Download Troubleshooting FAQ
We do not use DRM file protection on our files. If you're having a problem, it's not related to digital rights management. Purchasing a download from us gives you the right to use the file on any or all of your devices.
If you created an account, your download purchase links will be maintained in your account history and do not expire.
A note about formats
PDF files can be read on all computers and devices, but if your Apple device does not have a PDF reader, you'll need to install a free one (see below). PDF files match the print book layout — they look better, but in ereaders, the formats below will probably be better because you can adjust the font size.
Epub files can be read with most ereaders, ereading apps, tablets or mobile phone or devices.
Mobi or prc files are what your Kindle or Kindle app will open.
We don't hear of many problems with the downloads, but there have been some.
Here are the fixes to the common problems we've seen.
Downloading too much at once
One common problem is people trying to download multiple video files at the same time. This will slow the downloads to a crawl, and more often than not there will be a glitch in the connection that will halt all the downloads and corrupt the files.
Can't find the file?
If you didn't specify a location for the file to be stored, it was probably put in a common downloads folder.
Our files are delivered in a ZIP folder. Once the download is finished, double-click to extract the files to a folder before trying to open them with your app. Your app won't be able to read the file without extracting from the ZIP folder. If you've downloaded into Dropbox before installing a zip file app first, you may have to delete it from Dropbox before the zip app will be able to access it.
Apple computer or mobile device
If you're having trouble with a large video download, check your Energy Saving option in the System Preferences. If the hard drive is set to sleep after 30 minutes, your download will fail. Change this to 'never,' at least until you get your video downloaded.
Most of the other problems we see have to do with Apple computers or mobile devices that need a plugin to open a zip file or, if you're buying an ebook, read a pdf. It may seem like a hassle, but the upside is you'll be set up to get zip files and read pdf downloads from other sites in the future.
If you don't have one, you'll need to install an app that will open a ZIP file.
Here's a free zip file plugin from Apple:
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/zip-file-viewer/id352308329?mt=8
Here's another free zip plugin that works well for a lot of people, The Unarchiver:
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/the-unarchiver/id425424353?mt=12
Here's the Stuffit zip file plugin (use the link on the left for the free download):
http://www.stuffit.com/mac-expander.html#compare
Here's an Apple device PDF reader:
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/adobe-reader/id469337564?mt=8
Here's a link to how to transfer files from a Mac to an ipad:
http://www.macworld.com/article/1159805/iPad_file_transfers.html
Here's a link to how to transfer files from a PC to an ipad:
http://windowssecrets.com/top-story/how-to-transfer-files-from-windows-to-the-ipad/
iPad
If you don't have these already installed, you'll need two things, a zip file opener to open the container, and a PDF reader app. You'll also be able to read the PDF files in your Kindle or other reader app if you use the Izip app below.
First, the zip app (both are free): Either Zip File Viewer or iZip.
Zip File Viewer is simple to use, but just opens the file… no frills:
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/zip-file-viewer/id352308329?mt=8
iZip installs in landscape view and has more options, making it a little more complicated. At the bottom left is an 'open in' option you can use to open the file in a reader app like Kindle:
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/izip-zip-unzip-unrar-tool/id413971331?mt=8
Here's an Apple device PDF reader:
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/adobe-reader/id469337564?mt=8
Other Common Problems
Video files are large, and mobile devices fill up fast. It’s very common for us to troubleshoot for awhile, and then discover the problem is a full device. Check your storage space before you spend too much time troubleshooting.
Another thing that happens fairly often is for a person to start a large video download, which takes a long time via wireless, and then discover the device went into autolock or sleep mode before the download finished. Check your autolock setting to fix this one.
Dropbox
You can also download the file to your iPad, open it in the iZip app and extract the file to Dropbox where you can watch the video there, and will also have access to the file with your other devices.
File downloads but won't play in iTunes
On a few occasions, we've had people unable to get iTunes to read the MP4 file. If this happens to you and you're able to play the file in the VLC player, you know the files is good, and you have an issue with our MP4 and your iTunes setup. If you still want the file in iTunes, you can run the MP4 through the free Handbrake program. Set Handbrake for the iPad format (or whatever format you want), designate the destination for the new file, and when Handbrake is finished, copy the new files into iTunes.
The file you got was a .zip.cpgz file instead of a zip file
A .cpgz file means the zip file was corrupted — there was a glitch during the download, most likely from a brief interruption in your internet connection.
First thing you'll want to do is delete the .cpgz files so the new files can download correctly.
Make sure you have enough space on your hard drive, and that your download folder doesn't have a space limitation.
Then, re-download the files, but do them one at a time, not all at once.
You got the download, but can't view the video
Are you able to view other mp4 files? If not, you may need a plugin for your quicktime program. You may be missing the codec that plays MP4 videos (that's the format of the downloads).
Here's how to check:
Download and test the file sample_mpeg4.mp4 below and you'll know if this is a quicktime issue.
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1425
Here's the paid Quicktime add-on page:
http://www.apple.com/quicktime/extending/components.html
Here's a free download from the quicktime forum that may work for you:
VLC is a free player you might want to add to your Mac. It will play pretty much anything and is very popular.
Laptop or Device Full
Once in a while we discover there's not enough space available on a laptop or device to handle the download, and occasionally there will be a limit on the size of the files in the download folder, or of the folder itself. This is worth a quick check before you spend too much time troubleshooting.
Your video file won't finish downloading
Are you using the Chrome browser? Chrome appears to have a problem with larger files and sometimes doesn't complete the renaming process after finishing the download. Before you spend too much time on this, check the download in Firefox and see if that doesn't fix the problem. The larger the file, the more likely this is the culprit, meaning we see this most often with Charlie's Disk 1 video, which is our largest file..
A note about ebook formats
PDF files can be read on all computers and devices, but if your Apple device does not have a PDF reader, you'll need to install a free one (see below). PDF files match the print book layout — they look better, but in ereaders, the formats below will probably be better because you can adjust the font size.
Epub files can be read with most ereaders, ereading apps, tablets or mobile phone or devices.
Mobi or prc files are what your Kindle or Kindle app will open
One common problem is people trying to download multiple video files at the same time. This will slow the downloads to a crawl, and more often than not there will be a glitch in the connection that will halt all the downloads and corrupt the files. This is usually only a problem with very large video files.
Android
Were you able to download but not open the zip file? You may need a zip file reader app. Here's a free one for android:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.agilesoftresource&hl=en
Once you get the file downloaded and opened with the zip app, you'll then click on one of the files to open it. If you click on the PDF, that will open in a PDF reader; the prc and mobi files will open in the Kindle reader, and the epub will open in other readers (Nook, iBook, etc). If you've purchased a video, click on the mp4 file and your video will play.
If you are unable to get the file to open in the Kindle Android app, you can also email the prc or mobi file to your Kindle email address. That should also work for you.
Adobe has an excellent Android e-book download tip sheet here.
Acer Tablet
Here are a few options for zip files on an Acer Tablet: