47. I just placed an order, but I am unable to download the software. What should I do? (Macintosh products)

All PG Music software is available for immediate download. The only exceptions are some third party software products, and the Audiophile hard drive RealTracks and RealDrums files, since they are over 400GB.

If you purchased a downloadable software program from us, you will receive an email with a link to your download page.

Most download links expire after 7 days. You should be able to get to your download page simply by clicking on the link in your email. If nothing happens when you click on the link in your email, right-click on the link and select 'copy shortcut', then paste it into the address bar of your internet browser window and press <Enter>. If a file is showing as "unavailable" in your download page, that means the link has expired. Contact us if you have not yet been able to download that file.

Note that if your order contains multiple files, it is usually best to download one file at a time. If your order contains a lot of RealTracks files, please note that these files are very large; you will need a very reliable high speed internet connection to be able to download these files, and you should download one at a time. If you are having the order shipped, note that you could download only the main Band-in-a-Box application and use it without the RealTracks until you receive the hard copy. If downloading many RealTracks files, make sure you have enough hard disk space to store all the downloaded files (estimate 1 GB per file).

Depending on your web browser and settings, the file may be automatically downloaded to a folder on your computer without prompting you for a location to save the file. The default for the Safari web browser is normally the 'Downloads' folder in your Home folder. For example, if your User account is 'MyUserName', then the download will be placed in \Users\MyUserName\Downloads. In Safari, you can change this setting if you want, by going to Safari | Preferences | General ('save downloaded files to'). In Firefox, the setting is in Firefox | Preferences ('Save files to').

If the download doesn't seem to work when you click on it, try control-clicking on the link and selecting 'download linked file' or 'download link to disk'. In Safari, go to the Window menu and click on Downloads to take a look at currently downloading files.

If you did not get an email with a link to your download page

  • You may have typed in the wrong email address into your order form. If so, please contact us to correct this.
  • Your email program may have a utility that filters out possible junk emails and puts them in a separate mailbox. Check to see if you have a 'Bulk' or 'Junk' folder, for example.

Downloads are provided as either .dmg or .zip files (or occasionally .sit).

.dmg files: These are "Disk Images". When you double-click on a downloaded dmg file, the image will be 'mounted' on your desktop. Open this up, and you will find all the files necessary to install the program - installation packages, readme files etc. Most products are installed by double-clicking on the installation package and following the on-screen instructions. You can unmount the disk image when the installation is complete, either by dragging it to the 'trash' (eject icon), or by clicking on it and pressing command-E. Note that this will not delete the files from your computer, the dmg file will still be there.

.zip files: Some products are provided as .zip files. Mac OS 10.3 and later have the built-in ability to extract .zip files - you just need to double-click on them. If that is not working for you, control-click on the file, point to 'Open With', and select 'BOMArchive Helper'. Once extracted, the installer package should be found in the same location as the .zip file - double-click on this and follow the on-screen instructions.

.sit files: Only a limited number of products intended for older operating systems are provided as .sit compressed files. To extract these, use the program Stuffit Expander. As with .zip files, you should simply need to double-click on the file to expand it. Alternatively, open Stuffit Expander and drag the .sit file to it manually. Stuffit Expander program is pre-installed on older Macs, but is not including on newer Macs. A free version can be downloaded from http://www.stuffit.com.

If the download is working, but it is taking too long and you would rather have the product shipped, don't hesitate to contact us.

Below are some additional troublshooting tips, if you are having trouble downloading or it is taking too long:

  • Some files are very large, for example the RealTracks files, so these can take some time to download. Download speeds vary greatly depending on the type of internet connection, traffic, and many other factors. A 1 GB file can be downloaded in 30-45 min with a fairly fast broadband connection. Ideally, you should download these files one at a time; in general, it will not be faster to download more than one file at the same time. Downloading more than one file at a time takes longer for each file, increasing the chance of losing the connection to the server at some point (for whatever reason). This results in an incomplete (corrupt) file and the need to download the file again.
  • If the download starts but doesn't complete, or you get a message that the file is corrupt when you try to run it after downloading, this most likely means that your connection to the server was lost and the file wasn't downloaded completely. For incomplete disk images (dmg), the message may be similar to this: "The following disk images failed to mount....Reason: no mountable file systems". Delete this file, and try the download again. If the file seems to download really fast when you try again, you will need to delete your internet browser's cache first. In Safari this can be done by going to the Safari menu and selecting 'Empty Cache'. In Firefox, you would 'Clear Private Data' in the Firefox preferences.
  • Cached files can be a source of confusion. If a download fails and you try to download the same file again, your browser will often use a cached file rather than downloading the file a second time. When this happens, it can appear that you downloaded the same corrupt file twice. You should be able to solve this by deleting your browser cache (temporary internet files). Your browser should have a preference or menu item to do this, as explained in the previous tip.
  • Download managers may help, especially if your order contains many download links. A utility that will automatically download all the files on a page one at a time is helpful. For example, if you use the Firefox web browser, there are free plugins like 'Downthemall', which will allow you to download all links on one page. To add plugins, go to Tools-Addons-Get Plugins, and search/install the plugin. The details will vary depending on browser/plugin/version, but you may be able to highlight all the links on your download page, then go to Tools menu | .. | .. , choose your 'save files in' location, and press Start. Remember to set max concurrent downloads = 1 in the Preferences. Note that a particular download manager may also be the CAUSE of the problem, and you may want to try disabling it or otherwise downloading the file without it.
  • If clicking on the [download] button doesn't seem to work, try right-clicking on the link and selecting 'download linked file' or 'download link to disk'. This would also help if you are getting a text page with gibberish when you click on the link.
  • Try using a different internet browser.
  • Some anti-virus programs and firewalls can cause various problems downloading some files. It is not normally obvious what is causing the problem. Some symptoms might include downloads stopping halfway, receiving a file that is "0 bytes", file extensions being changed, or the file being 'quarantined'. You may need to disable the software or adjust a setting before you start the download. If you are connected to a local area network, you may have to contact your network administrator about this.
  • Your internet service provider may have a bandwidth limit which you may have exceeded. Try downloading a smaller file to see if this might be the problem, or contact your ISP to find out more.
  • If when you click on a link, you get a "page cannot be displayed", or some another html error page (but other web pages work fine for you), the problem may be at our end. Please contact us so we can look into it.
  • The download may be slow due to internet congestion, time of day, or a router being busy. If all else fails, you may want to wait for a while and try the download later.

There are a wide variety of factors that can affect downloads, including your computer software and hardware, the connection to your internet service provider, internet traffic, and distance from the server. Due to factors beyond our control, we can't guarantee the downloads to work for everyone. As long as you have selected a physical shipping method (and not electronic delivery only) you will be receiving your order in the mail. If you have chosen download-only (electronic delivery) and are unable to download your software, please contact us to have it shipped.

If you are having a problem not covered here, or you don't think the download is working properly because of a problem at our end, feel free to contact us and we'll look into it.


Alyssa - PG Music