Where to Obtain Aladdin's Expander for Macs or PCs

All downloadable files on the Math 3 website have been compressed in Aladdin's ".sit" format. They can be expanded with Stuffit Expander 5.1.2 (or better) on Macs or Aladdin Expander 5.0 on PCs running Windows. These expanders are free from Aladdin, and should be available on Public for Macs and on Wilson for PCs. Moreover, they probably are already installed on all new machines purchased since 1999 at Dartmouth. [Warning: Older versions of these expanders may not work. So be sure to get 5.1.2 (or better; say, 5.5) for Macs or 5.0 for PCs.]

The expanders can also be obtained from Aladdin's website. You will see there an index on the left with "Expander" listed in the "Product Index." That takes you to a page with buttons to select your system type -- for Windows for example, or for Macintosh. Clicking the appropriate button takes you to the download page where instructions are given for downloading Aladdin Expander 5.0 for Windows, or Stuffit Expander for Macs.

One word of caution for PC users. During installation of Aladdin Expander 5.0 for Windows, a screen pops up asking what file types (extensions) you want to associate with Expander. You should uncheck "zip". Otherwise .zip files will not open with the zip expander when double-clicked but will open with Aladdin Expander. This can cause confusion for students who are accustomed to using zip files. If that option is unchecked then zip files behave as usual and .sit files are opened with Aladdin Expander. (If you inadvertantly do not uncheck the zip option, it can be fixed by running WinZip. WinZip will report that .zip files are no longer associated with it and give the option to switch it back.)




What to Try if Double-clicking a Desktop Icon Does Not Produce the Desired Effect

Suppose you download a file from the Math 3 website, and it seems to unstuff properly, appearing as an icon on your desktop. But when you double-click it, the expected application (Maple or Word) is not launched to open it. Or the application opens with a blank screen. Then try the following. Start the application first and then Open the file from the File menu. (To find the desktop on a PC, it is on the "C" drive, under "Windows".) This should solve the problem.