Sacred-texts on Disk: Frequently Asked Questions

We welcome all inquiries about the Internet Sacred Text Archive product line. For information about how to email us, click here. Before you write, you should check whether your question has already been answered on this page. Feel free to write us if you need clarification of any of these answers, or if you have any new questions that should be answered here.

If you are having technical issues with the disk, please refer to the Technical Support page.

NEW!!! Version 8.0 of the ISTA DVD-ROM is now officially shipping, as of 10/27/2008.

Anybody who purchased the CD-ROM prior to 10/6/2006, or purchased the 6.0 or 7.0 DVD-ROM is qualified for upgrade pricing on the 8.0 DVD-ROM. Emails about the upgrade will have been sent to qualified customers.

FOR MORE INFO ABOUT 8.0 CLICK HERE

Need help with PayPal? If you have questions about PayPal, you can call them toll-free at 1-888-221-1161, 4:00 AM PDT to 10:00 PM PDT Monday through Friday, or 6:00 AM PDT to 8:00 PM PDT on Saturday and Sunday. Note: you can hit 'zero' at any time to bypass the voice menus. If you are having technical issues with PayPal you can also call their technical support line at 1-800-852-1973.

The Sacred-texts disk contains the entire contents of the website, free of advertisements. The disk has the complete text of hundreds of books on it--it's like having an entire library in the palm of your hand.

No. The disk contains text because that is the most efficient way to store the information. An audio or video of just one book would take up an entire disk, possibly more.

It's not rocket science. If you have a PC, just put it in the disk drive and it starts. No need to install anything on your system. It also works fine on the Macintosh and Unix systems, even though it doesn't start automatically on those computers.

It's safe and easy to purchase the disk online. We use a system which does not disclose your credit or debit card information to us: we never see your financial information, and it is not stored at our website ever. All we get is your shipping address and an invoice for what you have bought.

Immediately after you place an online order from our site, you will get an emailed receipt with your requested shipping address, the amount you paid, and a firm date when your order will be shipped. If you have any questions whatsoever, you can reply to that email and we will respond promptly.

If you don't want to buy it online, use the shopping cart and place a mail order. This does not send any personal information over the internet. Simply fill in what you want to buy, press a button, and your invoice will be displayed in your browser with complete shipping information and the total price of your order. Print it out and send it in using postal mail, along with your payment. We accept checks, money orders and cash. If you specify an email, you will get an emailed receipt the day we ship the product.

Anywhere in the world. We ship by postal mail in a padded envelope. For orders in the US over $25 we add US Postal Service delivery confirmation so that your order can be tracked online if necessary.

Most Frequent Questions

Q: How much does the CD-ROM cost?
A: $39.95 for one copy. This includes shipping worldwide. If you are purchasing multiple copies direct from this website, you pay as little as $25 per copy.

Q: How much does the DVD-ROM cost?
A: 99.95 for one copy, which includes shipping worldwide. The DVD-ROM costs more because it has twice as much content as the CD-ROM and includes a search feature. If you are purchasing directly from this site, the DVD-ROM price is as low as $39.95 in quantity.

Q: How do I buy the product?
A: You can do so online using PayPal, by mail order, and from Amazon.com.

Q: I purchased the product using PayPal, what happens now?
A: First of all, thanks for your order! You should get an automatically generated confirmation email shortly after your order, telling you when your order will ship, and an estimated time of arrival. If you have any questions about your shipment, feel free to reply to that email, or contact us.

Direct orders via PayPal are shipped by postal mail Monday, Wednesday and Friday, except for postal holidays. It takes one or two working days to deliver in California, about three days within the continental United States, five to seven days in Canada, and seven to fourteen days elsewhere. If you don't receive it by then, send me an email and I'll attempt a reshipment.

Q: What format are the files on the disk?
A: HTML and text, exactly the same as at the site.

Q: How do I know if a particular file is on the disk?
A: Each product has a 'What's on it' page. Click on the name of the product on the left hand menu on this or any other page in this part of the site, and at link to that page will appear on the menu.

Q: What do I need to run the CD-ROM?
A: The CD-ROM requires a PC or Macintosh with a CD-ROM drive and a web browser.

Q: What do I need to run the DVD-ROM?
A: The DVD-ROM requires a PC or Macintosh with a DVD-ROM drive and a web browser.

Q: Do I need to be connected to the Internet to use the disk?
A: No. All of the content is on the disk. Having an Internet connection active while using the disk is completely optional.

Q: Can you contact me when a new version is available?
A: Of course! Read the material below about the upgrade program.

Q: Do I need any special software to use the disk?
A: No, just a web browser. If you can see this page on your PC or Macintosh computer, you will be able to view the disk on your system.

Q: Do I have to copy files from the disk to my hard drive?
A: Not unless you want to. The disk does not require you to install anything on your system.

Q: Is the disk in English?
A: Just like the website, the primary language of the disk is English. Most files are in English. A number of texts on the disk are provided both in English translation and the language that they were originally composed in.

Q: Do you have the disk translated into French, Spanish, German, etc.
A: No. (also see the main FAQ).

A: No, there is no room on the CD-ROM for a search feature. The DVD-ROM includes a search feature which allows searching for specific books by title, author and subject keywords.

Q: Is the disk just a bunch of links to your website?
A: No. The disk has complete texts on it, not links to the website.

DVD-ROM Questions

Q: What is a DVD-ROM?
A: A DVD-ROM is a high-density data disk much like a CD-ROM, but with several times the capacity. Most computers shipped within the past five years have DVD-ROM drives.

Q: Can I play it in my DVD player on my TV set?
A: No, you need a computer with a DVD-ROM drive.

Q: How do I know if my computer has a DVD-ROM drive?
A: It will say 'DVD-ROM' on the front panel of the drive.

Q: What if my computer doesn't have a DVD-ROM drive?
A: You will need to upgrade your system by purchasing and installing a DVD-ROM drive. DVD-ROM drives cost as little as $10 now, and can be obtained from any office supply or computer retailer. You can buy an internal drive and replace an existing CD-ROM drive. This is the least expensive option: this will require a screwdriver and about ten minutes to install. Or you can spend a bit more and buy an external drive. These plug into a USB port and do not require any installation.

Upgrades

Q: Are there upgrades to the disk?
A: When we issue new versions of the disk. registered customers can purchase the new version by PayPal or mail order at a greatly reduced price. If you have purchased the product through PayPal or mail order, you are registered for upgrades automatically. If you purchased the product through Amazon.com, please mail in your registration card to take advantage of this offer. Registered customers are notified by email when a new version is ready; so it is important that you supply your email address when you purchase or register the product.

Q: What is the current version of the CD-ROM product and when will it be upgraded?
A: The current version is 5.0. We have no plans at this point to issue a new version of the CD-ROM, as the material in current versions of the product no longer fits on this disk format.

Q: What is the current version of the DVD-ROM product and when will it be upgraded?
A: The current version is 8.0. It was released October 27, 2008 and we do yet not have a specific plan yet for an upgrade, although we plan to issue upgrades for this product in the future.

Q: What if I buy the current product and you release a new version shortly afterwards?
A: When the new version is released, we send out free upgrades to a certain number of the most recent purchasers of the product, both to address this concern and as a test run.

Q: When will the final or next version be ready?
A: We do not preannounce future versions.

Q: Why should I buy it now, if a new version will be out next year?
A: The upgrade program is intended to address just this concerns, protecting your investment both in the product, and the continued work of the site.

Q: Who is qualified to purchase the 8.0 DVD-ROM upgrade?
A: Anyone who purchased a CD-ROM prior to the release of the 6.0 DVD-ROM (October 6, 2006) or who purchased the 6.0 DVD-ROM subsequently.

Q: Does the upgrade only have new material added since the last version?
Q: If I buy an upgrade version as a gift will the person who gets it also have to get a copy of the previous version?
A: No. The upgrade has everything on the previous version in addition to material added to the site since the last version. That is, it is has the same contents as the currently shipping retail version. You can give it as a gift to someone who doesn't have any previous version and they will get the complete product.

Using the disk

Q: How do I use the product on the PC?
A: Insert the disk. Your browser should automatically start the disk home page.

Q: The disk did not start automatically on my PC.
A: You probably have AutoPlay disabled. Double click on 'My Computer' and locate the drive which has the sacred-texts disk in it. Now you can either right click on the disk icon and select 'AutoPlay', or open the disk by double clicking on it then double click on the file 'index.htm'.

Q: How do I use the product on the Macintosh?
A: 1. Insert the disk. 2. Open the disk icon that appears on your desktop. 3. Open your browser and drag the file 'index.htm' to your browser window. Hint: after you do this, bookmark the page index.htm; this will allow you to skip steps 2 and 3 in the future.

Q: What if I have problems using the disk?
A: The technical support page covers all of the common issues, and if you have any other questions about using the disk, feel free to contact us by email.

Problems Ordering Using PayPal

Q: How can I get help with PayPal?
A: If you have questions about PayPal, you can call them toll-free at 1-888-221-1161, 4:00 AM PDT to 10:00 PM PDT Monday through Friday, or 6:00 AM PDT to 8:00 PM PDT on Saturday and Sunday. Note: you can hit 'zero' at any time to bypass the voice menus. If you are having technical issues with PayPal you can also call their technical support line at 1-800-852-1973.

Q: The shopping cart isn't working.
A: The sacred-texts shopping cart requires that your browser support JavaScript and cookies, and that these features be turned on. All current browsers support these features, so this should not be an issue in the vast majority of cases. However, if you have any problems using the shopping cart, please email me promptly and include as much information about what happened as possible, including your operating system and which browser you are using. This information will help us determine the source of the problem and how to fix it.

Q: PayPal rejected my credit card.
A: We don't have any control over PayPal's policies or website. The most common problem is that you need to enter your credit card's billing address correctly. Your credit card also needs to be in a country which PayPal allows payments from (see below 'Can I use PayPal from my country?).

Q: I need the product sent somewhere else than my billing address.
A: If you need the shipment sent to an address other than your credit card's billing address, please note it in the 'comment' field at PayPal and email the correct shipping address promptly. You can do so by replying to our autoresponse email.

Q: I accidentally paid twice at PayPal.
A: This can occur because you used your browser's 'Back' button after you completed your payment at PayPal, or clicked on the payment button twice because your system was responding slowly. If this occurs, we will promptly refund the duplicate payment.

Q: Can I use PayPal from my country?
A: To see which countries you can order using PayPal from click on the following link: List of countries you can use PayPal in.

Q: PayPal is not available in my country.
A: You can purchase the product through Amazon or by mail order.

Payment issues

Q: What is your return policy?
A: If you purchased the product, and for any reason you are not satisfied with it, you can return the disk within 60 days for a complete refund. If you bought it using PayPal, we can issue a refund immediately. If you bought it using mail order, we can issue a refund by check.

Note that Amazon has a different set of return policies. If you buy it from Amazon, you will have to use their return policy.

Q: What do you mean by 'A check or money order drawn on a US bank?'
A: This question sometimes comes up on international mail orders. The check or money order must be denominated in United States currency (i.e. it must be in US $), and it must have a United States bank routing number on it. Most large banks outside the US can issue such a check and have a partership with a US bank for exactly this purpose. Sacred-text's bank charges a fee or rejects checks not meeting this criteria.

Q: I don't have a credit card and want to buy online.
A: You can also use your debit card checking account at PayPal.

Q: I don't have a checking account or a credit card, and live outside the US.
A: You can purchase the product by mail order using an international money order which you can obtain from banks, post offices and other businesses. The money order must be in US dollars and drawn on a US bank. You can also have most banks generate a check in US dollars drawn on a US bank. Note that 'check' is the same thing as a 'cheque' or a 'bank draft'.

Q: Can I order the product by mail order using a credit card?
A: No. We cannot accept credit card payments by mail order.

Q: Can I buy using a Travellers Check?
A: Yes, if it's denominated in US dollars and drawn on a US bank.

Q: Can I send you US currency to pay for a mail order?
A: That's acceptable, but you do so at your own risk.

Q: Can I transfer money directly to your bank account, I just need your banking info...
A: No.

Shipping

Q: What does free shipping include?
A: Within the US, USPS 3 day priority with delivery confirmation. Outside the US, Air Letter Post. Within the US, upgrades and back-issues of the CD-ROM are sent by first class postal mail.

Q: I ordered a copy directly from sacred texts and it hasn't arrived!
A: The vast majority of shipments get there on time. However, in a handful of cases, packages have been lost or stolen in transit, or returned undelivered, even though the mailing address was correct.

Please don't wait weeks or months before doing notifying me of a lost shipment.

When I receive a PayPal order, the first thing I do is to send an automated confirmation email to the address you specified in the PayPal purchase. This email gives an approximate date you can expect to receive the shipment. If you haven't received the shipment by that date, please email me, and I'll reship promptly.

In some cases, customers have given addresses with both a post office box and a street address. This also creates problems, since the shipment may be directed to either location, or in some cases returned without being delivered. I need your exact mailing address if you want the product delivered in a timely fashion.

If you want the product shipped to another location than the address on the PayPal invoice, please email me promptly and let me know where to ship it instead.

Orders are lost less than one percent of the time. Please understand that I always ship the product promptly and I have no control over losses in the mail. Also, in the current security climate, international shipments will take longer than expected.

Q: I didn't receive a confirmation by email of my PayPal order.
A: I send a confirmation to the email address you used to pay by as soon as I get your PayPal order, so if that isn't your regular email address please check that account.

Q: Does free shipping cover international orders?
A: Yes, free shipping covers standard airmail shipping worldwide.

Q: Does free shipping apply to Australia?
A: Yes, free shipping covers standard airmail shipping worldwide.

The product can be shipped (as far as I know) to any country in the world. This hasn't stopped people from asking about specific countries:

Buying the product at Amazon.com

Q: I bought a copy through Amazon, can I email you my registration information?
A: Sorry, unless you purchase the product directly from sacred-texts, I need you to fill out and mail in your registration card. Otherwise I have no way of verifying that you actually bought a copy. Amazon does not send me any customer information.

Q: I lost my registration card and want to become a registered customer
A: If you purchased the disk directly from sacred-texts, either using PayPal or mail order, you are already registered. If you purchased the disk from Amazon, and can't find the registration card, you can either send us a photocopy of your Amazon invoice or a photocopy of the back of the jewel case.

Q: I ordered a copy of the product from Amazon and got a prior version.
A: Amazon has a few older copies of the product in their warehouse; also, some websites other than sacred-texts also link to older versions at Amazon because they haven't updated their websites. So there is a small chance that you may get an older version of the product if you order from Amazon. Send in your registration card and I'll send you a free upgrade to the most current version of the product you purchased, if there is a more recent one. For instance, if you purchase a 4.0 version of the CD-ROM from Amazon, just send in your regstration card for a copy of the 5.0 version.

Compatibility

Q: Is the product compatible with Macintosh?
A: Yes, the disk is formatted so it can be read by both PC and Macintosh computers. We have tested it for compatibility with a range of Macintosh computers. The disk does not start automatically on a Mac as on Windows, but normally a folder does open automatically, and you can then double click on the 'index.htm' file to start the disk in your browser.

Q: Is the product compatible with Windows Vista?
A: Yes, the disk works the same under Vista as Windows XP. On a stock, clean-installed Vista system the disk will be loaded into your browser (that is, start) automatically. There are slightly different procedures for managing autoplay under Windows Vista than previous versions of Windows, but in general they are easier to use than before. Note that Vista may display dialogs warning about 'active content' when you insert the disk, or use certain features such as the Tarot card reader. In this case, you can ignore these warnings.

Q: Is the product compatible with Unix?
A: Customers who use versions of Unix on the PC, such as Linux, have reported that they were able to use the disk in the same way as on the Macintosh.

Can I just download the contents of the disk?

Q: I'm not providing a shipping address, because I want to download the contents of the disk.
A: If you don't supply a complete shipping address, I will simply refund your money. The disk is a product which is sent to a postal address. You can't download it. Unfortunately, there is a 'feature' in PayPal which allows you to clear out your shipping address, even if the seller needs one. This presents a big difficulty for me. If I get an order without a shipping address, I obviously can't fill it. So I have to attempt to contact the person who sent the order, which means that I have to spend time chasing down the person to ask them what their shipping address is. If I can't obtain a shipping address within about 24 hours of an order, I generally reverse the charges.

Q: Why did you refund my money? Just let me download the disk.
It would be unethical for me to accept money for a good or service which I don't provide. Unless I have a shipping address I can't fill your order.

Q: Why not just post the disk online so customers can download it?
A: Not everyone is on a high-speed connection (particularly people in less developed regions), so this would discriminate against people on dialup. In addition, putting up a separate area with for-pay content would be redundant because it would largely duplicate the existing site. Thirdly, it would also go against the basic premise of this site, which is to provide free, anonymous, access to these texts. I don't want to end up with a two-tier site, one which only wealthy first-worlders with credit cards can access, and a 'ghetto' for everyone else.

The whole point of the disk is to support equal access to this content, not lock it up for rich people.

Damaged or Lost Disks

Q: The disk arrived in an unreadable state.
A: We warranty that the CD-ROM or DVD-ROM media will arrive at your location in a fully functional state and that all of the contents on the disk will be readable.

* If you order the disk directly from sacred-texts, and you receive a disk that is partially or totally unreadable, for whatever reason, please email us promptly and we will send you a replacement, no questions asked, no charge.

* If you ordered our disk from Amazon and it is partially or completely unreadable, simply send the bad disk to the following address: ISTA, P.O. Box 7429, Santa Cruz, CA 95061, USA. Include your shipping address and an email address. We will ship you a replacement disk immediately, no charge. You are also welcome to email us if this occurs and we will arrange a replacement.

I am committed to replacing any defective media free of charge, and respond immediately to any quality issues. If you have any quality issues with the disk, please contact me promptly.

Q: I need a replacement for a lost or stolen disk.
A: Help is on the way. Replacement disks for registered customers are the same as the upgrade price. Email us, and we'll give you instructions.