How to read PDF files quicker (ditch Adobe Reader in favor of Foxit, a free PDF file reader)
Do you hate it when you click on a PDF file that forces
Adobe Reader to load? I do. In fact, I'd say that I waste 2-4 minutes of time each time a PDF file loads due to Adobe (throwing in some penalty time since Adobe Reader sometimes crashes my computer. DownloadSquad calls Adobe Reader the most annoying program on the PC and calls it "the worst of the worst". Adobe Reader is a pain because it is too big, takes too long to load, requires frequent updates, slows computers down (a lot!) and sometimes causes computers to crash. In short, Adobe Reader is bad.
There's a solution: Foxit Reader. Download via this link since it's free (the Foxit website wants to charge you $39). Unlike Adobe Reader, Foxit Readers takes up just 2MB in storage space and it loads in about one second - a massive improvement over Adobe Reader.
Be sure to uninstall Adobe Reader:
- Go to Start >> Control Panel >> Add or Remove Programs.
- Wait for list to load (10-60 seconds)
- Choose Adobe Reader, then hit install
- Before shutting down, bookmark this page to help you when you reboot
- Shut down programs and reboot your PC (Foxit won't take over until you do)
In case you decide to go back to Adobe Reader, you can always reinstall later by clicking here, or, in case that page is now longer valid, just visit Adobe.com.
Once you're up and running, here is a sample small PDF file. See how fast
Foxit Reader loads it! Will load in a new tab/window if you use Internet Explorer. If you use Firefox (like me), the reader will open outside of Firefox, which is no big deal really.
Finally, if you're interested but a bit shy on the idea, try Adobe Reader Lite. It's better than Adobe Reader but still takes up too much space.
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