no PDF preview in xplorer

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brookefox
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no PDF preview in xplorer

Post by brookefox »

I get no PDF preview in xplorer (just hex; no crashes), though when the folder itself is in the preview window it sometimes shows PDFs within it (most files in the folder are PDFs).
I get rare proper PDF thumbnails in xplorer and it doesn't seem to be related to file size. The ones which are displayed are often bigger than ones which are not. I increased the limit via Tools > Options > General from 4000000 to 10000000 to 0 with no apparent effect. Making the preview window small has no effect, either (even down to thumbnail size).

I get proper PDF extra large icon view in Windows Explorer (no preview of anything in my Vista).

I've searched the topic here but found no resolution, and I may be screwing it myself up somehow. Tips?

Both updated today:

   xplorer 2.2.0.2 Lite
   PDF-XChange Viewer 2.5 (build 209)

Vista 64
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nikos
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Post by nikos »

the lite version won't show you any usable PDF preview. Try the professional version which will work nicely with PDF x-change
brookefox
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Post by brookefox »

Ok, thank you. I see that either I was mistaken or the feature list has been updated to reflect that this is (EDIT:) NOT available in lite, as it is in Windows Explorer.
Last edited by brookefox on 2013 Feb 19, 04:58, edited 1 time in total.
Qwert
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Post by Qwert »

@nikos:

Actually, lite version CAN show a usable PDF preview.  I have lite on three different PCs (two XP and one Win7).  But I get very different results:

1st XP computer: perfect PDF previews ... full sized in the right panel

2nd XP computer: no PDF preview ... only Hex characters

Win 7 computer: very small PDF page shown (2x2 inch?) ... no way to enlarge

My problem is: I can't determine WHY the same version works differently.  I would like them all to work well, of course.  

Any ideas of what settings or software components (e.g., Adobe) are involved?
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nikos
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Post by nikos »

what you are seeing is a image preview of the 1st page of the pdf. It is the work of a pdf thumbnail preview handler. Usually adobe installs it. So just compare which PDF programs you have installed on these computers

the professional xplorer2 can extract and search for text in there
Qwert
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Post by Qwert »

nikos wrote:compare which PDF programs you have installed on these computers
That was good advice.

What I found was the FoxitReader 5.4.5 (with shell extensions installed) makes everything work.  By making it the default reader, I get full-size thumbnails with xplorer2 lite ... of the first page, of course.

Thanks very much for helping clear this up.
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Post by Tuxman »

I wonder why people want PDF preview anyway. I guess if you have PDF files on your hard disk, you pretty much know what they are.
Tux. ; tuxproject.de
registered xplorer² pro user since Oct 2009, ultimated in Mar 2012
paradisca1
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Re: no PDF preview in xplorer

Post by paradisca1 »

Thumbnails in Xplorer2 Windows 7

Just to add my 2 cents to the discussion about PDF thumbnail previews....
I don't get them Windows 7 with Xplorer2 but do see them in Windows Explorer. I see image thumbnails in both explorers.
I have tried PDF XchangeViewer, Adobe Reader 11 and Foxit Phantom 6 for shell extensions.... all without success.
Xplorer2 thumbnail size setting has no effect.

In Windows XP on my computer Xplorer2 will show PDF thumbnails with any of the above PDF viewers installed.

TurboCAD, a drawing program, displays thumbnails of its files in Xplorer2 in Windows XP as well but not in Windows 7.

I fixed this in Windows 7 by running the Program Compatibility applet on Xplorer2 and now see TurboCAD thumbnails (still no PDF's). But my Drive Bar no longer has any icons.
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nikos
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Re: no PDF preview in xplorer

Post by nikos »

did you try the 64 bit xplorer2? (free trial) www.zabkat.com/x2-64bit.htm
Qwert
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Re: no PDF preview in xplorer

Post by Qwert »

Any ideas of what settings or software components (e.g., Adobe) are involved?
I just wanted to pass along that my success with Previews for PDFs came after I switched to Foxit Reader (v5.4.5). It's seems their shell extension(s) are properly recognized by Lite Edition — or maybe it's the other way around. But, I'm currently seeking the answer to why some previews are full size and some are thumbnail size. If anyone has a clue, I would appreciate the information.

Full-size PDF previews make Lite Edition practically perfect! I wish I could get them consistently.

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nikos
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Re: no PDF preview in xplorer

Post by nikos »

for good previews, PDF or otherwise, I recommend the professional version
www.zabkat.com/tour2.htm
Qwert
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Re: no PDF preview in xplorer

Post by Qwert »

http://www.zabkat.com/x2lite.htm

So, there's a difference between Previews (Lite) and Good Previews (Pro Edition)?

Regarding JPGs, PNGs, PDFs, RTF, etc., I think most people expect that "Preview" means they'll see a proper preview ... while more complex files (DOCX, XAR, ZIP, etc.) would require more advanced software.

So, it seems like the basic preview feature should be made to work. That's just my take on this issue (having reread the x2lite web description) ... and that's what I'm still striving for. Any assistance will be appreciated.

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nikos
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Re: no PDF preview in xplorer

Post by nikos »

the lite version does just "thumbnail" previews. If you use the quickviewer window then the thumbnail will be as big as the previewer. For better results try the PDF XChange viewer that works best with xplorer2
Qwert
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Re: no PDF preview in xplorer

Post by Qwert »

Thanks for the advice. I'm continuing to explore the differences between the two xplorer2 installs (one shows full PDFs and the other often doesn't). I want to view the option settings, but I'm getting this message on both PCs. How is the GUI tool supposed to be run?

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Qwert
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Re: no PDF preview in xplorer

Post by Qwert »

Please disregard my previous post. I was trying to run the exe by itself. When I started it using the "Advanced options" in xplorer2, it worked fine.

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