Can you run 2 different versions of Acrobat Reader at once?

[airpay@adobeforums.com]

Is it possible - by some setting or tweak in Windows XP settings - to view a PDF document in Acrobat Approval 5 Reader, and view another PDF document in Acrobat 6 Reader at the same time?

I'm an information developer for a home-care coordination agency. We use a form-based PDF document for general client assessments - this form was created by an outside agency and is 'locked.' It must be opened using Acrobat Approval 5.0 Reader, and this version of the reader has most of the normal Acrobat Reader buttons and functions disabled, including Search.

We also have a set of cataloged PDF files of local resource information that needs to be viewed and searched via the normal Acrobat 6 Reader program.

I modified the file extensions and program associations in Windows so that the resource document opens in Acrobat 6 [changed the extension to .pd6 instead of .pdf] so that each type of document opens with the correct version of Acrobat Reader.

The issue now is that many of our case-managers need to fill in the PDF-forms AND refer to the resource list at the same time - this would require having Acrobat Approval 5.0 Reader AND Acrobat 6.0 Reader open at the same time. Unfortunately, only one instance of Acrobat Reader opens at any time.

Does anyone know if there is a way around this in Windows XP Pro?

Thanks,

RP, Ottawa, Canada
May 3 04

[Reinhard_Franke@adobeforums.com]

Start with the command-line /n opens allways a new instance.

AcroRD32.exe /n File1.pdf
Acroabat.exe /n File2.pdf
AcroRD32.exe /n File3.pdf
.....

All files will be opened in own window. Should also work with Approval, what I don't have.

HTH, Reinhard

[Fr._Watson@adobeforums.com]

Start with the command-line /n opens allways a new instance.




(You can also use /n in a shortcut on your desktop, i.e., "C:\Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat 4.0\Acrobat\Acrobat.exe" /n)