installing Foxit Reader isn't going to break your computer?

 

Ok, I checked the details (old posts at the calendarofupdates.com forum): the Ask toolbar was added to Foxit Reader 2.3.3309 in September 2008.

 

I have seen these special circumstances 5 times (at the Adobe.com user forums) over the last 3 or 4 years. That is really not much compared with the 52 million downloads at CNET, and probably very much higher number at the Adobe download site.

Adobe Reader works perfectly for me, and on all computers I have ever installed it. It may be bloated, but it also opens Illustrator and other Adobe proprietary file types for me.

 

Best Free PDF Reader/Viewer:

PDF XChange PDF-XChange Viewer -- Download | Review

"Loads reasonably fast, can print PDFs, allows basic annotation without watermarking, good text clarity, allows you to fill and save Adobe PDF forms, extract text and images, magnify text, and export PDF pages or documents to BMP, JPEG, TIFF, PNG formats."

Third party readers like PDF-XChange help you to replace the slow and bulky Adobe PDF Reader.

http://www.techsupportalert.com/content/top-freeware-picks-category-editors.htm

 

I am running a slightly older version of Foxit v3.2.1. No tool bar is in evidence because during install there is an option available to uncheck it.

Have ditched Adobe reader for good.

plodr, how do you find v4.2.0.0928 is it much better than previous one. Any radical differences?

Good Luck

 

to risk_reversal

http://www.oldversion.com/Foxit-PDF-Reader.html

Has versions back to ver. 1.3, build 0104

 

Quick question, for my info only: does Open Office handle .pdf files? Thanks.

 

OpenOffice says it does.

 

Ok, then: would OO serve as an adequate alternate for Adobe Reader?

 

Agree with the PDF-XChange Viewer suggestions, been using it for quite some time and it works well. Prefer it to Foxit.

Nope, O will export a file as a PDF accurately but won't read one correctly.

 

Ah - thanks.

@pwillener: apologize for the hijack.

 

No problem; it was an excellent question! :cool