• Helper Applications
• Saving Files to Your Computer
• One file downloaded 99% of the way and then it crashed. What gives?
• Some things to try if your helper application is having problems

Helper Applications

Download and install the following free Helper Applications in order to fully experience the rich-media content on the SCIFI.COM Web site:

• QuickTime Player
• RealPlayer
• Flash Player
• Shockwave Plugin
• Windows Media Player
  
  

For more information, visit our Media Tools page.


Saving Files to Your Computer

For big files (such as video clips or QuickTime VR files) that you're having difficulty getting to play properly in your helper applications, use your mouse's right-click (or alt-click) and select the "Save" or "Save to Disk" option.

After you have saved the file to your computer's hard drive, use one of your helper applications, or a different application, to open/view the saved file.


One file downloaded 99% of the way and then it crashed. What gives?

Typically, browsers update the number of bytes/percentage downloaded only after that amount has been downloaded. So it will show "100% downloaded" only after it has fully downloaded and parsed the file.

If your computer has problems when the file reaches the end of the download, it's probably because something is wrong with the way your browser is trying to post-process the download.

It could be a misconfiguration of either the browser or the helper application; it could be a memory problem; or it could be something else. There's no surefire way to know without downloading the file again.

This is why we suggest that you save large files to your computer's hard drive, especially if you are using a new helper application; if something does go wrong, the file will still be there, and you won't have to wait through another download.


Some things to try if your helper application is having problems:

• Quit all other open applications and just run the helper application. If this works, there might be a memory problem or a conflict between your browser and that particular helper application.
  
  
• Try another application. If this works, the helper application might have been buggy or it might not work with your version of the system software.
  
  
• Read the documentation that came with the helper application. Does it understand the kind of file you're sending to it? What hardware/software requirements does it have?