How to Obtain Microsoft Support Files from Online Services

SUMMARY

This article contains information about obtaining Microsoft drivers, patches, Application Notes, and other support files by downloading them from various online information services. This article contains information about the following topics:

General Instructions for Downloading:

Windows files (.exe)
MS-DOS files (.exe)
Macintosh-based files (.hqx, .bin, or .sea)

Specific Instructions for Online Information Services:

World Wide Web (WWW) on the Internet
Microsoft Anonymous ftp Server on the Internet

MORE INFORMATION

GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR DOWNLOADING

The files Microsoft posts on online services are usually compressed, self-extracting files.

NOTE: Small files may not be compressed. These files appear with their original extensions and are not self-extracting.

Windows Files (.exe)

Files designed for Windows have an .exe extension. These files are compressed, self-extracting files. To correctly download and extract these .exe files, follow these steps:

1. Locate the file you want to download using one of the methods provided in the

   "Specific Instructions for Online Information Services" section of this
   article.

2. If you are downloading to a floppy disk, you need a formatted, blank disk. If

   you are downloading to your hard disk, create a new folder in which you can
   temporarily place the file and extract it.

   CAUTION: Do not download files directly to your Windows folder. Doing so could
   overwrite files essential to the proper operation of your computer.

3. Follow the downloading procedure used by your Internet service provider to

   retrieve the file you identified in step 1. Download it to a floppy disk or
   to a new folder.

4. Locate the file in the folder where it was downloaded, and then double-click

   it to begin the installation process.

Note that some .exe files are compressed using the PKWare file-compression utility. To correctly download and extract these .exe files, follow these steps:

1. Locate the file you want to download using one of the methods provided in the

   "Specific Instructions for Online Information Services" section of this
   article.

2. If you are downloading to a floppy disk, you need a formatted, blank disk. If

   you are downloading to your hard disk, create a new folder in which you can
   temporarily place the file and extract it.

   CAUTION: Do not download files directly into your Windows folder. Doing so
   could overwrite files essential to the proper operation of your computer.

3. Follow the downloading procedure used by your Internet service provider to

   retrieve the file you identified in step 1. Download it to a floppy disk or
   to a new folder.

4. To extract the contents of the self-extracting .exe file after you download

   it, type the following from the command prompt or the Run command

   "<path\filename> -d" (without the quotation marks)

   where <path\filename> is the location and name of the downloaded file.

   For example, if you downloaded Sample.exe into the C:\Download folder, type
   the following line from the command prompt or the Run command:

   "C:\Download\Sample.exe -d" (without the quotation marks)

   NOTE: Although you can double-click a self-extracting .exe file to extract its
   contents, this step ensures that a recursively compressed file will maintain
   its file structure.

If you have problems extracting downloaded files, try downloading them again.

MS-DOS Files

These .exe files are compressed using the PKWare file-compression utility. To correctly download and extract these .exe files, follow these steps:

1. Locate the file you want to download using one of the methods provided in the

   "Specific Instructions for Online Information Services" section of this
   article.

2. If you are downloading to a floppy disk, you need a formatted, blank disk. If

   you are downloading to your hard disk, create a new folder in which you can
   temporarily place the file and extract it.

   CAUTION: Do not download files directly into your Windows folder. Doing so
   could overwrite files essential to the proper operation of your computer.

3. Follow the downloading procedure used by your Internet service provider to

   retrieve the file you identified in step 1. Download it to a floppy disk or
   to a new folder.

4. To extract the contents of the self-extracting .exe file after you download

   it, type the following from the command prompt or the Run command

   "<path\filename> -d" (without the quotation marks)

   where <path\filename> is the location and name of the downloaded file.

   For example, if you downloaded Sample.exe into the C:\Download folder, type
   the following line from the command prompt or the Run command:

   "C:\Download\Sample.exe -d" (without the quotation marks)

   NOTE: Although you can double-click a self-extracting .exe file to extract its
   contents, this step ensures that a recursively compressed file will maintain
   its file structure.

If you have problems extracting downloaded files, try downloading them again.

Macintosh-Based Files (.hqx, .bin, or .sea)

If a file is Macintosh based, it has an .hqx or .bin extension. An .hqx file is a BinHex 4.0 text-formatted file, and a .bin file is a MacBinary formatted file.

When you download the .hqx or .bin file, you must decode it with Stuffit Expander (or another utility that understands BinHex or MacBinary format, such as BinHex 4.0 or CompactPro). Decoding converts the .hqx or .bin file into an Installer file. Double-click the Installer file to install its contents.

The .hqx or .bin file may also be decoded into a binary-formatted, compressed .sea file. To extract the contents of this file, double-click the <filename>.sea icon.

If you use Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0 for the Macintosh, .hqx and .bin files are automatically decoded as they are downloaded. To ensure that this option is enabled, follow these steps in Internet Explorer 4.0:

1. On the Edit menu, click Preferences.

2. Under Receiving Files, click Download Options.

3. Under Download Manager Options, click to select the "Automatically decode

   MacBinary files" and "Automatically decode BinHex files" check boxes, and
   click OK.

SPECIFIC INSTRUCTIONS FOR ONLINE INFORMATION SERVICES

Downloading a File from the World Wide Web (WWW) on the Internet

If you know the name of the file you want to download, follow these steps:

1. Connect to the Microsoft Personal Support Center at the following address:

   http://support.microsoft.com/support/default.asp

2. On the menu bar at the top, click Search Support.

3. On the page that appears, click Advanced View if Advanced View is not

   showing.

4. In the "My search is about" list, click your product. Under "I want to search

   by", click "Specific driver or downloadable file". Type the file name in the
   "My question is" box, and then click Go.

If you don't know the file name, follow these steps to find and download the file:

1. Connect to the Microsoft Personal Support Center at the following address:

   http://support.microsoft.com/support/default.asp

2. On the menu bar at the top, click Downloads.

3. On the Support Downloads page, click the product area in which you are

   interested.

4. Some product areas have additional categories. If the product area you

   selected has more categories, select the category in which you are
   interested.

5. If necessary, select the product version number you want.

6. The file names and the corresponding descriptions are displayed. Click the

   file you want to download.

7. Your browser will ask what you want to do with the file. Microsoft Internet

   Explorer 4.0 will ask:

   Run this program from its current location.

   -or-

   Save this program to disk (the default).

   Click OK. Select the destination folder (the floppy disk drive or the folder
   to which you want to download the file) and click Save.

Microsoft Anonymous FTP Server on the Internet

If you are connecting using an Internet browser:

1. In the address area of your Internet browser, type the following and press

   ENTER:

   "ftp.microsoft.com" (without the quotation marks)

2. Click the Softlib link, and then click the MSLFiles link.

3. Scroll through the list of files to locate file you want to download.

   NOTE: The files are listed in alphabetical order.

4. Click the file name link <Filename.ext> to download the file, where

   <Filename.ext> is the name of the file you want to download.

If you are connecting using the MS-DOS prompt:

1. Type the following at the > prompt:

   "ftp ftp.microsoft.com" (without the quotation marks)

2. When prompted for a user name and password, type "Anonymous" (without the

   quotation marks). Use your e-mail address for the password.

3. Change to the Softlib/Mslfiles folder. To download a file, type the following

   at the > prompt

   "Get <Filename.ext>" (without the quotation marks)

   where <Filename.ext> is the name of the file you want to download.

4. Type "bye" (without the quotation marks) to quit ftp.

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