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.
A Couple Things to Try First
1) Avoid Using Preview (Mac users)
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 by following the instructions below.
2) Update Adobe Reader (to 10.0 or higher)
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 10.0 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. If your version is less than 10.0, you should get it updated. It’s free. Get it from Adobe.com. Install it, reboot the computer, and try again. Nine times out of 10 this works.
Why is my download link expired?
We consistently get questions concerning expired or missing download links. That’s an easy fix. Our links expire 3 days after they’ve been sent. So, if your link has expired, call or email us and we’ll re-send it to you. If emailing, it would be very helpful if you could be sure to state your name, the date of your order, and your email address.
What if my anti-virus software is giving me trouble?
Sometimes anti-virus software can be a bit over zealous. If you are having trouble downloading our software because of your anti-virus program, the only solution is to turn it off momentarily. We promise that our programs are virus free. Unfortunately, we cannot provide specific direction on how to turn the software off because all programs are different, but many of them have a setting or button that disables it for 15 minutes. Others have an on-off switch. Go ahead and temporary disable your anti-virus software, download and install your purchase, and then turn your anti-virus software back on again.
As a disclaimer: While we guarantee our software is virus free, if you turn off your virus protection, you do so at your own risk. Don’t download any other files or visit other websites while your virus protection is off. Bright Ideas is not responsible for anything that happens to your computer.
If your anti-virus program is Norton 360, try these steps.
- Open Norton 360.
- Click “Tasks.”
- Click “Check Security History.”
- The file is often listed originally as quarantined, then removed. Look for an option to restore the quarantined file (there will probably be several gloom and doom messages about the danger of doing this, so be sure to restore the correct file).
- After restoring the file, it generally goes back to the original folder where you can finish installing it.
What if I’m on a Mac?
I’m pleased to say that 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.
My computer crashed and I lost my downloadable products – can I get them back?
Absolutely! Give us a call at 877.492.8081. We’ll look up your order and get you a new download link. Or, if you’ve registered a copy of Illuminations, you can sign in to the Members Page and get a new download link without even having to call.
How do I register my software?
To register your Bright Ideas Press software, you will need to find the “Members” tab above. Before registering your product, you will need to create a user name for yourself, which you can do by clicking on “User Registration.” After you have created your user name you can return to the “Members” dropdown menu and click on Product Registration.
How many times may I download a product?
Your download link will allow you to download the product you purchased for you family 3 times.
To Sum Things Up…
If you’ve updated your software, can’t download or open anything, or are otherwise just confused, don’t waste time pulling your hair out! Get in contact with us here. That’s what we’re here for.
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