Technical Tips & Tricks

3.3. Uploaded Resources

PDF Resources 

Some course resources have been developed by Life Strategies (or other program developers) or we have obtained permission to share. These are typically posted in a PDF format to ensure compatibility.

If you are having problems opening PDF resources on the course site, ensure you have the latest version of Adobe Reader or a similar PDF reading software. You can download Adobe Reader for free at http://get.adobe.com/reader/.  

MS Office Resources (PowerPoint, Word , and Excel )

You may encounter other resources posted on the course site including PowerPoint, Word, or Excel documents. Due to compatibility issues on computers, you may experience issues opening files. It’s important to ensure you have MS Office or a compatible program on the computer you're using. 

Depending on how quick your computer is and whether you're using high speed or dial-up Internet access, it takes some time for a document to open. After you click on the icon, you'll usually see a blank white screen while the file is uploading. On a fast computer with high-speed Internet access, it may take 30 seconds to a minute before the file appears. For older computers or a slower Internet connection, it could take several minutes for documents to load. This is a good time to walk away from your computer for a minute or so . . . to go get a coffee or something. Otherwise, you'll be tempted to keep clicking away and then the computer has other commands to deal with. It gets "confused" or "overwhelmed" and can increase your wait time as documents load. Remember - the mouse has a higher priority so, every time you click or move it, you are telling the computer to “stop what you are doing, I need something else.”

The version of MS Office you have may be older than the file you are trying to open. You can either open it on a computer with a newer version or contact us to send you an older version of the document or to send it to you in a different format (e.g., PDF).

For PowerPoint files, you can download a viewer at https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/view-a-presentation-without-powerpoint-2f1077ab-9a4e-41ba-9f75-d55bd9b231a6. Many PowerPoint files include narration so be sure to open it on a computer with speakers so you can follow along.

Depending on the computer and Internet browser you are using, you may find the file doesn’t open up automatically. You may find it in the Download folder on your computer. Check there if you don’t see anything pop up.