Opening standards and other secure pdfs
Posted: Fri, 8th Nov 2024
Problems have been reported opening standards downloaded from British Standards Online (BSOL).
Why you might experience this problem
You will need both Adobe Acrobat with the FileOpen plug-in to open standards and other secured pdf documents. In the unlikely event that you do not have Adobe Acrobat installed on your computer already, you can download Adobe Acrobat Reader for free directly from the Adobe website. FileOpen is available from AppsAnywhere.
Your computer will still attempt to open all pdf documents using whichever pdf viewer has been set as its default. Often, this is a web browser, such as Edge or Chrome. These cannot open secure pdf documents that require FileOpen to view them.
Solution
Install Adobe Acrobat Reader if it is not already available on your device (it is usually installed on all computers by default) and download/install the FileOpen plugin from AppsAnywhere.
You can either change the default pdf viewer for secured pdf documents to default to Adobe Acrobat Reader every time using your system settings or you can open the folder containing the secure pdf, right-click on the secure pdf file to open the shortcut dialogue box, choose Open with... and then select Adobe Acrobat. Either method should force the computer to open the secured pdf using Adobe Acrobat Reader. If the FileOpen plugin has been installed, Adobe Acrobat should be able open the secure pdf.
If you have any trouble opening secure pdf documents, you can call the IT Service Desk on 023 9284 7777 during staffed hours for help or submit a support request by webform.