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Forms
and Documents - Help
Introduction
This page addresses the topics listed in the next
paragraph. It assumes that you understand basic Windows
procedures, such as pointing, clicking, opening and
closing windows and dialog boxes, navigating through
folder (directory) hierarchies using Windows Explorer
or My Computer, and accessing Internet content with
a popular browser. If you do not possess these skills
then you should seek the assistance of a more experienced
computer user.
If you have a specific area of inquiry, please click
on the appropriate question in the preceding list.
If you would like to read all the help topics in sequence,
simply continue reading this page, scrolling down as
needed.
Click here to return to
the forms and documents start page. If you came to
this page from a page other than the forms and documents
start page, use your browser's Back
button or command to return to that page, or use the
site map shown in the blue area at left (on graphical
browsers) to select another link.
Questions and Answers
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How do I use my Web browser to download
a document?
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If you are using Netscape or Internet Explorer,
the easiest way to download a document to disk
is to jump to the forms and documents download page,
find the desired document, and click (once) on
its link. If a dialog box pops up and gives you
a choice between Open the file
and Save it to disk,
then select the "radio button" next to Save it to disk.
If necessary, click on the OK
or Save button
to complete the download.
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How do I view documents that I have
downloaded?
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If your browser is set up to open downloaded
documents automatically (this is somewhat unusual),
then the download process described in the previous
topic will also open your document so you can see
its contents. From a security standpoint, this
is a risky configuration, as many macro viruses
are activated when the file that contains them
is opened. Although it is extremely unlikely that
you will pick up a virus from this website, configuring
your browser to open files automatically may place
you at increased risk of picking up viruses via
files downloaded from other sites.
If your browser is set up to download files to
disk, then you must take additional steps to view
the document's contents. Minimize or close your
browser and navigate to the downloaded file's folder
using either Windows Explorer or My Computer. For
safety's sake, always run a virus check
against any newly downloaded file, no matter how
safe you think it may be. (Some anti-virus programs
automatically check files for viruses as they download,
but unless you know for certain that this is occurring
on your computer, it is better to check manually.)
Having passed the virus check, and assuming that
the appropriate software is installed on your computer,
you should then be able to open the file by double-clicking
its icon. As an alternative, you may open the appropriate
program first and then use the File/Open dialog
within the program to view the downloaded file.
We do not recommend that you open any
file using inappropriate software (for example,
opening a Corel WordPerfect file using Microsoft
Word), notwithstanding any representation by the
software manufacturers that their programs can
read competitors' file formats.
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How do I handle documents in Microsoft
Word format?
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To view a document in DOC (Microsoft Word) format,
we suggest that you open it using Word for Windows.
This site maintains DOC format documents in Word
97 format. Any later version of Word, including
the one bundled with Microsoft Office 2000, should
also be able to access these documents. You may
view, print, and/or edit DOC format documents that
you have downloaded.
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How do I handle documents in Corel
WordPerfect format?
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To view a document in WPD (Corel WordPerfect)
format, we suggest that you open it using Corel
WordPerfect. This site maintains WPD format documents
in WordPerfect 6.0 format. Any later version of
WordPerfect should also be able to access these
documents. You may view, print, and/or edit WPD
format documents that you have downloaded.
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How do I handle documents in Adobe
Portable Document format?
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To view a document in PDF (Adobe Portable Document
Format) file format, we suggest that you first
download and install the Adobe
Acrobat Reader on your computer if you
have not done so previously. This free software
is available from Adobe's
website. It is a de facto standard
Web document viewer that will enable you to access
content at this and many other websites. Alternatively,
you may also use other software products capable
of displaying or printing PDF format files (several
such products are available for download, some
at no cost). For additional information on PDF
documents, please click here.
When Adobe Acrobat Reader is installed on
your Internet device, you may open any PDF file
using this software. You may view and/or print
PDF format documents that you have downloaded,
but it is not possible to edit them.
New virus note (added 12 August 2000):
Adobe has recently acknowledged that it is possible
for malicious content authors to transmit virus-like
executable programs inside of PDF files. Adobe
has updated the Acrobat Reader software to
prevent such executable programs from damaging
your computer. Be sure that you have installed
version 4.05c or later of Acrobat Reader on
your machine. Even if you have previously downloaded
the software, you should obtain a new copy if your
existing installation is earlier than version 4.05c.
Please read the next topic
for detailed instructions.
If the Acrobat Reader is installed on your
computer but you would like to check the version
number, open the program from the Windows Start/Programs
menu, then use your mouse or other pointer to select
the Help option
from the top of the window. From the drop-down
menu that appears, select About Acrobat Reader....
In the large white box that pops onto the screen,
the version number will appear in small black print
near the top of the box. To close the box, click
your mouse or other pointer anywhere within this
white box.
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How do I download and install the Adobe
Acrobat Reader software?
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There are three basic steps to downloading and
installing the Adobe Acrobat Reader software.
First, navigate to the Adobe website using any
web browser. Second, download the Acrobat Reader
installation file (that is, copy this file from
Adobe's computers to your computer via the Internet).
Third, install the program (note that this installation
step is required to make the Adobe Acrobat Reader
functional, and is a separate procedure from the
download). Experienced users will already be able
to follow these steps without more detailed instructions;
if you are such a user and are ready to initiate
the installation process, you may go directly to
the Acrobat download page.
If, however, you would like detailed instructions,
please continue reading.
Detailed instructions for downloading and installing
the Adobe Acrobat Reader software appear below:
These steps should work on most Windows machines:
- Navigate to the Adobe website:
- When you are ready to visit the Adobe
website (that is, after you have read and
understood these instructions), click
here. Helpful hint:
If you use the right mouse button
to click on the last two words in the previous
sentence, you will not be taken directly
to the Adobe website. Instead, a pop-up menu
will appear. If you then left-click
on the phrase Open in New Window,
a new browser window will open up, so that
both this instruction page and the Adobe
page are simultaneously active. You can manuever
the mouse pointer in the Windows taskbar
(usually located in a gray strip across the
bottom of the display screen) and left-click
to switch back and forth between the window
containing these instructions and the Adobe
window. The simultaneous keyboard combination
ALT+TAB also
allows selection of the desired window. (Hold
the ALT key
down continuously and press and release the
TAB key repeatedly
to select from multiple windows if more than
two are open.)
- Download the Acrobat Reader installation
file:
- When you reach the Adobe website, you
should be able to see three gray boxes, labeled
Step 1,
Step 2,
and Step 3.
You may need to scroll down a bit to see
the boxes. If you do not see these boxes,
temporarily disable any ad-blocking software
you may be running, and reload or refresh
the page in your browser. If this does not
help then obtain assistance from a computer-knowledgeable
person.
- In the box labeled Step 1,
use your mouse or other pointing device to
select your favorite language and the correct
Windows or other operating system version
you are using. Again check with a knowledgeable
computer person if you are not sure what
version of Windows (e.g., 95, 98,
2000) your machine is running. Also select
the location nearest you (probably USA).
If you would like to be able to search for
words or phrases within PDF documents, click
on the check box next to the phrase Include
option for searching PDF files (longer download);
otherwise leave the check box blank.
- In the box labeled Step 2,
click on the name or email address fields,
then use the keyboard to type the requested
information. Unless you wish to receive commercial
junk email from Adobe and its corporate friends,
use the mouse to de-select (uncheck)
both of the two check boxes below the email
address field. A single click on the left
mouse button will toggle the selected box
between the checked and unchecked states.
- In the box labeled Step 3,
click once on the red button labeled DOWNLOAD.
- What happens next depends to some extent
on your Web browser (Netscape or Internet
Explorer) and your system's configuration.
In most cases, a pop-up dialog box will appear
asking whether you would like to copy the
requested file to your computer's hard drive,
or execute the requested file directly. Select
the first option (copy), but before you do
so, make a handwritten note (yes, this is
quaint, but necessary) of the file's name
and folder location. (There is usually a
special Windows file folder reserved for
the purpose of copying files from the Internet,
but you may actually copy the file to any
folder you desire. You may use this dialog
box to select a different folder if you wish.)
Depending on your Internet connection speed,
the download-in-progress dialog box will
remain on your display screen anywhere from
a minute or two (on most campus computers)
to an hour or so (on most home computers
unless you have a DSL connection). Try not
to use the computer for any other tasks while
the installation file downloads. (To avoid
boredom, play with your children or read
a good book while waiting.) If you are running
anti-virus software, it may take a few additional
minutes from the time the dialog box disappears
at the end of the download until the installation
file is actually written to your hard drive.
If you are using certain configurations of
Norton AntiVirus, it may be necessary to
click the Windows taskbar (the gray stripe
across the bottom of most Windows screen
displays) on the virus checker box in order
for it to complete its work. Obtain assistance
from a knowledgeable person if you encounter
difficulties.
- Install the program:
- Use either the Windows Explorer, My Computer,
or (if necessary) the Find/Files and Folders
command (located on the Windows Start button)
to locate the installation file you have
just downloaded. (Use the quaint handwritten
note you made at the beginning of the download
to remember the installation file's name
and location.)
- Temporarily disabling your anti-virus
software may significantly speed the installation
process. If you do this, first break your
Internet connection so that nasty people
in cyberspace do not install a virus on your
machine while it is undefended. If you have
a DSL, cable, ISDN, LAN, or similar "always
on" Internet connection, you should physically
unplug your computer (temporarily) from the
telephone jack, cable connection, or network
to be absolutely sure of virus safety. Do
not accidentally unplug the computer's power
cord! Carefully note how you break the
connection so you can plug back into the
same place later to restore your Internet
service. Dial-up users, you need only close
your connection (there's nothing to unplug).
Verify that you are disconnected by picking
up any telephone on the same line; if you
hear a normal dial tone, then you are disconnected.
- When you have found the installation file,
double-click on its name (or click once and
then press the ENTER
button on your keyboard). Several dialog
boxes will open and close as the installation
begins.
- Respond to any questions that arise in
dialog boxes during the installation process.
If you don't know the answer to a question,
try pressing the ENTER
button on your keyboard, as there is usually
an adequate default answer provided.
- As appropriate, re-enable your ad-blocking
and/or anti-virus software when the installation
finishes, and restore your Internet connection
(in that order). If your computer behaves
oddly after this installation, shut it down,
plug everything back in while it is off (you
did remember, right?), and reboot or restart
it.
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