Download and install the Acrobat Customization Wizard DC (hereafter, the “Wizard”) from Adobe’s public FTP server.
Download the most recent version of the Adobe Acrobat Reader DC installer. You will need to apply for a desktop license so you can download the installer that will work with the Wizard. If you do not have an Adobe ID, you will need to create one before you start the application process. Adobe will usually respond to your application within 1 to 3 days, with almost all applications being approved for a distribution license.
Extract the contents of the installer to a directory of your choosing using the following command: AcroRdrDCXXXXXXXXXX_en_US.exe -nos_o”C:\Temp” -nose_ne.
Note that in order for this command to work, you will need to CD into the directory where the installer is located. When the extraction completes, copy the extracted files to a directory of your choosing; do NOT close the installer before you do this. Otherwise, the installer will perform a cleanup and delete the extracted files. Launch the Wizard and open the MSI from the extracted files.
When the Wizard launches, you will notice several sections in the left navigation pane; this guide is going to focus on five of them.
Personalization Options
- Check the box next to “Suppress display of End User License Agreement (EULA)”.
Installation Options
- Uncheck the box next to “Enable Caching of installer files on local hard drive”
- If you are going to be distributing Acrobat Reader DC with a Systems Management Service appliance, tick the bubble next to “Silently (no interface)”. If you are going to be including Acrobat Reader DC with your operating system image, tick the bubble next to “Unattended (with no user interaction, only a progress bar)”.
- Tick the bubble next to “Suppress reboot”.
Registry
- Navigate to Destination Computer > HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > Software > Policies > Adobe > Acrobat Reader > DC > FeatureLockDown. Create a New Key “cWelcomeScreen” and within that Key, create a new DWORD Value “bShowWelcomeScreen” and set its value to “0”.
Shortcuts
- Navigate to Destination Computer > Start Menu > Programs. Create a New Folder “Adobe Acrobat Reader DC” and within that key drag and drop the shortcut “Acrobat Reader DC”.
- Navigate to Destination Computer > Desktop and Remove “Acrobat Reader DC”.
Online Services and Features
- Check the box next to “Disable product updates”.
- Select the option “Enable & Install silently” next to “Load trusted root certificates from Adobe”.
- Uncheck the box next to “Disable Upsell”.
- Check the box next to “Disable preference synchronization across devices”.
Once you have configured the Acrobat Reader DC installer to your satisfaction, save your package by navigating to File > Save Package. The package will be saved to the same directory you copied the extracted files to earlier. Open the file setup.ini and add the following text next to “CmdLine=/sall /rs”: /l*vx C:\Temp\AcroRdrDC_en_US.log. This will generate a complete log of all installer actions during the installation process.
Finally, copy your package and installer files to a software repository to be distributed with a Systems Management Service appliance.
