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For instructions on downloading a file from the Internet, see the article How Do I Download a File? on our website at http://www.stsico.com/html/archives.html
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How To Download on America Online
Downloading from America Online is easy! Select the Download Now or Download Later button at the bottom of the file description window. Regardless of which method of downloading you select, your download will go to a default file folder that you can select.
Selecting Download Now
1. With your mouse cursor, select the file you want to download, or the e-mail with the attached file, and double click your left mouse button to open it.
2. Select Download Now. The Download window will appear.
3. Select OK. The download will begin.
As the download initiates, you will see a progress bar that will tell you the approximate time it will take to complete the download.
Once the download is completed, you can find it in your default download destination folder.
Selecting Download Later
1. Select the file you want to download, or the e-mail with the attached file, to open it.
2. Select Download Later.
3. The file will be listed in a queue in your download manager and you can look for other files to download. The benefit of this is that you can select a group and then start your download.
4. When you're ready to start downloading the file or files you've selected, pick My Files from AOL's top menu (for AOL 5.0). Or click on File on the menu bar (for AOL 6.0)
5. Select the Download Manager.
6. Use the Download icon to start your download.
After downloading has started, you can do something else on AOL (or, go away from your computer) while your files are downloading.
Once the download is completed, you can find it in your default download destination folder.
Uncompressing
1. Many of the files that are uploaded are compressed. What this means is that a bunch of files have been packed into one file. This saves time for downloads. Most PC files are compressed in .ZIP format. Most Mac files are compressed in .SIT format. You'll be able to tell if a file you're downloading is compressed because the name of the file will end with .ZIP or .SIT.
2. You won't be able to run these programs right off the bat. You must uncompress (unZIP or unSIT) them first.
3. The AOL software can do this for you automatically. To see if you have this option turned on, pick My AOL from the top menu then Preferences then the Download icon (for AOL 5.0). Or, Click Settings, then Preferences (for AOL 6.0).
4. See if "Automatically Decompress files at signoff" is selected. If so, you're all set! Files will extract to a subdirectory (sub-folder) of your download location that has the same name as the file itself. ********************************************************************** *
I just downloaded a file. The download appeared to go smoothly, however, I can't find the file I downloaded.
You need to note the filename when you download a program.
Downloading a file means that you are transferring a file from an Internet server (a computer located in some far away land) to your computer. The problem is, just downloading the file to your hard drive does NOT install the program. It's like receiving a delivery package in the mail, just because the box has arrived at your front door does not mean that the contents of the package have been unboxed. Obviously you must open the box and take the contents of the package out before it becomes useful to you. Likewise, YOU must RUN the program (file) after you download it. It is very important to make a mental or written note as to where you downloaded the file on your hard drive. Just saying "I saved it to drive C" is like saying to your employer that the lost keys to the filing cabinet are "somewhere in California". The question is, "WHERE on your C drive? Which folder did you save it in? What was the name of the file you downloaded?"
It’s a good idea to make a temporary folder for all of your downloads, and save all of your downloads there. (We did an example on creating a download folder in our article, How to Download a File; you may want to review that again. - http://www.stsico.com/html/archives.html )
If all this advice is too late, and you have already downloaded a file but you don't know where you put it, there is still a possibility you can find it. If you want to find your recently downloaded file, and you are using Windows, then click "Start, then Find, then Files or folders". Type the name of the file you downloaded (if you forgot the filename, then you definitely are making things even more difficult on yourself), and choose "C:\" for the "Look in" location. This will locate any file on your hard disk. |
