Adobe Reader files cannot be found after you add the .pdf file type to the list of crawled file types in SharePoint Server 2007

Consider the following scenario. You install Adobe Reader 8.0 on a computer that is running Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007. On the Manage File Types page, you click Add File Type under Configure Search Settings. Then, you add the .pdf file type. On the Manage Content Sources page, you click Full Crawl in the Local Office SharePoint sites list.

In this scenario, when you try to search for Adobe Reader files (.pdf), the .pdf files cannot be found. Additionally, the .pdf files are not listed in the crawl log.

This issue occurs because the Adobe filter .dll file (AcroRdIF.dll) depends on the AcroRd32.dll and AGM.dll files. These files are located in the Drive_Letter:\Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat 8.0\Reader folder. Because the Drive_Letter:\Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat 8.0\Reader path is not included in the system path on the computer that is running SharePoint Server 2007, the SharePoint Server 2007 Search service cannot locate the .pdf files.

To work around this issue, add the Drive_Letter:\Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat 8.0\Reader path to the system path on the computer that is running SharePoint Server 2007. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, click Control Panel, and then double-click System.
2. In the System Properties dialog box, click the Advanced tab, and then click Environment Variables.
3. In the Environment Variables dialog box, double-click Path in the System Variables area.
4. In the Edit System Variable dialog box, put the cursor at the end of the text in the Variable value box, and then type ;Drive_Letter:\Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat 8.0\Reader.
5. Click OK three times.

The third-party products that this article discusses are manufactured by companies that are independent of Microsoft. Microsoft makes no warranty, implied or otherwise, about the performance or reliability of these products.