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Frequently Asked Questions

• Q. What is an eBook?

  An eBook is an electronic edition of a book, which is presented in a format that allows you to read it on an electronic device like a computer or handheld device. An eBook technology is based on Adobe PDF (Portable Document Format) which can be read on Windows, Macintosh etc. operating systems.

• Q. Why should I read eBooks instead of paper books?

  eBooks have a number of advantages including immediate availability, an enhanced reading experience through highlighting, search and notes. eBooks can also be read out loud for you by the computer (if enabled by publisher).

• Q. What formats are available?

  UNESCO-EOLSS eBooks are available in Adobe PDF ® format only.

• Q. Do I need login details to download the eBooks?

  Yes, once you register with UNESCO-EOLSS eBook Library, your username and password will be mailed to you, which will enable you to view orders and download the eBooks.

• Q. What is DRM?

  Digital rights management (DRM) is a systematic approach to copyright protection for digital media. The purpose of DRM is to prevent unauthorized redistribution of digital media and restrict the ways consumers can copy or print the content they've purchased. DRM products were developed in response to the rapid increase in online piracy of commercially marketed material.

• Q. What are the restrictions on my DRM protected e-Book?

  e-Books with DRM allow printing up to 50 pages per month and e-Books are installed up to three (3) computers only.

• Q. What is the difference between e-Books with Digital rights management (DRM) and e-Books without DRM?

  e-Books with DRM are prevented from unauthorized redistribution and restrict the ways purchaser can print the content they've purchased whereas e-Books without DRM protection are free from restriction, can be printed as often as you like.

• Q. What is e-Book (without DRM) for single user?

  This is an ebook without DRM restriction where the name and affiliation of the purchaser will appear in the e-Book. This e-Book is sold to the single user subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, hired out or otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise) without the prior written permission. The rights of this work will be enforced to the fullest extent possible, including under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998 (DMCA) of the United States, the European Directives on Electronic Commerce (EDEC) in the European Union and other applicable U.S. and international Laws.

• Q. What is e-Book (without DRM) for Institution/Public Library?

  This is an ebook without DRM restriction where the name and affiliation of the institution / public library will appear in the e-Book. This e-Book is sold to the single user subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, hired out or otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise) without the prior written permission. The rights of this work will be enforced to the fullest extent possible, including under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998 (DMCA) of the United States, the European Directives on Electronic Commerce (EDEC) in the European Union and other applicable U.S. and international Laws.

• Q. What are the special bulk offers e-Book (Non-DRM)?

  This is a Special Offer for Institutions / Public Libraries for Perpetual Access (without Digital Rights Management (DRM) control) to UNESCO-EOLSS virtual library or volumes in bulk.

• Q. What are the download instructions?

  Download Instructions are as follows:

  1. Right-click the eBook’s link
  2. Select "Save Target As" or "Save Link as" or "Save Link Target as"
  3. Save to your computer

• Q. What is the right plug-in (Fileopen) for my PC?

  The Plug-in (Fileopen) depends on your Operating systems. Please see the following URL Link Click here

  If your operating system is Windows 7 or later and Adobe Reader/ Adobe Acrobat is 64 bits then install x64: FileopenInstaller64.msi. If your operating system is Windows 7 or later and Adobe Reader/ Adobe Acrobat is 32 bits then install x86: FileopenInstaller.msi

• Q. How long it will take to activate my eBook/Single Chapter?

  Your eBook/Single Chapter will be activated within one to three working days following verification of payment. If you do not hear from us within three working days, please contact us with your particulars at .

• Q. How long the eBook/Single Chapter will be available for download?

  The default download period for Single User eBooks with DRM and Single Chapter is 15 days. You can also extend the download period using Extended Download Services (EDS) option available in the Shopping Cart. Extension periods are 90 days and 30 days with a charge of $5 and $2 respectively per volume.

• Q. How long does it take to download an eBook?

  Downloading time for an eBook depends on the file size and your connection speed to the Internet. For example a 300-page eBook without many graphics can be downloaded in approximately four to five minutes on a 56K connection.

• Q. What should I do with the *.pdf file I downloaded?

  You need to open using Adobe Reader version 7 or above; it will then open the eBook.

• Q. What is plug-in perform ?

  Plug-in performs decryption of e-Book or PDF files encrypted using third party software.

• Q. Does the plug-in available in different platforms or Operating Systems?

  The Plug-ins are available for several platforms (windows, Mac OS x and Linux operating systems).

• Q. Where can I access the Adobe plug-in so I can download my  e-Book?

  You will get the plug-in with the activation message. You can install the plug-in at anytime before you purchase encrypted e-Books for the first time. You will only need to download the plug-in once.

• Q. How does the plug-in work ?

  The plug-in must be installed to open encrypted e-Books and will read information about your usage rights to access, view, print and work with the e-Book you purchased.

• Q.Which privileges are required for the install?

  Windows users must have PowerUser (or Administrator) privileges to run the installer, though all that is really required is write-permission to the Acrobat plug-ins folder.

• Q.Where does the FileOpen software get installed?

  Adobe Acrobat loads plug-ins at application startup from a pre-defined directory, so the FileOpen.api plug-in has to be copied to that directory. By default, on Windows, the directory is: C:\ProgramFiles\Adobe\Acrobat | Reader\plug_ins

  On Macintosh the plug-in is difficult to find, as it becomes part of the "packaged" Acrobat/Reader application, but you can find a link to it by selecting the launch icon for the Adobe viewer and clicking Apple+I then finding the drop down for Plug-ins. From here you should FileOpen.acroplugin. You can also add/delete the plug-in from this menu.

  Locations on Linux may be obtained by searching for "FileOpen".

• Q.What if I don't want to run the installer?

  The operation of the plug-in is identical whether it is placed into the Acrobat plug-ins folder location by the installer or via a manual operation. If you don't want to run the .exe or Java or ActiveX installer, you can get the plug-in from http://plugin.fileopen.com/all.html and copy it to the location - C:\ProgramFiles\Adobe\Acrobat | Reader\plug_ins

• Q.Once installed, when does the plug-in load?

  FileOpen.api is loaded by Acrobat or Adobe Reader at application startup, i.e. when you load Acrobat/Reader, it loads the plug-in. However, the plug-in is invoked only when a document calls for it (i.e. if you do not attempt to open any encrypted content, the FileOpen.api is inactive). In short, the plug-in does nothing unless a document encrypted by a publisher using the system is open.

• Q. What are the restrictions on how I can use my purchase e-Book?

  Once you complete your purchase and open the secure e-Book, your e-Book will be permanently locked to that computer. You may view it as many times as you like and print it monthly certain percentage. You will not be able to use the e-Book on another computer, or network it to other computers.

• Q. I purchased e-Books for other people in my company. How can I forward the e-Book to the end user?

  As long as the e-Book has not been opened, the file may be forwarded to the end-user. The locking technology locks the e-Book to the PC where the file is first OPENED. You can email an unopened e-Book or save the e-Book to your hard-drive without opening it, and then forward it to an end-user who has downloaded the Adobe plug-in to their computer.

• Q. How do I download e-Book without opening it?

  During the download process, right-click on the link, choose the "Save Target As or Save Link Target As or Save Link As…" (Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox and Netscape)’ option ( choose the destination on your PC, and then click "Close" when the download is complete. The saved file may now be sent to the end-user as an attachment or sent to another computer (lap-top, home PC) for viewing. The secure e-Book will be locked to the second computer once the file is opened using the plug-in. The end-user can download the plug-in from the activation message link.

• Q. I accidentally opened my e-Book on a machine I don't intend to work from… what should I do?

  Please contact

• Q. Can I use the secure e-Book offline?

  For maximum convenience, it is recommended customers should use secure e-Book when an online connection is available. e-Books can be used offline, however, the e-Book must first be opened at least once online (from the same computer you will use offline).

• Q. How many prints can I make?

  Your e-Book has a monthly print quota. It can only print a specified number of pages per month. The page range and the number of copies collectively determine the total number of pages printed. Any attempt to print more than that would display error for that month. As the new month strikes your e-Book will have a fresh new quota just as the previous month.

• Q. What if I need to print more pages than my monthly allowed quota?

  Secured e-Books are not allowed to print more than a specified monthly number of pages set by the administrator. If you wish to print more than your monthly allowed quota then you can contact

• Q. Can I print pages offline?

  No. Secured e-Books do not have permissions to print offline. An error message to check your internet settings would be prompted to the user if prints are attempted to be made offline.

• Q. I only need to print part of the e-Book, what should I do?

  If you print a single page or part of EOLSS secure e-Book, it will be counted as one of your allowable prints.

• Q. What if my computer jams or malfunctions when I try to print my only copy?

  Your e-Book has a monthly print quota. It can only print a specified number of pages per month and if your computer jams while printing, then you need to wait for the next month to print. Please contact .

• Q. If e-Books are locked to my computer, what do I do if my hard drive crashes or I get a new PC?

  Please contact .

• Q. How do I know if the plug-in is installed on my computer?

  Open Acrobat Reader, click on the Help menu and select "About 3rd Party Vendors." If the plug-in is present, FileOpen Web Publisher will be displayed. If is not listed, it is not installed, OR your computer may have download restrictions on it. Please contact your Technical Support Department for assistance. Alternatively, by trying to download the plugin, it will alert you if it's installed.

• Q. Plug-in installed correctly but I still cannot view my downloaded e-Books.

  Make sure that you've saved the e-Book to your hard drive, and then close all versions of Adobe and your web browser that you are running. Go back and reopen Adobe and open the e-Book that you've downloaded.

• Q. Can I network locked e-Books or put them in a shared file?

  No, locked e-Books cannot be networked. If a locked e-Book is stored on a network server or shared file, it will still be accessible only by the first computer on which the e-Book was first opened. If you need to put e-Books in a network environment, please contact  for further information.

• Q. Can I download a secure e-Book, print it and then make copies for others in my company or department?

  No. That is a violation of copyright. e-Books may be shared or loaned but not reproduced in any fashion. The copyright statement on all EOLSS e-Books read:

  "All rights reserved. No part of this publication, may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of EOLSS" Or, check with your management to insure they pay fees to the Copyright Clearance Center for the reproduction of copyright-protected materials.

• Q. My colleague just emailed me an e-Book that I need. Why can't I open it?

  There may be several reasons this has occurred. If your colleague opened the secure e-Book before sending it to you, it is now locked to their machine. You will need to purchase your own e-Book at the https://www.eolss.net/ebooklib or send an e-mail to . Or, you may not have downloaded the needed Adobe plug-in to access the unopened secure e-Book that you received via email.

• Q. Are there any special system requirements for the DRM technology to work properly?

  The plug-in will load on any version of Windows dating back to Windows95, and any version of Adobe Acrobat/Adobe Reader back to version 4.0. The Macintosh client will load in OSX or OS9 with Carbon and the same versions of Acrobat. These client plug-ins are extremely small (approximately 150Kb, 200Kb in an installer), and may be loaded onto a machine without the user requiring Administrator privileges. It also is compatible with all major browser applications. Network Administrators can find further information at https://plugin.fileopen.com/all.aspx

• Q. What are the new security features of Digital Rights Management that have been applied to EOLSS e-Books?

  Reproduction and Redistribution This security system has been implemented through the use of a free Adobe Acrobat plug-in that locks the e-Book to the computer on which it was first opened, and can be opened only from that computer.

  Networking Secure e-Books cannot be used in a multi-user, network environment. If you would like to purchase e-Books for your network, please contact EOLSS ( ) for further information.

  Viewing: You will need to download the plug-in to view the e-Book. There is no limit to the number of times a e-Book may be viewed on the single computer it is locked to.

  Copy & Paste: You cannot copy and paste from a secure PDF

  The plug-in will load on any version of Windows dating back to Windows95, and any version of Adobe Acrobat/Adobe Reader back to version 4.0. The Macintosh client will load in OSX or OS9 with Carbon and the same versions of Acrobat. These client plug-ins are extremely small (approximately 150Kb, 200Kb in an installer), and may be loaded onto a machine without the user requiring Administrator privileges. It also is compatible with all major browser applications. Network Administrators can find further information by clicking here

• Q. What do I need to do when I get an Unable to connect to server error?

  You will need access to the typical TCP/IP ports (https-443 / http-80). This should already be part of the typical web usage configuration. If you are getting this error, it is possible that the network or personal firewall is blocking requests from "Acrobat Reader Plug-in". Please contact your Network Administrator.

• Q. I upgraded Adobe and now I can not open my files. Why?

  If you upgrade Adobe Reader, you will need to reinstall the Adobe plug-in.

• Q. Can I order multiple copies of UNESCO-EOLSS eBooks?

  Yes, you can have multiple copies of an eBook can be purchased at a time.

• Q. When I open a PDF file, why am I asked to go to a website?

  You are asked to go to a website to begin the Activation process. Adobe Acrobat Reader version 7.0 or higher is required and must be activated in order to read UNESCO-EOLSS eBooks.

• Q. Do I have to follow the e-Book page(s) number or document page number to print?

  This depends on your printer settings. If your printer recognize the e-Book (PDF) setting then use the e-Book page number, else the document page number.