PASSWORD PROTECTED?

Yes, these lectures are password protected but it is simple to attain a password from us to gain access to the lectures. Just email us as planets@ssec.wisc.edu and tell us why you would like to view the lectures, and we will contact you with information on your username and password. If you are taking this class for credit, this is also the way that you should contact us once you are registered.

 

HOW TO START?

1. First, you need to decide if you have a Media Player already installed on your computer. There are three types of players that will work with our videos: RealVideo Player, QuickTime Player, and the Windows Media Player. If you have one of these players already installed, you should be able to start viewing the lectures. You may need to update your player to a more current version, but test it out first to see if it's compatible. We have links to the latest versions to all three players available.

2. If you do not have any Media Player on your computer you can download one for free through our site, just follow the on-screen directions for downloading and installation.

 

HOW TO DOWNLOAD?

1. To download a Media Player you need to choose the type that you would like. I would recommend the RealOne Player so that you could possibly view the lecture with the Narrated PowerPoint Presentation. When running the RealOne Player you may/may not be told that RealOne requires Internet Explorer 5.5, or any version higher, which you can easily download for free by clicking on this link.

2. Links are provided for free downloads in each lecture page, but you can get it all done with here in a couple of steps. Here are the links to the three downloading sites for each player:

3. Here are additional links to the homepages of each player if you would like to learn more about them and how to use the players:

4. If the the download does not work for some reason, you can just download the setup.exe file directly from our site. These are only for computers with Windows installed. This step skips all regular on-screen options you may have and automatically opens up a window to save the setup.exe file in. Continue the directions found in the How to Install section below.

 

HOW TO INSTALL?

1. We have a direct download for the RealOne Player which skips any forms you would normally have to fill out, and also guarantees that it will be a FREE version. The RealOne Player is an automatic download and all you need to do is click on the "Grant" button, and choose a folder to save the "Setup.exe" file in.

2. I would recommend making a folder named after the player in the C: drive > Program Files > "Your New Folder". Then when you are saving the setup.exe file you should put it in this folder, so you can find it easily.

3. After it saves you need to go into "My Computer" on your desktop, choose the C: drive > Program Files > "Your New Folder" and then double click on the "Setup.exe" icon. Follow the on-screen directions and it should begin to install the player for you. Please e-mail me if you have more questions on this.

4. The other players will be similar to the RealOne Player download and should be fairly simple. You just need to choose the player you want, and then you'll be prompted to save the setup.exe file in a folder (just like above in # 2).

5. To check and see if your player is working, just click on the correct version on the lecture page and it should automatically open the video up for you.

 

HOW TO PLAY / WHAT SPEED IS MY COMPUTER?

1. When choosing to watch the Real or QuickTime videos, the computer will automatically detect your connection speed and choose the right video for you. The Real Player also has the option of viewing the video along with a narrated PowerPoint Presentation, you just need to click on that option instead.

2. For the Windows Media Player you will need to click on the video with the correct speed of your computer.

3. One easy way to check your connection speed is to double click on "My Computer" on your desktop. Then double click on "Control Panel," and once inside that folder double click on "Network and Dialup Connections." It should have an icon inside there with the type of connection that you have: 56k modem, cable, DSL, LAN....

4. Please email me your questions and comments so I can make this easier for you.

 

DEFINITION OF TERMS:

Media Player -- A device used to view video, audio or animation on your computer. Most PCs come with the Windows Media Player already loaded in the machine. Companies offer free versions that you can download, but may take some time to download if you are at a home computer on a slow modem.

Narrated PowerPoint Presentation -- Good for a high bandwidth computer and a fast modem (Cable, DSL, Network). Includes the a larger video of the lecture along with synchronized PowerPoint slides, and a menu to skip through the different chapters. Only works with the Real Player.

Downloading the .exe file -- Only choose this option if you can't get the player to download on it's own. It goes directly to the "Save" option, and doesn't allow you to choose any options on the screen. We only offer the Windows version of this, but all are available online for each company.