One of the predominant reasons why Adobe Reader takes a lot of time to load is because of the numerous plugins it loads at the time of start. Unlike FoxIT, Adobe Reader loads varied plugins which aren’t of much use to users. Result, huge time in loading PDF files!
However, following some steps you can now optimize the Adobe Reader start time to a much lower time. First and foremost, study the features of various versions in Adobe Reader and download the one that has maximum features. Or, you can simply download the latest version in Adobe Reader.
Then, open the plugins folder, by following the path (assuming that Adobe Reader is installed in drive C–> folder ‘Program Files, else you’ll have to navigate to the foldr where Adobe Reader is installed), C:\Program Files\Adobe\<Acrobat version>\Reader\plug_ins. You will find a lot of plugin files in the folder with .api extension. Some of these extension files (Plugins) are important for the proper running of the Adobe Reader, the rest of them hamper the speed of the software.
Disable all those unnecessary plugins to boost the speed of Adobe Reader. Some of the files that should be disabled are eBook.api for comprehending books secured with DRM protection. Ppklite.api, legal.api used for encryption, updater.api for downloading updates on products, print*.api, Search*.api and EWH32.api. Then, create a new folder by the name “optional”. Move all the selected files from the plugins folder to this new folder. Now, this new folder has the selected and useful files only that will not tamper with the speed of the Adobe Reader. Click “Ok done”. And, now find drastic changes in the speed when you download a PDF file in browser / load a PDF file with Adobe.
If you are still not satisfied with the performance, you can use SumatraPDF – an alternative for Adobe Reader, which is lighter and functions quicker. Ofcourse this comes at a cost as most of the features will not be included, but this is a perfect fit if you intend to just read the content of the PDF.
Related post: Free PDF writers.