First Years logo
Professional Development through Distance Education

FIRST YEARS > FAQs Library > Adobe Acrobat® Reader
vertical line divider adobe logoMany Web documents are posted in Adobe Acrobat format. (You can recognize these files because they end in .pdf or may be called PDF files.) To read these, you must have the Adobe Acrobat Reader. You can download the reader for free.

To check whether you already have the Reader, click here. If you have Adobe Acrobat Reader successfully installed on your machine, you will get a message: "Congratulations, You have Adobe Acrobat Reader!"

If you do not have the Reader, you can download it, free of charge, from http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html. The page that appears will look like this:

adobe download

To avoid having unwanted software slipped onto your computer, we recommend you read these instructions thoroughly before attempting installation:

  1. On the main Reader page, you see a pre-checked option for an ebay toolbar, unclick that box.
  2. If you are not using the most recent version of Windows XP, as specified, then click "Different language or operating system?" Choose your platform, i.e. Windows, Mac or other operating system,  and the version of Acrobat you want. In the example above, you see Adobe Reader 9.0, the latest (as of 7/08) for Windows XP. Then click on "Continue".
  3. When you click the "Download Now" button, the website will open a dialog box giving you the option to "Install Now." Our recommendation: Don't do that, click on "Cancel," opting to "Save to Disk" instead. First, by saving first it's there if you need it again, and second, with a "quickie install," companies sometimes slip in unwanted "optional features"  without giving you the chance to "opt out."

    Once canceled, you will see on the displayed installation page a link labeled "click here to download." 
    1. Note: If you are using the Firefox browser, click on the link on the page - "For Firefox users, please see the Installation Instructions."  Print out this page. You'll need the instructions to install Adobe Reader into the Firefox browser.
  4. Clicking this link gives you the option to "Save." Click on "Save File." Another dialog box may pop-up and ask you where you want to put the install file. 

    1. Note: In Windows, the "Save download" location defaults to the "My Downloads" folder under the "My Documents" folder. However, you can choose another location if you like. Just remember where you put it; you'll need it for the next step.
  5. Once downloading is complete, go to the folder/location where you saved the installation program and double-click on the file name. Follow the instructions that appear to complete the installation. 
Bobby WorldWide Approved 508
02/15/03

Alexander Graham Bell Association | UNC-CH Division of Speech and Hearing Sciences

© FIRST YEARS, Last update: July 2008, Maintained by Lane Price Rose, WebSchool Solutions