UEMO website
Guide to Downloading
Downloading tips
Once you have found the document you seek, you can click its name, read more
about it on its description page, and then choose a download option to save a
copy of the program to your computer. When you click the "Download
now" link on the program's description page, your browser will load a new
page and the file will begin downloading automatically. If your download does
not begin, or you encounter errors, you will find alternate links on the
right-hand side of the page. If you'd rather choose among all available
download links, you can bypass the "Download now" link and click
"Show me all download sites" on a program's description page.
Most downloadable programs are compressed to save you online time when you
download them. Usually, PC files that have been compressed have a
".zip" extension; Macintosh files have a ".sit" or an
".hqx" extension. If you download a compressed program, you must
follow three steps in order to use it:
1. Copy
it into an empty directory
2. Decompress
it
3. Install
it
If you need
a utility to help you with "zipped" PC files or Macintosh SIT- or
HQX-compressed files, please search our Utilities/File Compression category.
The following is a brief listing of common problems and solutions.
Specific error
messages
Problem: You receive the message
"The handle is invalid" or "The server returned extended
information..." from your copy of Microsoft Internet Explorer. These are
known bugs with Internet Explorer.
Solution: Microsoft recommends that
you right-click on the download link and choose "Save Target
As." You'll get a dialog box prompting you to choose a folder on your
hard drive where you would like the file saved. After you choose this
directory, press OK, and the file will be transferred to your hard drive.
"Directory
not found" error
Problem: The site
might have relocated the directory in which the file was stored.
Solution: Try another site. If you're
positive the site has relocated the directory, please let us know at support@download.com.
"File not
found" error
Problem: The site
does not store that file.
Solution: Some sites do not store
complete archives. Try another site. (A common problem with some Mac-related
mirror sites is that they change the ".hqx" at the end of a filename
to ".sit".)
Connection
problems
Problem: Your connection breaks
during the download.
Solution: This may be a problem with
your Internet connection. Try again. If it happens all the time, find out
whether your network provider allows FTP transfers. You can also enlist the aid
of a download manager to help restart interrupted downloads. Search the Tools
& Utilities subcategory of the Internet category to
find one that best suits your needs.
Password required
Problem: You get
prompted for a username and password when you try to download a file.
Solution: Normally, your Web browser
should pass a username and password to the FTP site transparently so that you
do not have to enter it manually, but some browsers (most notably the AOL
browser) do not always do this. Remember that this prompt is not asking
for your CNET username and password, nor your access provider username and
password. Instead, it is the FTP site asking for a standard username and
password for people wanting to download its files. Enter the word anonymous
for username and enter your email address for the password.
Entering a
username and password each time can get annoying, so try to configure your browser
software so that it knows your email address. If you have no luck configuring
it yourself, ask your browser company's support team how to configure your
browser so that it can handle anonymous FTP sessions.
Corrupt files
Problem: After
downloading, you double-click the file to install it and you receive a message
saying that the file is corrupt.
Solution: The file may have been
corrupted during the download process. Unfortunately, you will have to try
downloading and installing again.
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Luckily, downloading is easy to understand. There are some variations to
the process--depending on the type of computer you use, which operating system
it runs, and what software you use to access the World Wide Web--but overall,
it's pretty straightforward stuff. In fact, it's just a five-step process:
1.
Make a special download directory.
2. Find and download the software.
3. Decompress the archive.
4. Install the software.
5. Delete the compressed file.
Even after you've mastered
the art of downloading, it can be a hassle to handle and work with your newly
acquired files. That's why we've put together a collection of great utilities
for managing your downloads. These tools will help you get the most fun and
productivity out of your computer.
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1. Make a
special download directory
Downloading can get messy. Unless you neatly file away new software,
you'll be bogged down in no time. To keep track of software you download, you
should save it in a special location. Methods for creating a new download
folder or directory vary depending on whether you're running Windows 95/98/NT,
Windows 3.x, or the Macintosh OS, but the good news is that you can make
the folder or directory once, then reuse it time and time again. And if you call
your in-box something intuitive like Downloads, you'll always know where
to find it.
To make a special folder for
storing your downloaded programs (you can also point your Web browser's Save
dialog box to this spot), follow these steps:
1. Right-click anywhere on the
Windows desktop.
2. Select New/Folder from the pop-up menus.
3. A folder will appear on your desktop with its default name, New
Folder, highlighted. Type the word Downloads over the old name and press
Enter.
Windows 3.x
1.
In File Manager, click the root directory (usually C:).
2. Select File/Create Directory.
3. Type the word Downloads to name the
directory and click OK.
1.
In the Finder, select New Folder under the File menu.
2. An untitled folder will appear on your desktop. Type the word Downloads
over the folder's current label, then click elsewhere on the desktop.
3.
Decompress the archive
Practically every file you'll ever download from the Internet is compressed.
A compressed file not only reduces download times, but also makes it possible
to download all of a program's files (like help files and drivers) in a single
file. Overall, dealing with compressed files makes the whole download process
go more smoothly--until the file is on your hard disk. At that point, the file
may have one of these unfriendly looking extensions: ARJ, ARC, BIN, EXE, GZ,
HQX, SEA, SIT, UU, UUE, ZIP, or Z. How you handle these files depends on
whether you're using a Mac or a Windows PC and what software you use to
decompress these files. (The most popular decompression program for the Mac is StuffIt Expander,
and most PC users rely on WinZip
to handle compressed files.)
PC users:
If the file you've downloaded has the extension EXE, it's likely to be a
self-extracting file that will decompress when you double-click it. Before you
do this, though, drag the file into your Downloads folder or directory to keep
your hard drive tidy. After you double-click the file, your installation should
be complete and you can skip straight to
step 5.
If you've downloaded a file that ends in ARJ, ARC, GZ, ZIP, OR Z,
however, you'll need to decompress it with a program such as WinZip. Here's how
to decompress a file using WinZip:
1. Double-click the file you want to decompress.
WinZip will automatically start up and show you all the compressed files
contained in the zipped file.
2. Click the Extract button.
3. Select a destination folder or
directory for the files (to create a new directory, just type in a name for the
new folder and press Enter) and click the Extract button.
4.
Install the software or view the document
Merely removing programs from their
compressed archives doesn't always mean you can run them right away. Many
programs need to be installed.
WinZip can make it easy for PC users: if a ZIP file contains a program called
either Install or Setup, WinZip detects it and creates a button labeled Install
at the right end of the WinZip button bar. Before you click this button, check
the archive's read-me file for any special instructions. Once you know what
you're getting into, click the Install button, and let WinZip take it away.
Since installation routines vary widely, you'll have to follow any instructions
as they come up. If an Install button doesn't appear in WinZip, you'll
have to install the program yourself. This process varies among programs, so
check the app's read-me file to know for sure.
Mac users should open the
read-me file after expanding an archive to get specific installation
instructions.