| To distribute University-licensed software in compliance with the vendor's license agreements, we have set up a server which students, faculty or staff that are affiliated with Drexel can connect to and download whatever software they need. This server uses SSL, or Secure Socket Layer, encryption to ensure the security of your username and password. In order to access the server, you must authenticate ("log in") with your Drexel domain ID and password. The correct login format looks like this on the Windows platform:
User name: userid@drexel.edu
Password: yourdomainpassword
Accessing the software server requires a web browser (whether using Internet Explorer or another) configured to allow SSL connections. To contact us to report any problems, email consult@drexel.edu or call 215-895-2020. Include:
- Your name and user ID
- What version of Windows or Macintosh OS you have
- What browser and version that you're using
- An exact description of the problem including any error messages or behavior that you're seeing
- An email address and/or telephone number where we can reach you
We do not recommend using some ISP-based browsers, like those used by AOL, NetZero, MSN, etc. If you use one of those services to connect to the internet, you should connect as you normally do, then minimize that window and open up a bona fide web browser such as one of the ones listed below. |
Most Common or Popular Web Browsers:
- Internet Explorer: Click HERE if you're using Windows or HERE if you're using Mac OS
- Safari (Mac OS X 10.2 or newer's standard browser)
- Mozilla Firefox: Click HERE if you're using Windows or HERE if you're using Mac OS
If you're using another web browser not listed above, as long as it supports SSL connections, it should work fine. If you find that your favorite browser doesn't work, Mozilla Firefox for both Windows and Mac OS is a free download and well worth trying - you may find Firefox even faster & easier to use than what you're using now! |
Navigating the Site
Once you've logged in, you can navigate through the links just as you would open links in an email. If you're a Student, double-click Students, if Faculty or Staff, double-click FacultyandStaff, etc. Then, select PCSoftware or McintoshSoftware. Dig around to find what you need. If you can't find a program that you think should be there and is listed as available via download, see the "Closing Remarks" section below. |
Closing Remarks
If you're looking for a specific program that is listed as downloadable at the software availability page and can't find it, please send us an e-mail and specify the name and version of the program you're looking for. Sometimes, software may be added to or removed from the site as licensing agreements change and the availability page isn't updated to reflect these changes. If we have a valid license but the software isn't on the site, we can upload a current version, usually within 1 business day.
Also, you should realize that some programs are part of a package. For example, Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook Publisher area all part of Office 2003, while FrontPage is separate. If, for some reason you want to install PowerPoint (and only PowerPoint), simply choose "Custom" when you run the installer and de-select the programs you don't want to install.
Additionally, to conserve server space and bandwidth (meaning faster, more efficient, and more reliable downloads), most of the software is stored in compressed format.
PC software packages are stored as self-extracting Zip files. After the file downloads (typically Windows browsers will download file to your desktop), double-click it to "extract" the installation files. Note that this only prepares the files to allow you to install the software - it does not actually install it. After the "Unzipping" is finished, you'll see a new folder on your desktop (or wherever you downloaded the file to); just open that folder and look for the installation file. Typically, this will be called "setup" or "install", but it may be something else. If in doubt, look for the "ReadMe" file and open it - that'll tell you what you need to do to install the software.
Macintosh software is stored in either Binary (.bin), BinHex (.hqx) or Disk Image (.dmg) formats. For Binary or BinHex, you need to have Stuffit Expander or something similar installed (all Mac OSes after 8.6 should come with Stuffit Expander, though recent versions of OS X do not). Disk Image files are only for OS X and are opened by the built-in Disk Copy utility. After downloading the .dmg file, simply double-click it to "mount" the disk image.
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