The basic functions the Acrobat Reader are easy to master but may not be immediately obvious. All of the controls you need to view a PDF are located on the toolbar at the top of the Acrobat window. The main controls are the Zoom and Hand tools which allow you to navigate the pages of a PDF.

Zoom
The icon on the toolbar at the top of the PDF that resembles a magnifying glass can be used to zoom in or zoom out on a PDF. Holding down the Control key (or the Option key on a MAC) while using the zoom tool will zoom out.

There are three other icons on the toolbar that are useful here. They resemble peices of paper and can be used to instantly change the magnification of the document to three presets. They are (from left to right) Actual size (zooms to the documents printed size), Fit to window (this resizes the document to fit all within the window) and Fit to width (this fits the document to the window by width only)

Hand
The icon on the toolbar that resembles a hand can be used to scroll around on a page of a PDF. Simply select this tool, then click and drag the view around. This tool will also allow you to click on hyperlinks within a PDF page.

Page
The triangular controls on the toolbar are for switching pages within the document. These are the four that are grouped together. The middle two are for going forward or back a page and the ones on either side are for jumping to the first or last page within the document.

Next to these controls are the Back and Forward buttons. These will display the last view in either direction, wether it be another document or another page within the current document. Much like the back and forward buttons in your browser.

Navigation pane
This can also be helpfull when navigating PDFs as it provides instant access to pages and bookmarks within a document, as well as providing an overview of the pages with a thumbnail layout.

Tip
You can also switch pages and scroll within a page by using the arrow keys on your keyboard.

Print, Save and Find can be found on the toolbar and are fairly self explanatory.

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Your System
Because there are hundreds of different software and hardware configurations, it is hard to provide basic downloading instructions for your specific system. If you're unsure how to download a file with your software or hardware, consult the user guide or the manufacturer.

We can, however provide tips and some basic advice on your connection and the use of the Adobe Acrobat software for the purpose of downloading PDF files from the Adelaide Metro website.

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Troubleshooting Problems When Downloading or Installing Acrobat Reader
Because downloading files involves many variables, you may encounter a variety of problems when downloading or installing Adobe Acrobat Reader from Adobe's Web site or FTP (File Transfer Protocol) site. You may be unable to find Acrobat Reader to download, you may be unable to connect, a file may stop downloading in the middle of transfer, you may be unable to locate the Acrobat Reader installer after downloading it, or you may experience errors or unexpected behavior while installing Acrobat Reader.

Use the Downloading Help on Adobe's help pages to eliminate your problem. This document is intended for those familiar with basic download procedures.

If you are new to Acrobat Reader, see "Introduction to Acrobat Reader."
If you are new to downloading files, see "Introduction to Downloading from the Adobe Web Site."

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Common problems with downloading PDFs
Unstable Internet Connection
Incorrect configuration of Acrobat and Browser
Old version of Acrobat

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Unstable Internet Connection
An unstable Internet connection is the most common cause of problems that occur with large file downloads. To successfully download files from any Web site or FTP site, you must have a stable connection to the Internet.

If when downloading a PDF, one or more of the following occurs:

• Nothing happens when you try to connect or download.
• An error message appears when you try to connect or download.
• A file transfer pauses intermittently while downloading.
• A file stops downloading before the download is complete.
• An error message appears when you try to run or open a downloaded file.
• Your computer unexpectedly disconnects from the Internet.

Do one or more of the following:

Solution 1
Contact your local telephone company or your cellular service provider for assistance with checking line clarity or with temporarily disabling telephone service features that may interfere with your Internet connection. Such as Call Waiting.
Solution 2
Contact your Internet service provider to verify your connection to the Internet is stable.
Solution 3
If you are certain your Internet connection is stable and you still encounter problems when downloading from Adelaide Metro, see "Downloading Help Documents" on the Adobe Web site for additional solutions.

You are more likely to have a problem with your Internet connection if one or more of the following are true:

• Your rate of transfer drops below 1.0 Kbps at any time during a download.
• Your download pauses for more than 60 seconds at any time.
• Your download pauses for more than 15 seconds more than once.
• You are connecting to the Internet using a cellular telephone.
• You are connecting to the Internet using a standard, land-based telephone line that sounds noisy when it is used for voice communications.
• You forgot to temporarily disable any telephone service features that may interfere with your Internet connection, such as Call Waiting.
• Your computer unexpectedly disconnects from the Internet at any time.

If you can successfully download files from other popular sites, your Internet connection is likely to be stable. The transfer rate of your downloads should be at least 1.0 Kbps for the entire duration of your download. Most Web browsers will show you the rate of transfer during file downloads.

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Old version of Acrobat
If you have an old version of Arobat Reader, you may solve some of problems by upgrading to the latest version. The lates version is free and available from Adobe's website. It is also widely distributed on computer magazine cover discs, which could save a lengthy download if you have a slow or unstable Internet connection.

Incorrect configuration of Acrobat and Browser
If your browser and Acrobat have not been configured to work together properly, then Acrobat may not launch in your Browser window. The browser will need the plugin for this to work correctly.

The Adobe website provide detailed help on this topic for all platforms and browsers. Help for Windows users running Internet Explorer or Netscape can be found on these pages, along with supprt for people using Mac and Linux operating systems.

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