Troubleshooting

File Download Problems

If you are having trouble downloading a software file from our website, check this list for the symptoms you're experiencing, suggested causes, and solutions (if it's a PDF file, rather than software, that you can't view or download, check our PDF Page):

If you can't establish a connection at all/cannot even start a download...

First, sometimes our server is briefly unavailable due to maintenance or troubleshooting.

Second, your browser may not support FTP downloading. The best solution is to upgrade to a current version of a browser such as Netscape Navigator or Internet Explorer. You also can try using an FTP or downloading utility instead: Popular Windows shareware downloading utilities include Get Right or Gozilla, and here's a list of FTP utilities for Microsoft Windows.  Fetch is a popular Macintosh shareware FTP utility.

If you're told that no FTP port can be opened...

The maximum number of users is probably already logged on to our server. Just wait a few moments, and then try again.

If you're a Windows user trying to download software, and see a message like, "Web page [or site] cannot be found" or "Could not log in to FTP server"...

Your web browser may not understand files of type .exe. To fix this problem, check your browser's preferences to be sure that it is set to recognize .exe files and save them to your disk.

If you downloaded a file, but it doesn't install and run correctly...

Try re-downloading it. Before you do so,

• Be sure that your browser is not set to automatically disconnect after a certain number of minutes of inactivity (in Internet Explorer, under Connection Settings, be sure that "Disconnect if idle for __ minutes" is unchecked.)
• Consider disabling your screen saver, to ensure that it does not interfere with the download.

If this doesn't work, check your Windows system for the CIH virus, which attacks installers during decompression (you can download a free CIH virus checker from Symantec Corporation). Make sure that your virus definitions file contains this virus.

If you see the message, "Corrupt cabinet file," while you're downloading a file...

If you're using web filtering software, uninstall it, and then try the download again. If you just can't download the file using your browser, try using an FTP utility instead.

If you see the message, "Corrupt cabinet file," while you're running a downloaded file...

This message is sometimes a sign of an incomplete or corrupted file download. Re-download the software and try again. If this doesn't work, check your Windows system for the CIH virus, which attacks installers during decompression (you can download a free CIH virus checker from Symantec Corporation). Make sure that your virus definitions file contains this virus.

If you've tried the remedies we've suggested and nothing works...

Try clearing your cached web pages:

• In Internet Explorer, select View/Internet Options, then, under "Temporary Internet Files", click "Delete Files,"
• In Netscape, select Edit/Preferences, then, under the "Advanced" category, select "Cache". Then click "Clear Memory Cache" and/or "Clear Disk Cache."
• Try using an FTP utility.
• Finally, if nothing works, download the file through another Internet connection or contact us at ARD.QueryManager@noaa.gov.

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