Apart from the freeware GCSE Maths Revision progams, all the programs on this site are originals made by me, Grey Olltwit. They are PC Windows ('95,'98 or NT 4) programs. As a minimum they require a Pentium 90 with alteast 16MB of RAM. Many are best viewed in high or true colour and some are not recommended for systems that can only display 256 colours as there can be a conflict with some graphics cards, those that can operate well at 256 colours will say so. Please remember the applications are freeware, so don't expect them to be as good as some commercially available programs. You are welcome to copy any of my programs and send them to friends or relatives.

Downloading

To download one of my Screen Savers, education programs or games, just click on its title on my main home page. On each program's page you will find the download link near the top i.e. "Download this program" and also more information about the program together with a small screenshot of the application in action.

Once you have clicked on the title of the program, this will start the process of copying that file to your computer's hard disk. Your browser will normally display a little screen giving you the option to save the file to a location you choose, CHOOSE SAVE, DO NOT CHOOSE OPEN THIS FILE. On my computer I choose my Desktop to download files to, that way when I've finished with the zip or exe file, I can easily drag it into the recycle bin.

The small download window, displayed by your browser during downloading will show you how the downloading is progressing. If it seems to be progressing very slowly or not at all, try cancelling and then clicking on the link again. Quite often, trying a second or third time will make a better connection to that file and the downloading will proceed much quicker. If it still doesn't, then bookmark the page and try later when things aren't so busy. Poor downloading time means that server has a large number of visitors at that time.

The files from my site that you download are mostly exe files with some remaining old zip style files (see below for exe files). Zip files are where I have compressed the files needed to install the program into one smaller file, making it easier for you and me. To open the files you will need a zipping program to have been already installed on your computer, such as Winzip.

Installing from a zip file

If you have a copy of Winzip on your computer, the file you download should look like a yellow vice like object, if not, you need a copy of winzip, free to download from http://www.winzip.com/. Although an evaluation copy, this free copy of Winzip is fully functional and it is not time limited. Double left mouse click it to open the zip file and you will either get a screen telling you to 'agree' or 'quit' (click agree), or (if you have a registered copy of winzip) you will be straight into the file.

Once the file is open, have a look at the buttons in the tool bar along the top. If you have the latest version of Winzip, there should be one there called 'Install'. Click this and follow the on screen instructions.

If you don't have this button, choose 'Extract' and choose a file to send the contents to. I make a new folder on my C drive (click on File and select 'New Folder') for things like this. If you give it a familiar name, you can delete it afterwards. When you have the files in your new folder, double left click on the 'setup' icon and follow the instructions.

If the graphics look a bit weird it might be you are running your screen at 256 colours. If your settings are at 'High or True Colour' and you still have display problems, try running setup again but choose 'change graphic driver'.

Installing from an exe file

Exe files are self extracting and you do not need to have a zipping program or any other software to be able to download or install it. I am now able to produce these files easily, so they will become more frequent on my site in future. Once you have downloaded the exe file, just double click on it and follow the onscreen instructions. It's a simple as that!

Screen Savers

These can be run from the Control Panel. Right click anywhere on the desktop and choose "Properties" from the pop-up menu. Then choose the "Screen Saver" tab in the display properties window that appears. You will then be able to select the screen saver from the drop down list. Click on the "Settings" button to see a Help file and other options.

Uninstalling

Nearly all my files have now been updated to be uninstalled from the "Control Panel". Click on the "Start" button and then "Settings", "Control Panel". Then double click on "Add/Remove Programs". This will give you a list of many of the programs you have installed on your Computer. Look for the name of the program you wish to remove and either double click it or single click and click on the "Remove" button. Either way the program's uninstall program will start and delete the program and all it's associated files.

 

If you have problems, email me at olltwit@adders.org, giving as much detail as possible as to the problem. I'll try to get back to you quite quickly as I check my mail several times a day.

 

Grey Olltwit