Free Movie: FAQ Index
How to Download Free Movies
There are several ways to download movies
These movies are in the public domain, so they can be viewed over the Internet, downloaded and even edited with your own imaging software.
Download these video files to your computer (PC or Macintosh) using your own computer's menu or commands. Each computer might have a different way to download files from the Internet. Movie files include images and videos.
Most of these are Quicktime movie files. Most computers have Quicktime movie player installed on their computers. Some movies play with Windows Media Player (WMP). If the movie doesn't play, see the Quicktime FAQ.
MP4 and MPEG files contain the movie. The larger the size in megabytes (MB), the larger the screen view. A 1GB (gigabyte) file will have a much larger viewing screen than a 500MB or even 100MB file. Of course, the larger the file, the longer the download time.
If none of the following methods work, check your computer's or browser's manual or web site for more technical help. Most people have success downloading the files.
Downloading movie methods
Some computers or browsers may not be able to download these films. These are very large files, so it may take a long time (up to an hour or more) to download them to your computer. Much depends on your Internet speed connection.
If you have a slow Internet connection (such as a dial up telephone), the downloading process will take much longer. Hint: download the files overnight when Internet traffic is lighter.
Computers and browsers respond different, so you might need to try some of these methods to download the movies:
The "Download Files" link
Recently, we added a new feature to some movies. A link called "Download Files" brings up a new browser window with a directory of movies, image and text files.
This option (not available for all movies yet), is the easiest and works best for most computers.
The "Download Files" link (when available) is found on the movie title home page in the upper right column with links to other modem speeds. Click on this link to connect directly to the movie and image files.
HTTP: this link brings up a new browser window and a list of available movie options (like mpeg, mov, avi, etc.). Simply drag the link to your desktop or a directory on your computer. Remember, the larger the file, the longer it will take to download to your computer.
FTP: this links your computer to the movie file server and you can also drag the files you want to your computer. This is the best method to download files direclty to your computer.
When you click the FTP link, your computer will connect to the source host computer for the movie files (archive.org). After a few moments (or minutes depending on your Internet speed), a new hard drive icon, or window will appear. Inside the directory window contains all the movie, photos, images and content files. SImply drag any of the files to your hard drive - or highlight the icon and choose save as from your menu or mouse.
The download time depends on your computer speed and modem connection speed. Large files will take a long time to download. About 100MB file can take up to 5 minutes on a broadband connection, and up to an hour on a slower modem dial up connection.
When the files have finished the download, they can be opened in Quicktime movie player, iMove, and possibily WIndows Media Player. The movie files should be able to be opened in many movie or video editing software programs.
It is recommended to use FTP to download large files.
On the item's details page, look for the "FTP" link next to "all files" on the left side of the page. Click the "FTP" link and you'll see all the files listed and the ftp address where you can find them.
Open your FTP program, connect to that ftp address, and then download the file you want. The advantage of using FTP is that it will usually handle a service disruption gracefully. If it gets interrupted, when the service is back it should resume the download where it left off.
While HTTP is more popular, some users find their downloads are much more stable with FTP. Here are a few FTP clients that users have found to work well:
For Windows Users
• Filezilla (support open source!)
• SmartFTP
• FTP Commander
For Mac Users
• Cyberduck (support open source!)
• Transmit
• Fetch
• Interarchy
How do I download files?
How to download the files on a PC, right click the link to the file, and select "Save Target As" or "Save Link As" (or something similar depending on which browser you're using).
How to Download FIles on the Macintosh, hold the button down while the mouse is over the link, and when the menu comes up, select "Save Target As".
Please use FTP to download very large files.
Other ways to download movie files
1. While the movie is playing, use your "save as" menu command to save the movie to your hard drive. On some mice, right-click to launch the menu. Make a note where the file is saved on your hard drive. You might need to type the .mpg4 extension if necessary.
2. Hold down your mouse cursor over the screen and select the "save as" or "copy to drive" menu items.
3. Drag the movie image to your hard drive using your mouse. This may work with Apple Macintosh computers.
A suggestion: if you have a slow modem and want to view the movie later or keep a copy of the movie for your own use: start the movie overnight just before you go sleep.
Use one of the methods above once the movie starts to play. The next morning, the mpg file should be on your hard drive. Watch it at your leisure.
Download Tips:
Try a different Internet connection. If your connection speed is less than 256kb (DSL or Cable Modem speed), then the movie might not play or take a longer time to start playing or downloading. If you have a slower, 64kb dial up modem, try to download from a faster line.
Try a different computer. Sometimes, PC's (and Macintosh) won't respond to menu requests. Varying software versions and computer hardware may limit the ability of the computer to download a file. If you have a newer computer, and still can't download files, try a different browser.
Try a different browser. Explorer, Firefox, Safari all look similar, but they may have different ways to download files. Try each one (make sure the others are not launched). Use the HTTP or FTP options, if available.
Try the "Download File" link. If your computer doesn't allow you to "save as" the files, use one of these two options to connect to the directories files. Drag or right-click "save as" to try to save the files to your hard drive.
Nothing works- I still can't download. It may be possible the combination of your computer's hardware, your browser and Internet connection won't allow you to download these files. If not, enjoy them anyway. We are working on new downloading methods all of the time.
Guidelines for use of public domain materials.
Did you misspell download as downloud, downlud, dunload or downlouding?
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