Frequently Asked Question about Countdown Installation, Etc.

1. Why is it taking so long to for the program to download?

2. What is a ZIP file?

3. Can I give a copy of this to my students, friends, neighbors, dogs, etc.?

4. Why does my little brother smell so bad?

Why is it taking so long to for the program to download?

The Countdown Installation file is about 3 Megabytes in size. That's over two complete floppy disks so it will take a few minutes or even longer to download completely. If you connect to the Internet via a 56 K or 28.8 modem expect a 30-minute download or longer. On a DSL or cable connection it will download in less than a minute usually.

The solution: Be patient! You might try to start the download before dinner or bedtime and let it download while you're busy with something else.

What is a ZIP file?

A ZIP file is something like a folder that has been organized as a file. Another way to explain it is that a ZIP file is a file that contains several other files inside. The tricky part (and it's really not that tricky) is that you have to have what is called an unzipping program to open them up and get to the "goodies" inside. This is called an "extraction."

WinZip is by far the most popular program for doing this. You can download demo version from their web site at www.winzip.com. If you are operating a computer with Windows ME, then you're in luck. Windows ME has an unzipping program already installed. To unzip the program and extract the files so that you can use you simply need to double-click on the ZIP file and go to File > Extract All. As far as I know, none of the other Windows operating systems like Windows 95 and 98 have a pre-installed unzipping program.

Without placing the setup program into a ZIP file, you would have to download three separate files. If you really think that it might be simpler to just go with the three separate files, email me and I'll send them to you as email attachments.

Can I give a copy of this to my students, friends, neighbors, dogs, etc.?

Absolutely . . . although I'm not sure that the dog would get much use out of it! Countdown is freeware, which means . . . duh . . . that it is free. I am a teacher who designed this program for other teachers to use in space simulations, but you may use it in any way that pleases you. I do like to hear from you if you use it though; it kind of makes me feel all warm inside.

Why does my little brother smell so bad?

He doesn't wash enough! Boy, that was easy.