Help for Adobe Acrobat PDF files
and Word, Excel or other formats

PDF FORMAT
The Department of Development and Environmental Services' Web site makes use of Adobe Acrobat products to accelerate the production of existing documents into formats accessible by Web browsers (for troubleshooting tips, please see below).

To view a .pdf file, you first must have Adobe Acrobat Reader (the free plug-in software distributed by Adobe which lets you view .pdf files) installed on your computer. You can obtain a copy of Adobe Acrobat Reader by visiting Adobe's Web site and following the instructions.

WORD, EXCEL OR OTHER FORMATS
Documents identified as Word, Excel or other files require corresponding software (Microsoft Word for Word files, Microsoft Excel for Excel files, etc.) already installed in order to access them. These formats are made available for customers' ease of use as Word documents may have fill-in fields so users can complete them on their computer rather than by hand, or an Excel spreadsheet may include formulas that automatically calculate columns.

Instructions for using fill-in Word forms

• Download the fill-in Word form (see troubleshooting for assistance on saving a file locally).
• Using Microsoft Word 97 or a newer version of Word, enter information in the shaded "fields" of the form.
• Use a mouse or the Tab key to move from field to field.
• Use a mouse or the spacebar to mark and unmark a checkbox.
• Note that text will be cut off if the size of a fill-in area is exceeded.

TROUBLESHOOTING
Remember, the time it takes to open a file varies depending on the size of the file and your Internet connection speed. Allow sufficient time for the file to load.

If a .pdf file, Word document, Excel spreadsheet or file in another format does not seem to be working correctly:

• Check the version of your software. Adobe Acrobat Reader versions older than the current version (especially versions previous to 4.0) may not display .pdf documents correctly. Ensure that you have the most recent version of the free Adobe Acrobat Reader installed (Adobe's Web site will indicate their current version).

  Fill-in Word forms may not work properly with versions of Microsoft Word older than Word 97.

• First download the file locally. To download locally (i.e., to your computer hard drive or network):
  • Rather than opening a file, rest your mouse on the name of the file you want, then right-mouse click.
  • From the menu that pops up, select "Save Target As" (Explorer/Opera browsers) or "Save Link As" (Netscape/Firefox browsers) and save the file to a designated location on your PC or network. Be sure to note where you have saved the file.
  • Open Adobe Acrobat Reader (or Word for a Word document, Excel for an Excel spreadsheet, etc.) and then select "File, Open." Find the file you saved and choose the "Open" button.

• Browser settings. To solve downloading problems, especially from ftp://ftp.kingcounty.gov/, a browser setting set to "passive" may be required.

  • For Internet Explorer browsers, select/click on Tools from the menu bar and then Internet Options. Select the Advanced tab. Under Browsing, ensure that "Use Passive FTP (for firewall and DSL modem compatibility)" is checked. Select Apply and then OK. Try to download again.
  • Optional: Check the box for "Enable folder view for FTP sites."

If the troubleshooting tips do not work or you have questions, please e-mail DDESWebInquiries@kingcounty.gov with detailed information about the problem you are having. We will respond as quickly as possible.

Updated: Jan. 22, 2009

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