Solved Looking for a PDF reader for W7 Pro

Aardvarkly

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I have been using Sumatra for years but for some reason it no longer functions properly. I have been unable to set it as default PDF handler and all the solutions I can find on the net don't help. The options shown in screenshots are not available on my screen. I uninstalled Sumatra and reinstalled it and it doesn't work at all, it seems to have some sort of fit and shuts itself down.

Can anyone recommend a lightweight simple to use PDF reader with just basic functionality? I don't want or need complicated software.
 

My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Home built Asus
OS
Windows 7 Pro 64bit
CPU
Intel® Core™ i3 Processor 3.7ghz
Motherboard
Asus Intel Prime H270-Pro LGA 1151 ATX
Memory
Crucial (2x8GB) DDR4-2400
Graphics Card(s)
on board
Monitor(s) Displays
BENQ GL2450HE (24 inch)
Screen Resolution
1980 x 1080
Hard Drives
C drive is SSD Crucial 500gb mostly for the OS
PSU
Corsair CX750
Case
A big black one
Cooling
Cooler Master Hyper TX3i on the processor
Keyboard
Logitech k2700 wireless
Mouse
Logitech M575 wireless trackball
Internet Speed
Just under about 7mb/s on a good day
Antivirus
Avira Free
Browser
Opera, Firefox, Chrome, and Supermium
check your browsers... most offer a pdf reader
 

My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
medionl/Aspire 6930G/acer x55a
OS
W7 home premium 32bit/W7HP 64bit/w10 tp insider ring
CPU
E5300 dual core
Motherboard
medion MS7366
Memory
3gb
Graphics Card(s)
Nvidia Geforce 7100 Nforce 630i
Monitor(s) Displays
avixc
Internet Speed
n (isp resticted to 72)
Antivirus
mse/pands
Browser
palemoon
Other Info
Belkin Fd7050 n USB using Railink RT2870 drivers, more upto date
I use Foxit PDF Reader.
 

My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Custom built
OS
Win-7 32bit. 64bit, Win-10 and XP
CPU
i5-3570K 3.40Ghz
Motherboard
GA-Z77-HD3
Memory
16 GB
Graphics Card(s)
NVIDIA GeForce 1050
Sound Card
On Motherboard
Monitor(s) Displays
Asus VP278H-P
Screen Resolution
1920x1080
Hard Drives
Samsung 840 EVO 120GB SSD
Samsung 840 EVO 250GB SSD
Samsung 850 PRO 256GB SSD
WDC_WD1001FALS-00E8B0
PSU
EVGA 550W
Case
Gigabyte
Keyboard
Fujitsu FKB70D (dont laugh)
Internet Speed
15
Antivirus
Windows Defender
Browser
Mostly Fire Fox
don't you use your internet browser to read pdf files ?

if you want advanced editing features, foxit has been around a long time, and things like kingsoft free office suite (WPS Office ) have pdf functionality.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    OS
    7 X64
    CPU
    i5 8400
    Motherboard
    gigabyte b365m ds3h
    Memory
    2x8gb 3200mhz
    Hard Drives
    various
    PSU
    pure power 11 400w cm
    Case
    Coolermaster
    Cooling
    cryorig m9i
  • Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    OS
    7x64
    CPU
    g5400
    Motherboard
    ga b365m ds3h
    Memory
    8gb ddr4 2400
    PSU
    xfx pro 450w
I use Okular. PDF-XChange is a good one too.
 

My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
OS
Windows 7 Ultimate x64
don't you use your internet browser to read pdf files ?
if you want advanced editing features, foxit has been around a long time, and things like kingsoft free office suite (WPS Office ) have pdf functionality.


I wouldn't know how to do that. I had a look for a PDF reader in Chrome, Brave, Firefox, and Vivaldi "extensions" but coultn't find anything.
I have a lot of PDF documents saved in various folders and until Sumatra went belly up they all had the Sumatra logo on them and opened instantly without having to open a browser. I was hoping to find something else that would work in the same way.

I will try Googling foxit and try it. EDIT: Foxit is not free. I'll keep looking. Tried Nitro. Installation failed. Tried Slim. Too much stuff reducing the page viewing area. Ended up trying and keeping Javelin PDF Reader. The simplest equivalent to Sumatra I could find.

Thanks to all.
 
Last edited:

My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Home built Asus
OS
Windows 7 Pro 64bit
CPU
Intel® Core™ i3 Processor 3.7ghz
Motherboard
Asus Intel Prime H270-Pro LGA 1151 ATX
Memory
Crucial (2x8GB) DDR4-2400
Graphics Card(s)
on board
Monitor(s) Displays
BENQ GL2450HE (24 inch)
Screen Resolution
1980 x 1080
Hard Drives
C drive is SSD Crucial 500gb mostly for the OS
PSU
Corsair CX750
Case
A big black one
Cooling
Cooler Master Hyper TX3i on the processor
Keyboard
Logitech k2700 wireless
Mouse
Logitech M575 wireless trackball
Internet Speed
Just under about 7mb/s on a good day
Antivirus
Avira Free
Browser
Opera, Firefox, Chrome, and Supermium
You don' need an extension or plugin . . . Firefox includes a built-in PDF viewer. You may need to associate the PDF file extension with Fire Fox though. But Javeline is good. Adobe Acrobat Reader still works. I only switched to Foxit because I had ONE pdf document from my insurance company (twice a month) that Adobe could not display and I could not get the insurance company to fix it at their end.

I wouldn't know how to do that. I had a look for a PDF reader in Chrome, Brave, Firefox, and Vivaldi "extensions" but coultn't find anything.
I have a lot of PDF documents saved in various folders and until Sumatra went belly up they all had the Sumatra logo on them and opened instantly without having to open a browser. I was hoping to find something else that would work in the same way.

I will try Googling foxit and try it. EDIT: Foxit is not free. I'll keep looking. Tried Nitro. Installation failed. Tried Slim. Too much stuff reducing the page viewing area. Ended up trying and keeping Javelin PDF Reader. The simplest equivalent to Sumatra I could find.

Thanks to all.
 

My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Custom built
OS
Win-7 32bit. 64bit, Win-10 and XP
CPU
i5-3570K 3.40Ghz
Motherboard
GA-Z77-HD3
Memory
16 GB
Graphics Card(s)
NVIDIA GeForce 1050
Sound Card
On Motherboard
Monitor(s) Displays
Asus VP278H-P
Screen Resolution
1920x1080
Hard Drives
Samsung 840 EVO 120GB SSD
Samsung 840 EVO 250GB SSD
Samsung 850 PRO 256GB SSD
WDC_WD1001FALS-00E8B0
PSU
EVGA 550W
Case
Gigabyte
Keyboard
Fujitsu FKB70D (dont laugh)
Internet Speed
15
Antivirus
Windows Defender
Browser
Mostly Fire Fox
I will try Googling foxit and try it. EDIT: Foxit is not free. I'll keep looking.


FTR (and for anyone who comes across this thread later), Foxit is still free. The enhanced products to create and edit PDFs cost money, but if all you need is a reader, it's still free. (Admittedly, the Foxit website is a mess and obfuscates that distinction.)

There's even a portable (no-install) version at portableapps.com, so you can try it out without installing or uninstalling if you decide not to keep it.
 

My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Dell Optiplex 7050
OS
Windows 7/8.1/10 multiboot
CPU
Intel Core i7-7700
Motherboard
Dell, Intel Q270 chipset
Memory
48GB (2x16GB Crucial DDR4-3200 + 2x8GB Hynix DDR4-2400)
Graphics Card(s)
Intel HD630 + AMD Radeon R7 450 PCIe
Monitor(s) Displays
Asus VC279 (27")
Screen Resolution
1920x1080
Hard Drives
Toshiba M.2 NVMe (256GB),
Samsung 960 Evo (500GB),
WD Red Plus 80EFBX (8TB)
I know what you are talking about Sumatra, it happened to me before.
You need Sumatra v3.1.2 64bit portable. If you move the Sumatra folder in Windows' Program Files folder ( not Program Files(x86)! ) you will be able to register Sumatra as default PDF viewer (look in Settings-Options), your pdf files will open instantly when you double-click them and their icon will look as it should.
 

My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Custom built for W7
OS
Windows 7 Professional x64
CPU
AMD Ryzen 7 2700
Motherboard
Gigabyte B450M DS3H
Okular (a free and open source project) can read and sometimes edit or copy text from a PDF... Creating a Portable Data Format is something more in tune with Word or LibreOffice et al... The PDF format was created for ease of use and universal reading capability between hardware...
 

My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
OS
Windows 7 Ultimate x64
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