Revision as of 12:36, 14 April 2010

Download the file(s)

So, you've read about the content... You know the details about it, whether or not it will work in your game, and if you need to get anything else for it to work. Now, you need to transfer the file from the internet to your computer. This is called "downloading."

The tools

Info:

You only need one archiver program, so just choose Winrar or 7Zip. If you're on the Mac OS, you already have a built-in archiver program, or you can choose the alternative below.

1. Downloads on MTS are compressed in either .rar or .zip files. The files need to be uncompressed/extracted first by an archiver-type program. There are various types of these applications, among the popular ones are listed below.

   You need to have one of these applications installed on your computer

   • 7-zip (Windows, freeware),
   • winrar (Windows, nagware),
     • You will most likely want the top link to the Graphic and Command Line, Trial version.
     • Though WinRAR says it's a trial, it's a trial that never really runs out... After the 40 day trial is complete, it will nag you with a message if you double-click on an archive and actually open the program. But... you can close that message and continue using the program. If you just use Extract Here, it doesn't nag you at all.
   • winzip (Windows, nagware),
   • StuffIt Expander (Mac/Windows, freeware)

2. MonkeyBars or another Framework Installer tool or the individual components that make up the framework. You only need to run this once, unless the Framework components get corrupted somehow during patching or installing new EPs & SPs.
   • MonkeyBars Framework Installer Tool @ModTheSims by Delphy
   • TS3 Framework Installer for Mac OS X @ModTheSims by Marhis

Installing the tools

• Download and install the archiver program first. Everything else you do from here on out, needs you to "extract" files.
  • Double-click the .exe and follow the on-screen instructions
  • When you have completed installation, you'll be prompted to reboot to activate the right-click option
  • When the archiver has been installed
    • the zip/rar files will be associated with the program and bear its icon
    • you have a context menu when you do a right-click as shown in the pictures

7Zip

1. 
   Download the appropriate file for your OS type and save it to your Desktop or your regular Download folder.
   
2. 
   Double-click on the downloaded 7z465.exe or 7z465.msi and follow the instructions in the dialog boxes.
   
3. When you've completed the process, you'll be prompted to restart the computer
4. 
   After a reboot, you'll get a new context menu when you right-click on a file or folder.

WinRar

MonkeyBars

1. Download and install the Framework Installer Tool aka MonkeyBars

The Custom Content

Downloading the Custom Content

To start, find the download link on the item you would like to get. You can download by clicking on the smiling disk icon on the left, or by clicking the name of the file. If there are multiple files, make sure you're getting the right one(s) - the creator will specify if there are certain files you need to get.

Only click on the link once. Sometimes if the site is slow, it will take a while for it to seem like anything is happening.

When it has connected to the server and confirmed your request to get that file, you'll get a message that pops up that looks something like this:

Your computer is asking you what you want to do with that file. Click Save to save the file to a location on your hard drive.

Now you will get a Save As window. Your computer would like to know where you would like to save the file. You can save it to anywhere on your hard drive that you will know where to find it. Your Desktop is generally an easy place to find it. To save it to your computer's Desktop:

• A. Click on the Desktop button on the left.
• B. Then make a new folder by clicking on the New Folder icon along the top.
• C. Down in the file list, replace the New Folder text with the name you would like to give your folder. We're calling ours Sims3Downloads. When you're done, click somewhere other than the name text to finish naming the folder. Click on the folder again to select it.
• D. With the folder selected, this button will say Open. Click it once to open the Sims3Downloads folder. It will change to say Save. Click Save.

Depending on the size of the file, how busy the site is, and how good a connection you have, it may take a while to download the file. When it has finished downloading, you'll probably see a message something like this to tell you the file is done:

• Click on the filename links and download the file(s) onto your Desktop

Content with Multi-part files

If the item consists of multi-part compressed files,

• you need to download ALL the parts before installing

If you are having trouble downloading...

• If you are getting error messages when trying to download from MTS, try again in a few minutes. MTS often has more than 3000 people online, and is funded by donations, so it can be a little slow at peak times.

• If you're still having trouble, try reading the latest Site News to see if there are any changes that you need to be aware of. Look for notices at the top of the page that may mention downloads being slow, intermittent, or offline.

			DFDD4 Download the File