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27.7.15

Where the [BLEEP] Did My Download Options Go?!

Back in March, Autodesk rolled out it's new subscription management site manage.autodesk.com. From a user interface perspective, it is a much more logical layout and you can actually search for products now.

There are many improvements, but one of the things that annoys the ever-lovin' stuffin' outta me is that the download options are more difficult to find for some products. The website encourages people to use the "Install Now" feature for many products.

I'm not a fan of the "Install Now" option for several reasons. When using this option, the install downloads files as it goes. For products with smaller installation media, that's not a problem, but some products are kinda big. The Install Now option requires you to be connected to the internet for the duration of the install and stay logged into your Autodesk account. If something fails or your connection times out, you need to start over.

The best way to download Autodesk products is with the Download Now tool. You can also use the Browser Download, which uses your web browser's download manager rather than the Akamai one (Akamai is the third party web delivery service that manages Autodesk downloads). Both of these options pull the entire installation package to your hard drive.

For some products, you can find the additional download options in the More Options menu.

However, many products don't have those options. Grr. To find them, you have to dig a little deeper.

Scroll alllllllll the way to the bottom of your products listing. You will see a button that says Download Products.

This will bring you to an interface that looks more like the old subscription site. From here, you will be able to find the Download Now or Browser Download option for your product.

More tips for downloading your product install files:

  •  Make sure you get all pieces. (Turn off your web browser’s pop-up blocker temporarily to ensure you download all the files). 
  • Pay attention to the name of the file. If you see that the name of the exe ends with 001_003, that means your are looking at one of three separate downloads needed.
  • If you grabbed the correct files, you will see “dlm” as part of the name. That stands for download manager.  You will see "dlm" in both the Download Now and Browser Download obtained files. If you wee "wi" in the file name, that means you have the web installer which contains a portion of the files you need. If you try to run the Setup.exe from a "wi" folder, you will receive a Communication Failure message. 
  • Save all the needed files to a directory on your hard drive. These are the files that will be extracted and used to start the deployment. (In the “old days” these would have come on a CD).
  • After all pieces are downloaded using Download Now option, the exe will try to self-extract. Your computer’s settings may prevent EXEs from automatically running, in which case you will need to browse to the folder where you saved it and double click. If you used Browser Download, you always need to double-click the exe to get the extraction started.
Have fun downloading!

21.7.15

Etcetera (Totally Random, and Maybe a Little Icky)

This crazy poem popped into my head last night. I hadn't thought of it in YEARS, but the following is a poem that I learned in my college wastewater treatment plant design class. At the time I remember thinking, "Like, oh.mah, gawd. So gross!"

Milorganite is a commercial product sold by the Milwaukee sewerage district (MMSD). It is the concentrated, heat-sterilized organic material left over after the wastewater sludge removal process (eg dried poop). Milorganite is short for "Milwaukee organic nitrogen" You can pick a 36lb bag up at your local garden store for about $15. MMSD essentially breaks even on it after the cost of making it minus the cost of not sending the sludge to a landfill.
Milwaukee is a land of cheer,
German cooking, ale and beer;
They eat and drink from morn' 'til night,
And then they make Milorganite
Their ball team is quite their pride,
It's fame has traveled far and wide.
The grandstand has a place in sight
Where they can  go and make Milorganite! 
After the game they go to dinner,
It does not matter whose the winner;
And after sleeping through the night,
Start making more Milorganite!
I state without equivocation,
This chore has keen cooperation;
It's manufacture is an art,
Where everybody does his part. 
Old men, young men, perfumed ladies,
Boys and girls and even babies;
Grunt and strain and do what's right,
To pile up more Milorganite! 
                                          -Author unknown (NOT me)

A poem. Now we're all culture-ified!