# How did I get Adobe Acrobat--without even trying? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 6, 2004, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-i-get-adobe-acrobat-without-even-trying/222941 "2004-01-06T02:51:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2004, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-i-get-adobe-acrobat-without-even-trying/222941/1 "2004-01-06T02:51:24Z")
I have a new computer with Windows XP. I installed MS Office 2000, and Acrobat Reader 6.0 (among many other things). However, I have never owned Acrobat. I just noticed that when I printed a Word document, one of the printers is an Acrobat PDFWriter. It works–it generates a PDF document. It also shows up in my Control Panel \> Printers. It appears to be available in all apps, not just MS Office. I thought you had to pay a lot of bucks to get this, and not only did I get it for nothing, I can’t even figure out how it got there. Huh? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2004, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-i-get-adobe-acrobat-without-even-trying/222941/2 "2004-01-06T04:39:10Z")
So how did you install MS Office and Acrobat _exactly_? Did you use bonafide OEM installation CDs? Or something else? ---
**Author:** ![Eleusis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Eleusis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleusis)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2004, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-i-get-adobe-acrobat-without-even-trying/222941/3 "2004-01-06T04:54:05Z")
I doubt you really have acrobat installed. There are a [number](http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&q=%22print+to+pdf%22+microsoft+word) of shareware and adware utilities that can add the functionality to print to PDF without the full functionality of Acrobat. ---
**Author:** ![Eleusis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Eleusis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleusis)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2004, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-i-get-adobe-acrobat-without-even-trying/222941/4 "2004-01-06T05:12:58Z")
\ Therefore, it’s more likely that something else you installed, like printer drivers or graphics software, added this functionality. ---
**Author:** ![Early\_Out](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Early\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Early_Out)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2004, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-i-get-adobe-acrobat-without-even-trying/222941/5 "2004-01-06T13:45:37Z")
If it’s really called “Acrobat PDFWriter,” it can’t be some shareware product. That name is associated only with the “real” Adobe Acrobat package. My shareware PDF creator, for example, shows up as a printer called “pdf995.” According to the [Adobe website](http://www.adobe.com/support/techdocs/25f2.htm), the writer comes with the full package. There’s no indication that it’s available as a freebie. So, we still have a mystery, here! ---
**Author:** ![Early\_Out](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Early\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Early_Out)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2004, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-i-get-adobe-acrobat-without-even-trying/222941/6 "2004-01-06T13:49:33Z")
In fact, [this page from Adobe](http://www.adobe.com/support/salesdocs/10776.htm) explicitly says that PDFWriter is not available as a standalone component! ---
**Author:** ![Tal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/54ee81/32.png) [@Tal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tal)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2004, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-i-get-adobe-acrobat-without-even-trying/222941/7 "2004-01-06T14:11:06Z")
You didn’t notice if it was there before installing office? I have to wonder if whoever sold you the computer put it on there for some reason or other…perhaps not a legit copy even - maybe they have something against adobe and wanna make them pay by giving away their software to customers free! ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2004, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-i-get-adobe-acrobat-without-even-trying/222941/8 "2004-01-06T14:51:34Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Early Out \* > \*\*In fact, [this page from Adobe](http://www.adobe.com/support/salesdocs/10776.htm) explicitly says that PDFWriter is not available as a standalone component! \*\* I got it along with Adobe PhotoDeluxe when I bought my digital camera. ---
**Author:** ![missbunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/76d3ee/32.png) [@missbunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missbunny)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2004, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-i-get-adobe-acrobat-without-even-trying/222941/9 "2004-01-06T15:08:19Z")
Are you sure the full version didn’t come with your computer as part of the included software? It did with the one I bought last night, as well as one I bought about 6 months ago. Dell at least does it all the time. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2004, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-i-get-adobe-acrobat-without-even-trying/222941/10 "2004-01-07T01:16:29Z")
I have a Dell Dimensions 2400, so if Dell does this all the time, maybe that’s the answer. If so, I am surprised I hadn’t noticed it earlier than this, I bought it about two months ago. All the software that I installed myself was also installed on my previous IBM Aptiva, and none of that caused Acrobat PDFWriter to be installed. Office was installed from an OEM CD. I downloaded Acrobat Reader 6.0 from Adobe’s web site. If any adware installs this it would come as a surprise to me, I can’t imagine it being to anyone’s advantage. But I definitely pick up adware–though I routinely scrub it off with Spybot. ---
**Author:** ![Eleusis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Eleusis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleusis)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2004, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-i-get-adobe-acrobat-without-even-trying/222941/11 "2004-01-07T01:23:38Z")
Not all adware is bad. Some of it is benign free software that shows you a banner ad, and people install it willingly and knowingly. A different animal from spyware. [Here is an example](http://www.pdf995.com/). ---
**Author:** ![Meeko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e495f1/32.png) [@Meeko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meeko)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2004, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-i-get-adobe-acrobat-without-even-trying/222941/12 "2004-01-07T03:54:07Z")
Ok, I understand the Viewer to be freeware… Yeah, it has small one line, or one toolbar button to Adobe, but I would’nt consider it adware… or spyware. So now I am Confused, do you have the viewer or more than just the viewer?