Step-By-Step instructions to a successful Version 4 configuration of PDF-eXPLODE
ISSUE:
How can I configure my new PC (or Server) with the PDF-eXPLODE License I am moving from another server?
ANSWER:
This answer applies to both a license move or a new installation of PDF-explode on your (new) PC or Server. It also applies to all license types (Desktop, Terminal Server, Print Server or Report Server). Where some differences exists between the license types, these will be mentioned in relevant sections.
STEP 1:
INSTALLATION
- To obtain an Installer you can download the Trial (Desktop) version of the installer from https://www.pdf-explode.com/trial.php?distId=42307 If you have an Annual Support Plan, request the latest version installer from support@3000ad.com.au
- Run the installer and accept all defaults and click NEXT => NEXT => NEXT. Close installer (uncheck all boxes that prompt), and DO NOT run anything
- After installation, copy and overwrite your pdf-explode.LF (license file) from the root of the [install folder] of your old PC, if you downloaded a Desktop Trial installer only. This update will ensure you have the correct License file matching your purchase.
- Now go to Configure Printer
STEP 2:
PRINTER CONFIGURATION [See PDF Attachment (1) box on the right margin of this screen ================>>>>]
Now we need to configure the PDFeXPLODE printer and then do a Test Page.
- Go to Printer and Devices in the Windows START setting.
- Locate PDFeXPLODE printer icon and right click on it, then select Printer Properties
- Open the attached PDF (‘How to configure the PDFeXPLODE Printer.pdf’)
- Follow all steps – some may already be set by the install– for both the GENERAL tab/ Printing Preferences button and ADVANCED tab/ Printing Defaults button
- Click Print Test page on the General tab and check the quality of the PDF. The PDF will be called PDFeXPLODE.PDF and saved under C:\PDF-EXPLODE\PDFS
STEP 3:
LICENSING
After installing you need to run the LICENSING. To do this follow the steps EXACTLY so that you do not have any issues:
- Make sure using Task Manager /Processes tab that there is no open instance of PDF-eXPLODE.exe*32 in memory. If so – kill it using the End Process
- Right click on the PDF-eXPLODE.EXE in the installed folder ****DO NOT DO THIS ON THE DESKTOP SHORTCUT****
- Select Run As Administrator from the popup menu ***THIS IS COMPULSORY regardless of whether you are an Administrator ***
- Once the evaluation screen appears c heck the Evaluation screen on the right, for License Type. It should describe the license type you have installed (It reads this from [install folder]\pdfexplode.lf).
- Example: If it says 'Desktop Single User' then it follows that you installed a Desktop license. However, the license you purchased MUST match the pdfexplode.lf license installed or you will get an error #69 (wrong LicenseType) based on your license purchase
5. Make sure what shows on this evaluation screen matches the license you purchased. Then go to the next step
6. Only then, you should select Activate on line and ensure you are connected to the internet and NOT a proxy server connection as we are unable to license across a proxy server connection
7. Enter the License ID and password above and click OK
8. When you get the “success” message, click OK and ensure that the Evaluation screen disappears immediately
9. Close PDF-eXPLODE completely; then restart PDFeXPLODE from the shortcut as a normal user (i.e. NOT Run As Administrator) to verify the Evaluation screen does not appear.
STEP 4:
FOLDER PERMISSION CONFIGURATION
Under all current Windows versions after Win 7, folder permissions are very important for creating or modifying files (temp or data files). Without correct permission to create or modify files, PDF-eXPLODE processing will fail. At the end of installation you must verify if the PDF-eXPLODE install folder (and sub-folders) has “FULL CONTROL” permissions. Sub-folders will inherit permissions by ensuring the parent folder is properly assigned the required permissions. To correctly assign permission to the install folder:
- Open Win Explorer and in the Left Hand pane folder listing, navigate to and Right Click the folder name ‘PDF-eXPLODE’ and select Properties from the popup menu that appears.
2. When the Properties window opens, left click the Security tab to open that screen
3. In the top half of the screen are listed security Groups or User Names ; each have specific permissions relating to the PDF-eXPLODE folder
4. Click the EDIT Next highlight the Users or Everyone Group or any individual shown in the Group section that is the User for the program
5. Under the Allow column, check the Full Control box and then click
6. You can now exit this screen by clicking OK
7. Now open PDF-eXPLODE from the desktop shortcut and select PRINTER menu/Options. Once the (configuration) Options screen opens, please search for any/all folder locations shown in the configuration.
NOTE: Each of these folders requires the Full Control security permission . Typically in the configuration you will find folder names/path under General Settings , check out ‘Default Document Path’ / under Mail Settings , check out “Exploded File Path”, under Default Message ID Tags, open each Message ID and check under Exploded File tab and then “File Path”
8. Ensure that all folders mentioned in the previous point (where Exploded PDF files are going to be archived /saved) have their folder security permissions displaying FULL CONTROL for “Users” group as shown above
STEP 5:
ANTI-VIRUS EXCEPTION/EXCLUSION RULE
- At some Client sites, we have observed over-zealous Anti-virus activity either blocking the creation of a Master PDF or blocking outgoing emails. Sometimes the AV software has been known to delete the PDF-eXPLODE.exe which brings all further PDF-eXPLODE processing to a complete halt. To avoid this or to rectify this after such occurrences, we recommend the use of a common AV feature known as “EXCLUSION” or “EXCEPTION”. This is generally found in the Settings at Domain/Server level (but sometimes at PC level depending on your install).
- Please take special note of the exception/exclusions for FILES and FOLDERS in your Ant1-Virus advanced settings to exclude FILE: PDF-eXPLODE.exe (Program) and FOLDERS: C:\PDF-EXPLODE\ and C:\TEMP\PDF-EXPLODE\(folders) from Anti-Virus activity .
STEP 6:
ADJUSTING YOUR BROUGHT FORWARD PDFeXPLODE.INI CONFIGURATION FILE (applies to upgrades or migration to new PC)
- Open Task manager and ensure that no instance of PDF-eXPLODE is open in memory. Close that instance if found. Close Task manager once done.
- Now ensure that your PDFeXPLODE.INI from any old backup or PC has been copied from [INSTALL FOLDER]\INIS\%USER% and placed under C:\PDF-EXPLODE\INIS\%USER\ . In v3 (Desktop only), this file may be under C:\USERS\%USER%\APPDATA\Roaming\PDF-Explode\
- Open this file in notepad and search for “PDFType=”.
- If it shows “PDFType=P”, then change “P” to “A” and click SAVE.
- If the line PDFType= is not found in the INI, then insert a line at the top under [OPTIONS] and paste in PDFType=A. If you do not verify that PDFType=A and it is ‘P’, then you WILL get an error when PDF-eXPLODE tries to convert a printed report to PDF
STEP 7:
SET UP GENERAL AND EMAIL CONFIGURATION
- Set PDF-eXPLODE Options/General Settings as follows
- If your License is DESKTOP or TERMINAL-CITRIX SERVER - Check the box marked SILENT only
- If your License is PRINT SERVER or REPORT SERVER - Check both boxes - Silent and Very Silent. This is compulsory as any print request coming from a workstation will be launched under the alias of Local System, System or Local Server, and this "User" must not have any GUI interface, to be able to process.
To determine what type of License you have, the caption bar of the previous Print Queue PDF-eXPLODE screen will show it - see here
- We now have to setup your PDF-eXPLODE Emailing Settings – SMTP . Start PDF-eXPLODE from the desktop shortcut and then click on PRINTER/Options menu to open the configuration screen
- Now go to Mail Settings and click on EMAIL SETTINGS tab. If MS Outlook is selected, then you are all set to use this emailing option. Please note, it may be defaulted to ‘ Send As a Draft’
- If the MAPI – Outlook button is greyed out (‘disabled’) ** , then select SMTP and complete the SMTP SETTINGS and click TEST. An email will be sent to the email address under “Sender Test Email to:” field (commencing from v 4.1.28). You can generally get these settings from your Email client settings screen.
NOTE: If MS Outlook option is disabled, then it is probably due to:
- Outlook is not installed on this PC OR
- It is installed but not set up to be the Default Mail Client OR
- In Outlook Options it is ‘checked’ as your default mail client preference; however this is incorrectly reflected in the registry:
- 64 BIT PC: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Clients\Mail\Microsoft Outlook key (aka ‘Folder’) must exist
- 32 Bit PC: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\ Wow6432Node\ Clients\Mail
- Also in the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Clients\Mail key on the Right side (Values) a Value of ‘Default’ --> make sure it shows Microsoft Outlook and NOT PackagedMail else delete this text val ue for Default and replace this with Microsoft Outlook (case sensitive)
- Close MS Outlook and PDF-eXPLODE. Then reopen Outlook first, then PDF-eXPLODE
You are now ready to process a test report.