Accessing the Content Downloader
Sign in to your 2020 Account.
Select the Downloads & Catalogs tab.
Under the 2020 Catalog Content section click the link 2020 Content Downloader.
This will download a "2020ContentDownloaderExtractor.exe" file to your computer. Run this file.
You will be prompted for a location to extract the "2020ContentDownloader.exe". Clicking Extract will extract this file to the same location where you downloaded the extractor. Or you may click Browse to choose an different location.
Once you hit Extract the Office Content Downloader will begin.
Tip: You only need to run the 2020ContentDownloaderExtractor.exe file once. In the future you can simply run the 2020ContentDownloader.exe that it extracts to your specified location. This will allow you to avoid having to log into Account in the future. For more information see the Best Practices section at the end of this article.
You will be asked for your Cloud credentials. Enter the same sign in credentials that you use to sign into your Office software or Account.
Welcome Screen
The first screen you will see introduces you to the Content Downloader. This screen allows you to start a new download or continue or resume one that you have started previously or paused temporarily. For best results, disable your sleep/hibernate mode in your Windows setting during the download.
To begin a new download or continue a previously stopped download, press the “Next” button.
Select Manufacturers
Use this screen to select 1, several, or all included manufacturers’ content to download. This screen may be displayed in “grid” or “list” view. The size of each manufacturer's content is listed. Find specific manufacturers by typing part of the name into the filter dialog to filter the results.
Note: Content Installed to a location that is different from the default location will not be pre-selected. Please see the “Preselecting Manufacturers for a Shared Network Location” section below for those using a network location.
The total at the bottom of the page will change showing the number of manufacturers that you have selected and the total size of the downloaded content for that content. This allows you to easily control your download size and time based on your internet speed and available disc space.
Note: The Content Downloader will know what content you have installed on your machine and pre-select any manufacturers that you already have installed. There is an added step below for those using a network install.
Preselecting Manufacturers on a Shared Network Location
For network installs only, if you use shared content in a network (or other) location, you will need to identify that location for the Content Downloader to be able to preselect manufacturers. To show that location, select the button at the top right corner and follow the on-screen instructions. If you do not use a Network installation then skip this step.
When you finish selecting manufacturers, press the “Next” button to advance to the next step.
Select Material Suppliers
Material Suppliers are the finishes and materials that you have access to when using Visual Materials in Visual Impression. Use this screen to select 1, several, or all included material suppliers’ content to download. Material Suppliers is also available in “Grid” or “List” view like the manufacturer selection.
When you finish selecting material suppliers, press the “Next” button to advance to the next step.
Review Selections
This step allows you to review your selection. You will see a total number of manufacturers and material suppliers selected as well as a total download size. Bigger download sizes require more free disc space and longer download times (depending on internet speed). Press the “Back” button to return to your earlier selections to revise them if necessary.
Once you are comfortable with your download selections, press “Next” to go to the next step.
Choose Download Location
The download location is where the selected content will be downloaded before executing the installation of that content. Remember that the Content Downloader is a tool to download the content to a location where the installer can install it from. Select an empty download location when you select a location to download your content. The Content Downloader remembers what has been downloaded to allow you to pause and resume downloads. Once you have completed a download to a folder location, you will either need to remove that content to start over or create a new, clean folder.
This can be any folder, but it will be easier to later find the content if you name the folder something that will allow you to recognize the month and year of the content deployed.
Download Progress
The Content Downloader will display a progress bar as it downloads the selected content.
Stopping the Download and Restarting Later
The Content Downloader allows the user to pause and resume the download as needed. This is helpful when you are in the middle of a download when the workday ends.
Pause & Resume
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Click “Pause” if you need to pause the download for a short amount of time. Clicking “Pause” will stop the progress bar and pause the download. A red message appears supplying the download progress before you hit “Pause” and tells you the download is paused.
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Click “Resume” when you want to resume. The progress bar starts again and the download resumes.
Cancel & Continue/Resume
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Click “Cancel” if you want to cancel the download and close the Content Downloader. When you cancel a download, you are prompted with the option to save what is already downloaded or discard it.
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Click “Yes” to keep the content that you have already downloaded. The content you have already downloaded is saved and the next time you launch the Content Downloader the saved content is available and the “Continue/Resume an existing download” option is available to resume the earlier download session.
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Click “No” to remove the content you have already downloaded. When you select “No” you will start a new download the next time you launch the Content Downloader.
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Click “Cancel” to cancel your “Cancel” request and return to downloading.
Finish Downloading
Once the download is finished, the progress bar will be at 100% and a “Finish” button will appear. Click the “Finish” button to go to the download location to execute the installation.
Install the Content
In the Downloader folder run the Setup.exe file to being the installation.
Note: For network installations run the Network.vbs file.
Additional Information
Installing Multiple Downloads - Optional
Sometimes you may want to download different manufacturers at separate times because you have limited disc space or internet speed. The new Content Downloader allows you to do multiple downloads to get what you need. You can download to multiple folders (remember, each folder that contains a completed download will not allow you to download anymore content).
Remember that you will see the “modify” screen when you launch the installer. Modify will allow you to add more individual manufacturers.
Select Discontinued Catalogs
The Discontinued Catalogs will not be removed unless you remove the check, indicating that you want to remove them. Discontinued means the catalogs was pulled from 2020's distribution or is simply a catalog you have installed but did not select to update with the downloader.
Best Practices
Archiving Content
Companies should provide storage or backup of this content to use for Alternate Manufacturers. This will take the place of the library of DVD’s that dealers keep today.
You are welcome to create the method that works best for your company, but we recommend that you:
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Find a location where the content can be stored when you have installed it. This could be a network location, an external hard drive, or a large thumb drive.
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Once everything is installed, copy the folder (month & date) to the storage location you have found in step 2 above.
Creating a Download Location
The content downloaded by the Content Downloader is always for the most current month. Mid-month intermediate updates will still be available, but they will need to be downloaded and installed individually as they are today.
You are welcome to create the method that works best for your company, but here is what we recommend: Create folders with the names of the month and year to download to so they can easily be found. For example: November 2021 would be a good folder name.
Bypassing the Account or the 2020ContentDownloaderExtractor
You only need to visit Account and run the 2020ContentDownloaderExtractor.exe file once. This will extract a file to your computer called 2020ContentDownloader.exe. In the future you may return to the extracted location and run the 2020ContentDownloader.exe to update your catalogs, allowing you to bypass having to visit Account or running the 2020ContentDownloaderExtractor each month.
You do not need to return to Account if you already have the 2020ContentDownloader.exe on your system. Simply run the 2020ContentDownloader.exe. You may also provide this 2020ContentDownloader.exe to your coworkers.
Troubleshooting
For additional, more specific questions, or troubleshooting, please visit the following article 2020 Office Content Downloader FAQ and Troubleshooting.