Downloading Files on Public Computers

Patrons can download files, such as pictures and documents, from the Internet. They can be opened after downloading or they can be saved to a floppy disk or CD. Patrons are not permitted to download and install any programs, however.

Many web sites have documents that can be downloaded. For example, go to this page: News from Falling Mountain Music. There's a manual here titled "How to Host a Concert". If you click on the link the download will start. This manual is written in Microsoft Word, which means that you'll need that program to open the manual and read it. The same holds true for any documents that were created with specific programs, like a spreadsheet in Excel, an Acrobat document in pdf. To download a pdf file, click once on the file name. The Adobe Acrobat Reader will start automatically and the document will appear.

Not all file downloads work this way, however. Sometimes you need to right click on the file name or press the Control key while clicking. If you are on a Mac, choose Download file to disk from the menu. If you are using a Windows computer a box will appear with this message:

What would you like to do with this file?
Click on button to Save to a disk. Click OK.
A box will appear showing the computer's hard disk and folders. Navigate through the folders until the desired location shows in the "Save in:" box. If the patron is using a Windows computer, save it to the My Documents folder or to their floppy disk. If they are using a Mac, save it to the Shared Documents folder or their floppy.