What is the difference between Smart and conventional download in web-a-file?

Answer by: George Kaloyanov, Aplus.Net Knowledge Base Support.

SMART DOWNLOAD:

The Smart Download tool requires the installation of an ActiveX Control. If your browser supports ActiveX we strongly recommend that you use the Smart Download tool. Here are the major advantages:

If your file is uploaded to the Web-a-File server with the File Compression option, the file will be downloaded to your computer and then decompressed locally. This means you are saving download traffic since the compressed version is downloaded to your local machine.
The Smart Download tool supports “Download Resume”. This means that if you download a given file and suddenly your internet connection drops, you can reconnect and continue downloading the same file without losing the already downloaded data. This option is extremely useful if you tend to use larger files with your Web-a-File service plan.
The Smart Download tool supports the downloading of whole folders. It is extremely useful if you want to download large number of files at a time.
The Smart Download interface contains status bars that you can use to see the download progress of your files.

Here is how to use this option:

Start by logging into your Web-a-File.Com account at: http://www.web-a-file.com using your username and password.
Browse to your Web-a-File folder that you’d like to download files from.
Click on the icon next to the file / folder you’d like to download.
Click on the Download button located in the Smart Download column.
Select the location on your local machine that you’d like to download the file(s) to.
Click Save and a Web-a-file Restore dialog window will open.

Important: Check the Decrypt file(s) checkbox and enter your encryption password in the respective field if decryption is required.

Finally click the Start button to download the selected file(s) to your local machine.

CONVENTIONAL DOWNLOAD:

The Conventional Download tool is usable when your browser does not support ActiveX Controls as it does not require any additional software installation. This tool does not support Download Resume or downloading of whole folders. When you download a file uploaded with the File Compression option, the file is decompressed on the server and downloaded to your local computer in real size. This means you don’t save any download traffic when using the Conventional Tool.

Here is how to use this option:

Start by logging into your Web-a-File.Com account at: http://www.web-a-file.com using your username and password.
Browse to your Web-a-File folder that you’d like to download files from.
Click on the icon next to the file you’d like to download.
Enter the encryption password in the respective text field located in the Conventional Download column.
Click on the Download button located in the Conventional Download column. Your browser’s file download dialog window will open.
Use your browser’s file download interface to select a local location to download the file to.

Important: Enter the encryption password in the respective text field located in the Conventional Download column if decryption is required.