Evil lurks?
Nobody's innocent, and everybody a living has to make; even in Techopia. However this time it's a technical issue with no related conspiracy. Digging deeper, I found the encoding software on my pdfs differed from those saved from same source last year--that upon testing, convert to excel through the new deskUNPDF software. So I found the root of the problem was the encoding software used at the time of saving the file.
The key: (simple, only in retrospect) Speaking in laymen terms, for the benefit of my fellow laymen: When downloading internet adobe files, if you simply do a "save as pdf," the file will be encoded as the same used to originally create them by that vendor; namely, your bank, credit card company, etc. So, do an OPEN file, so it opens in PREVIEW, THEN do a save as pdf; and voila, you'll have a pdf saved with encoding software OS X; which you'll need in order to be compatible with the deskUNPDF software mac compatible.
But don't trust my technical advice, because I'm a technoidiot. I did get help from Apple's tech support to discover the need to save in Preview as opposed to doing a save as before opening file. Unbelievable. But kudos to Apple Tech Support. They are GREAT, and always FAIR ( they didn't charge me for this needle in the haystack.) I was relieved I could get in touch with a human for this issue. The guys at Docudesk, the vendor of the software in question, are out of pocket. One can reach them in Bermuda via email, voicemail, or fax.
Don't get me wrong though. I'm still paranoid about evil conspirators; and I hesitate to update Adobe anything on my mac; and justifiably so, as I just read their license agreement for AIR Adobe--whatever that is (clouds in the future?); and it states, under penalty of going straight to hell, I will not use any third party software to convert any pdf to jpeg, jpg, tiff, giff, etc. --not to mention EXCEL--so help me Bill Gates, God's first cousin.
I am happy to say, I can now continue in short order, with the business of converting my financial statements from pdf to excel.
