Help With Multimedia and Other Files

Occasionally we provide links to video or audio presentations and to files in non-Web formats such as RTF (rich text format), Microsoft Word, and Microsoft Powerpoint.

This help section answers the following questions:

What if the video or audio doesn’t play?

How do I open a slide show or word-processed document?

How do I download a file instead of having it load in my browser window?

For help with using Adobe PDF files, see Help With PDFs

What if the video or audio doesn’t play?

If an audio or video link doesn’t play, it usually means that you lack the correct “player” software. If you already have a multimedia player, it may be out of date. Common players are RealNetworks’ RealPlayer, Microsoft’s Windows Media Player, and Apple’s Quicktime Player. To download and install one or the other of these players, go to the player website and follow the instructions provided by the vendor:

To install or upgrade RealPlayer, go to Real website and look for the “Download RealPlayer” option. RealNetworks also sells a Premium Player, but any of our RealPlayer content will work on the free player.

To install or upgrade Windows Media Player, go to Microsoft’s Windows Media Player page and look for the “download” option.

To install or upgrade Quicktime Player, go to Apple’s Quicktime Player page and look for the “download” option.

How do I open a slide show or word-processed document?

This site offers a small number of word-processed files for downloading, along with occasional slide shows. Many of these appear in conjunction with the annual convention, when speakers make their handouts and presentation materials available online. These materials are prepared by the speakers themselves, who select the formats they prefer. We do not modify these materials and so cannot make these files available in any “universal” format.

To access such documents, you will need to have appropriate software on your computer. In the case of word-processed documents, we do try to use “RTF” (“rich text format”), which can be read by almost all text editors and word-processing packages. On occasion, however, we must use documents prepared in a proprietary format such as Microsoft Word. In these cases, you will need software able to open these files.

Almost all slide shows are prepared in Microsoft PowerPoint. To view them, you will need to have software on your computer capable of opening these files.

How do I download a file instead of having it load in my browser window?

Some browsers will attempt to load any file into the browser window. Microsoft Internet Explorer, in particular, is capable of rendering Word and Powerpoint files in a browser window. To make sure that you download a file instead, do the following:

On Windows operating systems, move your mouse over the link to the file and click the right mouse button. In the popup menu, select “Save Target As...” You will then be able to select the place in your file system where you want to save the file.

On Macintosh operating systems, move your mouse over the link to the file, press the CTRL key on the keyboard, then click your mouse button. In the popup menu, select “Download Link to Disk.” You will then be able to select the place in your file system want to save the file.