I have a Dell Inspriron E1705 running XP, I'm hooked up to ATT's DSL.

Every time I try to download a PDF document, after a long pause, I get an error message stating that a problem has been encountered and the browser needs to close.

Anyone know what's going on?

Thanks

Reinstall adobe acrobat reader should resolve your issue.
Adobe - Adobe Reader Download - All versions

If you're opening the PDF in the browser window, I think the most likely reason is the Adobe plugin choked on the file and crashed taking the browser with it. Try updating your Acrobat Reader version or reinstalling it. You can also download the entire PDF via right-mouse-click > Save Target As/Save Link As... and then double-click it to open in Acrobat Reader.

Or use Foxit PDF Reader

Thanks all installed latest Adobe (9) everything works now