u/46009361

On October 4, 2024, I installed Adobe Acrobat Reader as Reader_en_install.exe to crop a PDF file of a textbook and remove margins intended for professional printing. During the installation process, Reader would refuse to install when declining administrator permissions from a UAC prompt. I believe I unchecked the default box to install the browser add-on, but I'm not sure. After installing, I tried using the Custom Scale option, but it required a Pro subscription. Immediately afterward, I closed all my other programs to avoid interference and uninstalled Reader. I used web-based Xodo to crop the textbook later, but I thought Reader was gone. I tried googling the problem, but the AI Overview gave me many reasons I don't remember and registry paths that didn't exist on my computer, and it distracted me from finding the right article.

The installer contained a valid digital signature from Adobe Inc. prior to running. I deleted the executable file a while ago, but there are references in my Chrome download history about it. However, whenever I click my profile picture on the top right of the Google Chrome window and use "Add Chrome profile," the new profile says:

1. Action required
2. New extension added (Adobe Acrobat: PDF edit, convert, sign tools)
3. Another program on your computer added an extension that may change the way Chrome works. // Adobe Acrobat: PDF edit, convert, sign tools / 60,987 reviews / 335,000,000 users // It can: Read and change all your data on all websites, Manage your downloads, Communicate with coordinating native applications / Open in Web Store, Enable extension, Remove from Chrome

My current Windows specifications:

Edition         Windows 11 Pro
Version         25H2
Installed on    ‎2024-‎12-‎03
OS build        26200.8246
Experience      Windows Feature Experience Pack 1000.26100.297.0