Trouble-Shooting Page
If you're having problems downloading one of my download products, such as Fiction 101, Fiction 201, or the Snowflake Lecture, take heart! Most glitches can be quickly resolved. Scan down this list to see if your problem matches one of the problems shown in red. If you find it, I'll explain what's gone wrong and what you should do to solve the problem.
Problem 1: I never received an email with my username and password!
Solution: It's likely that a spam filter ate the email with your username and password. First look in your "Junk Mail" folder or your "Bulk Mail" folder to see if the email arrived there.
If you still can't find the email, then send me an email and I'll send you your username and password as soon as I can.
Problem 2: Internet Explorer won't download the file!
Solution: Internet Explorer has some annoying security measures to "protect" you. Look to see if Internet Explorer is asking you to activate an ActiveX control. If it's asking you to do that, then do so.
Problem 3: My web browser won't finish the download!
Solution: If you are using Internet Explorer, try using the free Firefox web browser instead. (FireFox works better than Internet Explorer.)
If you are still having problems finishing the download, try doing the download from Server 2 instead of Server 1. (Server 1 may be overloaded, so maybe Server 2 won't be.)
If this still doesn't work, keep trying several times before you give up. (When lots of people are downloading all at once, the system is more likely to hiccup and cause failures.)
If none of these work and you have tried several times, email me and I'll find a way to make you happy.
Problem 4: My system tells me the downloaded "zip" file is "invalid" or "corrupt"!
Solution: The downloaded file is not invalid or corrupt. This problem ALWAYS means that your system did not finish the download. See the solutions to Problem 3 above. Fiction 101 is about 54 MB and Fiction 201 is about 111 MB. If the file you downloaded is smaller than these sizes, then you haven't completed the download.
Problem 5a: I double-clicked on the "Click_me.html" file, but nothing happened!
Solution: First, let me explain what's going wrong. Your product is composed of hundreds of small files. I have "zipped" all those hundreds of files together into one single "zip" file because it will download much quicker and safer than hundreds of little files. You have downloaded that "zip" file but your system has failed to unzip it into the final product--which should be a folder containing hundreds of small files. Macs unzip it automatically, but Windows machines are usually not set up to do this.
If you can see the file named "Click_me.html", look at the title bar of the window it's in. If it says WinZip or WinRar, then your system has downloaded the "zip" file completely and opened it up in a decompression program (WinZip or WinRar) and you are looked at a COMPRESSED version of "Click_me.html". But your system has not "unzipped" the product automatically for you. You can unzip it manually in either WinZip or WinRar using the "Extract" button.
And how do you know if you've unzipped the file correctly? You'll know if your hard drive contains the product folder for the product you bought, as follows:
- If you bought Fiction 101, then your zip file is named "Fiction_101.zip" and the product folder should be named "Fiction 101".
- If you bought Fiction 201, then your zip file is named "Fiction_201.zip" and the product folder should be named "Fiction 201".
- If you bought the Snowflake Lecture, then your zip file is named "SnowflakeLecture.zip" and the product folder should be named "SnowflakeLecture".
Once you can see the correct product folder on your hard drive, you're home free! Just go into that folder and double-click on the file named "Click_me.html".
Problem 5b: I double-clicked on the "Click_me.html" file, and got an error message about "File Not Found"!
Solution: This is the same as Problem 5a, so follow the solution for that problem.
Problem 5c: I double-clicked on the "Click_me.html" file, but I can't play the sound files!
Solution: This is usually the same as Problem 5a, so follow the solution for that problem.
If that doesn't work, then it is possible that you need to download Quicktime for your system. You can get it here for FREE!
Problem 6: I double-clicked on the "Click_me.html" file, but it tells me JavaScript is not enabled!
Solution: You should enable JavaScript. The "Click_me.html" file has instructions on how to do this.
If you are running Internet Explorer, it may have JavaScript enabled, but my page may still tell you JavaScript is disabled. In that case, there is probably a small notice at the top of your browser window that says you need to activate an ActiveX control. Follow the directions there to activate it. Internet Explorer is being a little anal here to cover up for some poor security design by Microsoft. Play along.
Problem 7: My system tells me WinZip has expired!
Solution: You will need to get a new copy of WinZip. You can download it here. (This problem only happens on Windows machines, never on Macs. Some cheapskate manufacturers don't give you a free copy of WinZip--they only give you a trial version which eventually expires.)
Problem 8: I put my download on a USB drive and now it won't unzip!
Solution: Your USB drive may not be large enough to perform the unzip operation. Copy your zip file back to your hard drive, unzip it there, and then copy the resulting folder back to your USB drive.
I don't see my problem listed above!
Solution: You may have discovered a new problem or you may not have recognized your problem as one of the above. That's OK. Email me and I'll straighten things out for you. If your problem is one of the above, then I'll tell you which one it is. If you've really discovered a new kind of problem (you weirdo, you!) I'll fix it for you. I will make you happy, I promise. I have never failed yet to make my customers happy, and I will fix your problem too!
