# PDF995 no longer prints to file



## Einsam (Jun 4, 2018)

PDF995 is an application that installs as a print driver and will print anything to a PDF file. I had my computer in a shop last year to replace a secondary drive that was failing. When I got it back, the application no longer works. I am running Windows 7 Home Premium.

Any help would be greatly appreciated, as I tend to use this application frequently.


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## Corday (Mar 3, 2010)

Try reinstalling the app.


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## Einsam (Jun 4, 2018)

I have tried uninstalling and re-installing the app several times. I even went so far as to remove all instances of the App Name in the Registry, then re-installed. Still does not work. The file tries to print, but has a file size of 0 K.


I get an error message related to the fact that the Document Name does not match what is in the queue. (Unfortunately it disappears before I can get a screen capture.)


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## Einsam (Jun 4, 2018)

I was finally able to capture a screen shot of the PDF995 Error Message.


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## Einsam (Jun 4, 2018)

Error Message:


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## oscer1 (Jan 27, 2010)

your screen shot did not work here is how to post a screen shot to the post https://www.techsupportforum.com/21545-how-to-post-a-screenshot-2/


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## Einsam (Jun 4, 2018)

I tried using the instructions to post the screen shot, but they did not work. 

Here is the text of the Error Message:


PDF995 Warning

The document in the print queue (0) stored in
C:\ProgramData\pdf995\queue.ini does not match the name of the document 
you have printed (Books to add.txt - Notepad) found in
c:\users\jp-mainhome\appdata\localLow\pdf995\res\queue.ini. Please reprint
your document.


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## steve32mids (Jun 27, 2012)

you can normally save as pdf not print to pdf. When it asked you you can choose the printer then instead of selecting a printer click save as pdf. 


I just install acrobat from adobe. 

https://get.adobe.com/uk/reader/


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## Einsam (Jun 4, 2018)

Not all programs have the "Save as PDF" as an option - whereas this program will PRINT any printable document to a PDF file. This is why I am trying to find a solution. If you are looking at a web page, SAVE AS PDF is not an option.


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## Corday (Mar 3, 2010)

It is with FF. Not Edge.


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## Einsam (Jun 4, 2018)

If there is no solution to FIX the issue, other than work-arounds that are not always available, then why don't we just close this thread and I will look elsewhere for support.


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## Corday (Mar 3, 2010)

I see you're already using FF. If so, it should have warned you that the PDF995 site is currently unsafe. Since you downloaded the software again, I'd suggest running an MBAM and AV scan. Also ask your vendor if he can think of a reason an formerly working app won't on the replacement HDD.


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## oscer1 (Jan 27, 2010)

I would try uninstalling it again using revo uninstaller https://www.revouninstaller.com/revo_uninstaller_free_download.html


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## Einsam (Jun 4, 2018)

I downloaded and saved the file. I am not familiar with this program and their "so-called" installation and operation instructions tell you absolutely nothing. Is this supposed to work in lieu of the Windows Uninstall Program? Given that the system worked fine before sending it to the shop to have the secondary drive backed up and replaced, I hesitate to install unfamiliar programs.


Are there any written instructions for installing and using this program?


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## oscer1 (Jan 27, 2010)

look this over https://www.revouninstaller.com/user-tutorials/install-revo-uninstaller-free.php


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## steve32mids (Jun 27, 2012)

Einsam said:


> Not all programs have the "Save as PDF" as an option - whereas this program will PRINT any printable document to a PDF file. This is why I am trying to find a solution. If you are looking at a web page, SAVE AS PDF is not an option.


I am using google chrome it has the save to pdf option.


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## Einsam (Jun 4, 2018)

Uninstalled using RevoUninstaller including all "left-over" files. Then rebooted computer and reinstalled program - Same problem. File size = 0 k and error message as before.


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## Stancestans (Apr 26, 2009)

According to the pdf995 website:



> The free versions display a sponsor page in your web browser each time you run the software. If you would prefer not to see sponsor pages, you may upgrade by obtaining individual keys for each product at any time...


I personally wouldn't tolerate such levels of nagging! In my opinion, pdf995 is a poor choice of software and you could do better with something else. If you try to visit the site via a secure connection (https), Firefox will warn you of a potential risk because;



> Firefox does not trust this site because it uses a certificate that is not valid for pdf 995: create PDF documents easily for free. The certificate is only valid for the following names: *.secure.hostingprod.com, secure.hostingprod.com Error code: SSL_ERROR_BAD_CERT_DOMAIN


However, if you visit the site using an insecure connection (http), you won't get such a warning from Firefox.

Website connection security aside, I think you're better off using an alternative pdf printer/writer, such as CutePDF Writer. There are many other alternatives, but this is one I can recommend because I used it for years in my days of Windows 7. Back then, it had a questionable reputation because it offered to install the highly disliked Ask toolbar or some McAfee product, but these were readily excluded from the installation by a single click of their respective checkboxes. In other words, it included bundleware, which is a common thing with free software.

Its author seems to have cleaned up their act now because I just downloaded it a while ago and installed it on a test Windows 7 VM, and no such bundleware was offered. A fresh scan of the downloaded installer yielded the following results on VirusTotal, so you don't have to take my word for it.

Please note that CutePDF requires a second piece of software called a PS2PDF converter, such as Ghostscript. This is also offered on the same download page, but you don't have to download it separately. The CutePDF installer will automatically offer to download and install it, all you will have to do is click Yes.

If all this sounds like too much work, you could use https://ninite.com/ to install it. You simply select the app (CutePDF), download your ninite (a custom installer) and run it. It will take care of installing CutePDF and the required PS2PDF, sparing you from any bundleware and extra steps.

If for some reason you encounter the same or a similar problem with CutePDF Writer, your system has some other problem that needs attending to.


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## Einsam (Jun 4, 2018)

First off - I am not using the Free version!
Second - I have several other computers that experience no issue with the software.
Third - I have been using this software successfully since 2010 with no issues until this last round with a computer repair place I will not use again because they refuse to even consider that the error could be their fault. (It worked when I took it in, but not when I got it back - You figure out when the problem started.)


Finally, You don't like the nagging - Fine - I will leave this forum and never return.


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## Stancestans (Apr 26, 2009)

Einsam said:


> First off - I am not using the Free version!


Try contacting the author/developer for the support you paid for. They are better placed to guide you with completely uninstalling and reinstalling the software.



> Second - I have several other computers that experience no issue with the software.


I don't doubt that.



> Third - I have been using this software successfully since 2010 with no issues until this last round with a computer repair place I will not use again because they refuse to even consider that the error could be their fault. (It worked when I took it in, but not when I got it back - You figure out when the problem started.)


I honestly don't see the connection between replacing a secondary hard drive and this particular software crapping out, especially since the hard drive that was replaced had nothing to do with this software program, that is, NO part of this software was installed on the drive that got replaced. ALL of the software's component files and configurations reside on the system drive, Drive C, where the OS is installed, so any operation involving the replacement of the secondary drive shouldn't affect this program at all. If the guys at the repair shop actually touched other stuff that they shouldn't have to just mess up this one program and nothing else, then a clean uninstall/reinstall should fix it. Is anything else amiss except this program? I understand that you bought this product and for that reason, you feel inclined to use it, but it helps to have an alternative that does the same thing, at least until you figure out how to fix it.



> Finally, You don't like the nagging - Fine - I will leave this forum and never return.


Easy there, pal, you've got it all wrong! The nagging was in reference to the behaviour of their free offerings, not you!


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## oscer1 (Jan 27, 2010)

Their is always another option back up all your files and wipe drive and reinstall the OS. Then get all updates and try installing the program again.


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## Corday (Mar 3, 2010)

Einsam: Has your key possibly expired?


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## Einsam (Jun 4, 2018)

Stancestans said:


> I honestly don't see the connection between replacing a secondary hard drive and this particular software crapping out, especially since the hard drive that was replaced had nothing to do with this software program, that is, NO part of this software was installed on the drive that got replaced. ALL of the software's component files and configurations reside on the system drive, Drive C, where the OS is installed, so any operation involving the replacement of the secondary drive shouldn't affect this program at all. If the guys at the repair shop actually touched other stuff that they shouldn't have to just mess up this one program and nothing else, then a clean uninstall/reinstall should fix it. Is anything else amiss except this program? I understand that you bought this product and for that reason, you feel inclined to use it, but it helps to have an alternative that does the same thing, at least until you figure out how to fix it.{/QUOTE}
> 
> The only reason I mention the replacement of the secondary drive is that it was the main reason the system was there. Unfortunately, they made some changes to my primary drive (installing some software, such as McAfee, and removing some of my software, such as AVAST) so I really do not know what impact those changes had on the operation of this program. Like I said earlier, they refuse to accept responsibility for the change in how the system is working, so I will never go to them again.
> 
> ...


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## oscer1 (Jan 27, 2010)

I would start by removing McAfee use the removal tool to do that


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## Einsam (Jun 4, 2018)

oscer1 said:


> I would start by removing McAfee use the removal tool to do that



I have already removed McAfee and the Malware Bytes they installed and re-installed the Avast Antivirus. That was the first thing I did when I got the computer back. It was a day or two later that I realized that the PDF995 was no longer working.


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## Einsam (Jun 4, 2018)

Corday said:


> Einsam: Has your key possibly expired?



No - The Key is still working, otherwise it would give an error when activating after re-installing. I know this because when I updated to a newer version in 2017, the key I used for the 2014 version gave me an error and I purchased a new key at that time. I am still using the 2017 version of the software and no longer get the Activation Key error.


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## Stancestans (Apr 26, 2009)

Einsam said:


> The only reason I mention the replacement of the secondary drive is that it was the main reason the system was there. Unfortunately, they made some changes to my primary drive (installing some software, such as McAfee, and removing some of my software, such as AVAST) so I really do not know what impact those changes had on the operation of this program. Like I said earlier, they refuse to accept responsibility for the change in how the system is working, so I will never go to them again.


I see. That was quite unbecoming of them making all those changes without your counsel. I definitely would have done it differently. Anyway, could you post the contents of the two ini files that were mentioned to have a mismatch in the error message that shows up?



> Sorry, I did not mean to be offensive - I guess I skimmed over the post rather than actually reading it. Please accept my apology.


That's alright, it happens to the best of us.


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## Corday (Mar 3, 2010)

I would reinstall Malwarebytes (free version) and run a scan. Rather than clone the old HD, it appears the "pro" did something else.


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## Einsam (Jun 4, 2018)

Stancestans said:


> I see. That was quite unbecoming of them making all those changes without your counsel. I definitely would have done it differently. Anyway, could you post the contents of the two ini files that were mentioned to have a mismatch in the error message that shows up?



Contents of queue.ini files:


C:\ProgramData\pdf995\queue.ini shows the following (after another attempt at printing):


[Parameters]
Install=1
PSUIRep Document Name=Double Decker Dead Review.txt - Notepad



c:\users\jp-mainhome\appdata\localLow\pdf995\res\queue.ini shows the following:

[Parameters]
PSUIRep Document Name=Double Decker Dead Review.txt - Notepad


Since they appear to be the same, the error message is even more confusing.


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## Einsam (Jun 4, 2018)

Corday said:


> I would reinstall Malwarebytes (free version) and run a scan. Rather than clone the old HD, it appears the "pro" did something else.



Reinstalled and ran the latest version of MalwareBytes - No issues found.


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## Einsam (Jun 4, 2018)

For comparison, I looked at the queue.ini files on a system where the program works and this one, where it does not work. Here are the Results:


Non-working system results:
ProgramData folder: 

[Parameters]
Install=1
PSUIRep Document Name=Candy Canes with a Side of Murder Review.txt - Notepad



User\appdata folder:

[Parameters]
PSUIRep Document Name=Candy Canes with a Side of Murder Review.txt - Notepad


Working system results:
ProgramData folder:
[Parameters]
Install=1
PSUIRep Document Name=Yahoo Mail - Your reservation has been confirmed.
Portmon JobId UserName=
Portmon Document Name=Yahoo Mail - Your reservation has been confirmed.



User\appdata folder:

[Parameters]
PSUIRep Document Name=Yahoo Mail - Your reservation has been confirmed.





I hope this helps.


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## Corday (Mar 3, 2010)

Please run a chkdsk/r on your new disc. I'm thinking your vendor installed a "re-manufactured" one. Possible appdata corruption.


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## Stancestans (Apr 26, 2009)

Corday said:


> Please run a chkdsk/r on your new disc. I'm thinking your vendor installed a "re-manufactured" one. Possible appdata corruption.


I believe the disk that was replaced was a secondary storage drive and not the system (OS) drive where appdata and programdata reside.


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## Corday (Mar 3, 2010)

Stancestans said:


> I believe the disk that was replaced was a secondary storage drive and not the system (OS) drive where appdata and programdata reside.


 Thanks Stan. Just went back to Post #1 and saw that. Maybe backup data was transferred to main disc after it was installed.


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## Einsam (Jun 4, 2018)

Corday said:


> Please run a chkdsk/r on your new disc. I'm thinking your vendor installed a "re-manufactured" one. Possible appdata corruption.



Ran Chkdsk/r on the new drive. No issues found. Also, the old secondary drive was a 500 GB drive and the new secondary drive is a 2 TB drive with 1.81 TB free space remaining.


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## Corday (Mar 3, 2010)

OK, let's look at it from another perspective. In Adobe>Help>Check for Updates>Repair Installation


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## Einsam (Jun 4, 2018)

Corday said:


> OK, let's look at it from another perspective. In Adobe>Help>Check for Updates>Repair Installation



I do not understand this step. The issue is not with Adobe and the only Adobe product I have installed is Acrobat Reader.


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## Stancestans (Apr 26, 2009)

Let's see if the problem will persist with a new user account. Create a new administrator account and call it whatever you want then log into it. If we're dealing with corrupt appdata, a new account could be a solution. If it persists, we can try a more thorough uninstallation (a search and destroy) process and see if we can find the offending setting. I still think you should contact the support team. You can keep us updated on how it goes with them.


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## Einsam (Jun 4, 2018)

As suggested earlier, I checked with the Software995 Support staff. They had me try several options which, unfortunately, still did not correct the issue. The latest suggestion was that I have an issue with "conflicting" permissions, as it appears that the SYSTEM account is unable to write to the appdata\pdf995 folder. 

Not being familiar with security issues, they could offer no help for where to look for the possible conflict and I am hoping you can point me in the right direction.


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## Corday (Mar 3, 2010)

I know how to change the permissions and it's a complicated process both from C:Windows and then an additional Registry change. Half the time it screws things up and even before getting to the Registry it scares the sh-- out of you by warning or dire consequences. IMO it's not worth the risk for 1 app.


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## Einsam (Jun 4, 2018)

Corday said:


> I know how to change the permissions and it's a complicated process both from C:Windows and then an additional Registry change. Half the time it screws things up and even before getting to the Registry it scares the sh-- out of you by warning or dire consequences. IMO it's not worth the risk for 1 app.



Would you recommend copying all docs and then reinstalling Windows and all applications as a better alternative?


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## Corday (Mar 3, 2010)

Einsam said:


> Would you recommend copying all docs and then reinstalling Windows and all applications as a better alternative?


Yes


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## Einsam (Jun 4, 2018)

I cannot tackle that project right now, as I will be gone for a while to our grandchildren's graduations in California. I will tackle it as soon as we return.


Not sure if you want to keep this thread open so I can report on the progress or simply close it out. What do you suggest?


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## oscer1 (Jan 27, 2010)

It will stay open till resoved


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## willodene (Jan 25, 2008)

I am also a user of PDF995 and have used the program for many years.
It is working quite OK on all of my systems - Windows 7, 8.1 & 10 plus a couple of servers, and I find it much more useful than a "save to pdf" option.

I had a similar problem a few months ago - not exactly the same error but a similar problem where it appeared the .ini file had been corrupted.

I used CCleaner to uninstall the program and then tidy up any leftover registry entries and working files. If you don't have ccleaner just download the free version from ccleaner.com (Warning - do NOT download from other sites, as I have found scamware in some of them).

Also make sure there are no residue system files on your D drive (eg was that drive a new one or one that had been used in another system?).

Once the system is cleaned up, reinstall PDF995, re-register it using your codes and see how it goes.


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## Einsam (Jun 4, 2018)

willodene said:


> I am also a user of PDF995 and have used the program for many years.
> It is working quite OK on all of my systems - Windows 7, 8.1 & 10 plus a couple of servers, and I find it much more useful than a "save to pdf" option.
> 
> I had a similar problem a few months ago - not exactly the same error but a similar problem where it appeared the .ini file had been corrupted.
> ...



Unfortunately, that did not correct the issue - still same error message as before. Used CCleaner to uninstall program and deleted all remaining entries then rebooted and reinstalled. No change, but I was hoping that I could get it working without having to re-install windows.


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## paddy55 (Nov 2, 2009)

Could the drive letters have been changed during the installation of replacement drive?


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## dwight_parker (Jun 8, 2010)

Someone made a good suggestion earlier....go to the user control panel and create a new user preferably with admin rights....login as that user.....try the program......if it works, your profile is corrupted, if the issue remains, I would backup important data, wipe and reload Windows, updates, applications, and restore data...... potentially a long days work.....if the profile is corrupt, come back for guidance.


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## Einsam (Jun 4, 2018)

paddy55 said:


> Could the drive letters have been changed during the installation of replacement drive?



The secondary drive was originally Drive E:, but after being replaced, it is now Drive D:. I don't see how this would impact software installed on the C: drive, which was not changed.



The DVD is now listed as Drive E: whereas before, it was Drive D:.


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## willodene (Jan 25, 2008)

Hi Einsam
I think I have found your problem - I managed to force a similar error on my Win7 box.
Have a look at the placement of your PDF995\res folder and make sure it is in the same place as specified in your registry under the following key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\Print\Monitors\PDF995 Monitor\Ports\PDF995PORT

I found that my registry was looking at C:\PDF995\res\..... but the folder was under my user key C:\user\appdata\locallow\pdf995\res

You can copy the entire res folder to the c:\pdf995 location and make sure the .ini files are not read-only 

See how this goes


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## geishaslave (Feb 28, 2008)

Try launching the app as administrator, to force remaining configs/setup.

Sometimes the printing subsystem gets corrupted. Fully uninstall ALL printers, regardless of whether they are connected. Then reinstall the app, and add back the desired printers.


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