Technical help

How do I download documents?

To download a document, simply follow the link to the relevant page. Downloading should begin automatically, or there is a link you can click on yourself to begin the process ("click here to download").

Depending on your security settings, if you're using Internet Explorer the following message may pop up:

"To help protect your security, Internet Explorer blocked this site from downloading files to your computer. Click here for options."

If you click on the message, you'll be offered the option of downloading the file. You'll be asked whether you want to open or save the file - you can then save it to your computer.

If you're having difficulties accessing the information, then please get in touch and we'll do our best to help.

What's a PDF?

We generally make our reports available as Portable Document Format (PDF) files. PDF files are relatively small to download, and allow you to see and print the document exactly as it was produced - all the fonts and formatting are preserved.

To read and print a PDF you'll need the Adobe Acrobat Reader software installed on your computer. This is available free from www.adobe.com.

If you have accessibility issues, visit Adobe's Accessibility Resource Center for advice. You can convert a PDF to a plain text document or to an html document that can be opened in your web browser.

What's a zip file?

A zip file is a compressed store of a collection of files, or a large single document. Grouping files together in this way reduces their size and makes them faster to download.

You'll need a decompression program to ‘unzip' the files. Windows XP and Vista have a built-in zip capability (for instructions see here). For Windows 2000 and earlier, you'll need to download a program like WinZip or CAM UnZip.

What's a PPS file?

PowerPoint slide presentations are saved as .ppt files.

If you don't have PowerPoint software installed on your computer, you can download the free PowerPoint Viewer 2007, which will allow you to view (but not modify) the presentation.

How do I watch video presentations?

Video is used in two different ways on our website: embedded within a page or played via a standalone program.

Embedded

To watch video embedded in a page (for example our Sustainable Communities videos), you need to click twice on the play button.

Depending on the speed of your connection, you may have to wait for the video to ‘buffer' before it will begin to play. The volume can be altered by clicking on the loudspeaker icon.

Standalone

To watch the presentations given at the Skills for the Future Symposium, you'll need Windows Media Player.

This is available to download from Microsoft.

To view the presentations, click on the ‘watch presentation' link. A new blank webpage will open, and your computer will automatically begin to run Windows Media Player if it is installed. The presentation will then begin automatically.

How do I make the text smaller/bigger?

Click on the View menu in your browser, and then on the Text Size option. You will then be given a range of options to increase or reduce the size of the text.

The page doesn't work/there's a fault?

Please email us at enquiries@ascskills.org.uk and we'll do our best to fix the problem as soon as possible.