To save files directly to your local disk (to bypass any browser plug-ins you may have), you need to use the "Right-Click" method. Instead of using your left mouse button to click on the hypertext link, click ONCE on the hyperlink using your "RIGHT" mouse button. This will cause a menu to be displayed, from which you will select the appropriate save option:
* For Microsoft Internet Explorer®
users, select "Save Target As"
* For Netscape Navigator® users, select "Save Link As"
Once you've selected the proper SAVE option
for your browser, and have saved the file to your local system, go to your program
menu and start the appropriate application for the file type. Locate the file
you saved, and open it directly with the appropriate application.
SPECIFIC ISSUES:
LARGE FILES: If you connect to the Internet via modem, you should
always consider saving files (anything larger than 1 MB) directly to your local
PC, rather than using your browser (plug-in) to view them online.
Why not allow the browser to load the file
with an application "plug-in"?
Browser based application "plug-ins" load files into cache memory,
and the browser may not be used for regular navigation during a download process.
If you attempt to use the browser to view another page, the download will be
interrupted. OR, once you resume your normal navigation (away from the target
file after the download), your browser must repeat the entire download process
each time you want to view the file.
There are some well known and well documented "bugs" with many browser/s and plug-ins. The most common problems result from downloading large files (larger than 1.5 MB) -- where the browser will frequently "freeze" or otherwise fail to complete the download. These situations can cause corruptions of your browser cache files and/or to the plug-ins themselves.
Bypassing the plug-ins and saving the files directly to your local disk, gives you the opportunity to view the file from your local system at any time, without the need to download it again, and takes both the browser viewer and the browser plug-ins out of the download process -- reducing the overall chances of errors**** Program for Mac users to view Windows Media files:
Here is a Mac utility for viewing .Wmv files Flip4mac : www.flip4mac.com
Windows Media Format(.Wmv) is the compression tool that Microsoft has as competition
for Quicktime Movie (.mov).