General Questions
Read this page to find answers to frequently asked questions about Microsoft
Reader.
What is an eBook?
"eBook" is short for "electronic book," a digital version
of a print book that offers the convenience, access, and unique capabilities
of the digital realm. Popular eBooks in Microsoft Reader format are offered
by many book publishers and sold by popular online retailers. Also, people can
easily create their own eBooks using tools that are available for free from
our Web site.
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What is Microsoft Reader with ClearType?
Microsoft Reader is a free software application designed to deliver an on-screen
reading experience that approaches the convenience and quality of paper. Microsoft
Reader is the first product to include patented ClearType display technology,
which improves resolution on LCD screens by up to 300 percent to deliver a print-like
display. Microsoft Reader also pays strict attention to the traditions and benefits
of good typography. It offers a clean, uncluttered layout; ample margins; proper
spacing, leading, and kerning; plus powerful tools for marking, highlighting,
and annotating your eBooks.
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How can I get a copy of Microsoft Reader?
You can download
Microsoft Reader for Windows-based
PCs and laptops
and
Microsoft Reader
for Tablet PCs
on this site. Microsoft Reader ships with most Windows Powered
Windows Mobile devices. Visit the
Microsoft
Windows Mobile site
to get information about where to buy Windows Mobile devices.
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How much does Microsoft Reader cost?
There is no charge to download Microsoft Reader. It's available FREE as a
download
on this site
and it comes preinstalled on most Windows Mobile devices. Visit
the
Microsoft
Windows Mobile site
for information on where to buy Windows Mobile devices.
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What's new in Microsoft Reader?
Microsoft Reader offers a number of exciting new benefits that build upon
the successes of our earlier release. These include the following key benefits:
-
Premium content or Owner Exclusive eBook titles are now supported on Pocket
PC devices.
-
All eBooks can now be read on up to four devices, so you can read eBooks
where you want, when you want.
-
The new and improved user interface offers accessibility functionality that
provides cleaner and easier navigation.
Download Microsoft Reader —
FREE — today and learn firsthand about Microsoft's commitment to evolving
the on-screen reading experience through our newest release.
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What are the advantages of using Microsoft Reader with
ClearType?
Electronic reading software offers benefits of portability, storage, and additional
digital features such as the ability to find a specific word or phrase wherever
it appears in the text as well as an easy way to look up definitions instantly.
Microsoft Reader for Windows-based PCs and laptops, laptops, and Windows Mobiles
can hold as many eBooks as your device will store - possibly thousands! In addition,
Microsoft Reader allows you to do many of the same things you do when you read
a printed book, such as add bookmarks and make notes in the margins. You can
then review all of your margin notes (as well as Bookmarks, Drawings, and Highlights)
in one place. Plus, Microsoft Reader is the only reading software available
that includes patented ClearType display technology, which makes the words on
the screen appear almost as crisp as the words on a printed page.
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How does Microsoft Reader protect copyrights?
For publishers, Microsoft offers a powerful and flexible digital rights management
solution to enable the publication and distribution of eBook titles. You can
read more about third-party distribution solutions in the
Partners
section
of this site.
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On what PC platforms does Microsoft Reader run?
Microsoft Reader runs on Microsoft Windows® XP,
Windows 2000, Windows 98, Windows Me, and Windows NT®4.0
operating systems. Additional system requirements for Microsoft Reader are the
following: Pentium 75 or higher microprocessor; 16 MB of RAM; approximately
19 MB of available hard-disk space (Microsoft Reader is 3,648 KB but additional
space is required for installation); Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.01 with Service
Pack 1 or later; VGA or higher resolution monitor, and video card capable of
displaying 16 bit color; Microsoft mouse or compatible pointing device.
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Will there be versions of Microsoft Reader for the Macintosh,
Palm, or Linux operating systems?
We have not announced plans to develop versions of Microsoft Reader for other
platforms at this time.
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On what other devices can I read my eBooks?
With Microsoft Reader, you can read your eBooks on multiple devices, including
laptops, desktops, Windows Mobiles and some new Windows CE consumer devices coming
to market.
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What kind of content is available for Microsoft Reader?
Microsoft recognizes the importance of having a broad selection of content available.
We continue to work closely with publishers and other industry partners to ensure
that customers have an increasing number of titles from which to choose.
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What is the average size of a Microsoft Reader eBook file?
Microsoft Reader titles are quite small and range from 200 KB for a short to
medium length eBook to 600 KB for a longer work. For example, a 300-page novel
is approximately 250 KB as a Microsoft Reader file. The file size depends on
the complexity of the content. An image-based eBook could be significantly larger.
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Why is Microsoft interested in electronic reading and eBooks?
Microsoft's vision is to empower people through great software — any
time, any place, and on any device. Reading, in addition to providing a great
deal of enjoyment, empowers people of all ages in many ways. Our goal with Microsoft
Reader is not to replace the printed book. Rather, we hope to expand upon what
is both useful and magical about books by offering a compelling new way to read.
We also want to enhance the reading experience through features that take advantage
of the unique benefits of the digital medium, such as search, instant word lookup,
instant large print editions, and audio books.
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What types of media does Microsoft Reader support?
Currently, Microsoft Reader supports text, images, and audio functionality.
Support for HTML and HTML links is also provided. Look for additional media
formats, such as streaming video, to be supported in future versions.
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Why create a new file format instead of using PDF?
PDF is a great format for capturing documents and print images. However,
it is static and does not scale well, or change to fit the size of the screen
you're using, which introduces limitations. Microsoft Reader is a dynamic reading
engine, which means that it is able to build the eBook page-by-page according
to your reading preferences. There are major benefits to dynamic layout that
we feel are essential to an optimal reading experience. With software that supports
dynamic layout, you can read eBooks and documents on a device with any screen
size. In addition, you can increase or decrease text size when you want.
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I'm using a localized version of Microsoft Reader (optimized
for a language other than English). Where are my eBooks stored?
On Windows-based PCs and laptops, the default location for eBooks is in
My Library, in the My Documents folder. On Windows Mobile devices, the default location
is the My Documents folder, which you can view using Windows Explorer.
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What is a Sealed eBook?
Sealed eBooks are encrypted during conversion to the .lit file format. This
ensures the integrity of content, meaning that the text and other content cannot
be modified. A Sealed eBook can be read with any copy of Microsoft Reader. This
is the basic level of security given to each .lit file.
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What is an Inscribed eBook?
Inscribed eBooks are Sealed and then further encrypted by Microsoft Digital
Asset Server (DAS). An Inscribed eBook can be read with any copy of Microsoft
Reader and will always display information from the purchaser (for example,
the name of the purchaser) on the cover page. This reinforces honest usage by
consumers.
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What is an Owner Exclusive eBook?
Sometimes called "premium content" or "copy-protected"
content, Owner Exclusive eBooks are Inscribed and then an encrypted license
is added by DAS to allow only the legitimate purchaser to read it. This security
level requires that the consumer's copy of Microsoft Reader be "activated"
to purchase and read Owner Exclusive eBooks. These copy-protected eBooks can
be read on all supported computers or devices activated by the purchaser.
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What precautions should I use to avoid erasing my eBooks?
Always back up your eBooks on another storage device before you begin an
upgrade. Also, be sure to use the same Passport/Hotmail activation information
to ensure that you will be able to open previously purchased Owner Exclusive
content.
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What keyboard navigation features are available for Microsoft
Reader for Windows-based PCs, laptops, and Tablet PCs?
The space bar now operates as it does with any other Microsoft application:
if you're on a word within the eBook, it will simply move you to the next word;
if Verbosity is on while you're doing this, Microsoft Reader will voice the
words you have highlighted. (To learn more about Verbosity, visit the Accessibility
section of this site.) In addition, you can make the space bar page forward
by moving your mouse pointer over the page forward button on the Riffle Control.
As long as the pointer is on the forward button, the space bar will page you
forward as it did in the earlier version of Microsoft Reader. Detailed information
about the Keyboard Shortcuts in Microsoft Reader is available in the
support
section
of this site.
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Why can't I activate my new copy of Microsoft Reader?
I have a Passport, but when I click YES on the Passport site, I see the same
question repeatedly.
You may have to delete your Passport cookie to activate Microsoft Reader.
To remove Passport cookies
If you're using Internet Explorer
1. Click Tools, then Internet Options.
2. Under Temporary Internet files, click Settings.
3. Click the View Files button.
4. Right click and delete the following files:
[YourName]@passport.com
[YourName]@passporttest.com
Cookie:[your name]@das.microsoft.com/
Cookie:[your name]@passport.com/
Cookie:[your name]@passport.com/ppsecure
5. Close all your browser windows, and reopen your browser to the
Microsoft
activation site
.
If you're using Netscape Navigator
1. Close all Netscape instances.
2. Use Notepad to edit [Netscape Install Drive]:\Program Files\Netscape\Users\[your
name]\cookies.txt.
3. Remove all lines that start with "passport.com" and "das.microsoft.com."
4. Reopen your browser to the
Microsoft
activation site
.
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How can I troubleshoot Microsoft Reader?
For troubleshooting help with your version of Microsoft Reader, please refer
to Microsoft Reader Help in version 2.x, or see the Guidebook in earlier
versions
of Microsoft Reader.
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