Password Reminders

The passwords can be tricky. It is all too easy to leave out a space, use a lowercase letter instead of an uppercase letter, etc. Here are some things to keep in mind:

• When entering passwords, please use the method described in the note at the beginning of the Links info:
  
  • Note: The passwords are case-sensitive, and some of them use unusual symbols. To enter a password, it is highly recommended that you copy it (select the complete password, NOT including the quotation marks, if any, then type Ctrl+C, or Cmd+C on Macs) and paste it in the password entry field (click in the password entry field, then type Ctrl+V, or Cmd+V on Macs).
• One of the issues the above method of entering the password will overcome is the impression some may get that there is not enough room in the entry field to enter the complete password. This is just how it may look, depending on how wide the zip program draws the password entry field. Actually, that could have no real bearing on how long a password can really be entered. If the zip program really does not accept the entire password, then upgrade to the appropriate zip program recommended on the Chinese Links File page.
• If your software automatically selects the quotation marks along with the password when you try to select the password, try the workarounds mentioned here.
  
• Make sure you are using the right password. Generally, each resource has its own separate password. The password in the Links email is only for the Links file zip file. The Links file in turn contains the various passwords for the various resources listed.
• If you are still having problems, try downloading again whatever files you are having problems with. Sometimes downloads don't get completed properly and end up being corrupted.
  
• If you use the built-in zip file handling software of recent versions of Windows, including XP and Vista, note that it treats zip files like folders and by default leaves a zip file’s contents inside it. With regular zip files this can be a convenience, but with password-protected zip files like the ones we use, it will require you to enter the password every time you want to access the file(s) inside. To get around this annoyance, double-click on the zip file in question and use the Extract all files button in the resulting Windows Explorer window to do a one-time extraction of the file(s) from the zip file into a regular folder on your hard drive. Or, you may just install and use a regular zip file program like the one recommended on the zip file’s download page (http://www.7-zip.org/).
• On Macs, a program like StuffIt Expander that supports password-protected zip files must be used for such files. However, on recent Macs, by default, even if you have StuffIt Expander installed, if you just double-click on a zip file in the Finder, the Archive Utility app gets used instead, and it does not support password-protected zip files—you will just see an error message that says “Operation not permitted”. You need to make sure you use StuffIt Expander to extract the zip file contents, perhaps by dragging the zip file onto StuffIt Expander, or by right-clicking on the zip file and selecting Open With | StuffIt Expander. To set StuffIt Expander to be the default program for opening zip files:
  • In Finder, select a file with the extension .zip.
  • Type Cmd+I to open the Info window for the zip file.
  • In the Info window’s Open with: section, select StuffIt Expander, press the Change All... button, then press the Continue button in the dialogue box that results.

If the above suggestions don't solve your problem, I suggest you find someone in your area who is familiar with computers to help you.