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Using Firefox in Windows to Download Software |
Mozilla's Firefox browser is gaining popularity and for good reason. It's generally faster, more stable, and more malware-resistant than Internet Explorer. On top of all that, it's free! You can download it from http://www.getfirefox.com. The download page will detect what operating system you're using and present you with the appropriate version of their browser.
Once you've installed Firefox (or if you already have it installed), you can use it to access the Software Download Server. Just launch Firefox and go to https://software.drexel.edu. When you go to that URL, the login box will look something like this: 
Simply enter your username as shown (don't forget the "drexel\" in front) and your Drexel domain password. This is usually the same password that you use to log in to DrexelOne or Webmail with, but it may be different. Try that password first, but just once (trying too many times will get your account temporarily locked). If you can't log in, try the following steps in order. |
1. Verify that you're using the correct password! The quickest way to verify that you're using the correct password is to go to CAMS (the Computer Accounts Management Service) at http://accounts.drexel.edu (this link will open in a new window so you can refer back to this one). When you get to the CAMS page, there's a drop-down menu below the "Password" field - click it and select "Drexel Domain", as shown:
Then, enter the username and password you use for DrexelOne or Webmail (or whatever you think the password is) and click "Sign in". If you see a message that says "Your login was successful", then you're using the correct password and there's something else preventing you from logging into the Software Server. Continue the steps below to determine the source of the problem. If you see a message that says "Your login user-id or password was not accepted", then the password you entered is not correct for your Drexel Domain account (though it may still be correct for DrexelOne or Webmail). In that case, you can click "Help! I forgot my password" to use the Password Reset Wizard. If you have problems using the Reset Wizard, you can contact the IRT Help Desk at (215)895-2698 for assistance. |
2. Clear the disk cache in Firefox. Click on the Tools menu, then click Options:
In the Options window, click on the padlock in the left hand column to go to the Privacy settings. Click the "Clear" button next to "Cookies" and "Cache" and then click OK to close the Options window.
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| 3. Finally, quit Firefox, re-open it and try to log in to the Software site again. If you still have problems, please contact the IRT Help Desk at consult@drexel.edu or by phone at (215)895-2698. |
Navigating & Downloading
Once you're logged into the Software Download Server, navigating is as simple as pointing & clicking. The screen will look something like this:
The links will usually show up as blue (unvisited) or purple (visited) underlined text, but may be different colors depending on what browser you're using and how it's configured. Just like navigating any other website, you click the directory links once to open them. To download the software files (which usually end in ".exe"), simply click the filename. Some files, specifically text documents (which usually end in ".txt") will open rather than download when you click on them. To download these files, right-click on the filename and select "Save Target As...", then choose a location to save the file to and click "Save".
Most Windows/PC software packages are stored as self-extracting compressed (zip) files to conserve space and allow for faster & more reliable downloads. Before you can install the application, you need to "unzip" the installation files. After the file finishes downloading, locate it on your desktop (or wherever you downloaded it to) and double-click it. In the dialog box, click on "Unzip" and then click "Close" when it finishes unzipping. After that, you should see a new folder on your desktop (or, again, wherever you chose to download the file to). Open that folder and look for something that says "Install" or "Setup" or a file called "Readme" that should contain more specific installation instructions. If you're not sure what to do at this point, please contact the IRT Help Desk at consult@drexel.edu or by phone at (215)895-2698. |
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