My Files Aren’t Working… HELP!
I wear many hats at the BIP Office, and one of them is Technical Support. When your system is going kerflunky, I’m probably the one you’ll speak with. Not because I’m a wiz or anything, but because I have a calm, encouraging phone voice that reminds you not to panic. (OK, I do know my way around computers too, but really, that’s a bonus.) While most people don’t have trouble with our software, we do have some FAQs below for the few who do.
#One
- The number one problem people have when using our digital materials (Illuminations and WonderMaps, especially) is that they don’t have a recent version of Adobe Reader. You need to have version 9.1 or higher. The easy way to check is to open up your version of Reader and under “Help” click “Check for updates.” This little feature can save you so much pain and heartache.
- · Many people still use version 8, which I’m convinced is “steal-your-soul-and-rent-it-back-to-you evil.” Nothing works on it. Nothing old, nothing new. In fact, you should upgrade now. It’s free. www.Adobe.com. Install it, reboot, and try again. Nine times out of 10 this works.
- Mac users often find that PDF files default to opening in a program called “Preview” – this is fine for simple image files, but our PDF files are complex and Preview can’t handle them. If Adobe Reader is installed on your Mac, control+click the file you’re trying to open and select “Open With“—>”Adobe Reader.” If Adobe Reader isn’t an option, you need to download it from the above link and install it.
#Two
The second question we consistently get concerns expired or undelivered download links. That’s an easy fix.
- First, let me say that orders placed after 2:00(ish) usually aren’t processed until the next day, and unless you paid by PayPal or had a coupon, that means you won’t get your download link until we’ve processed your order. (Obviously, weekend orders or orders while we’re all away at a convention take a little longer. Sorry!)
- Secondly, once we process your order, sometimes your link will wind up in your spam box, so check there first.
- Lastly, our links expire 3 days after they’ve been sent. So, if your link expired, or still hasn’t shown up after 1 business day, call us or email TechSupport (at) BrightIdeasPress.com and we’ll re-send it to you. It’s easy for us to do – in fact we can usually do it while we’re still on the phone with you.
#Three
The third most frequent conversation I have is when people are trying to view samples on our website. Most of our samples require that you have Adobe Reader 9.1, and that you download them – don’t try to view them in your browser. Most browsers can’t handle the nifty things we put in our samples like forms and schedule grids, etc. So, download them and open them up instead. I promise they’re virus-free
#Four
Another question I regularly hear is “What if I’m on a Mac?” I’m pleased to say that (with the exception of the MOH 2 Reproducible CD – which is addressed here) all the software we publish is Mac compatible. You just need Adobe Reader. In fact, 90% of it was made on a Mac, and much of it I formatted myself, so if it didn’t work, I would be pretty upset.
#Summary
If you’ve updated your software, checked your spam box, can’t download or open anything, or are otherwise just confused, don’t waste time pulling your hair out! Give us a call. That’s what we’re here for. 877.492.8081
