File size: 10MB
File name: Install_UPS_Widget.exe
Estimated download time:
dial up: 22 minutes – 56KB
broadband: 1 minute – 1MB

How to install:

Once you click download a window should open asking what you want to do with a file called upswidget.zip. Click 'Run' to install the application.

System requirements:

This software will work on most Windows® computers. You will need an internet connection to pick up messages.

The software is provided to you by Skinkers ltd. ("Skinkers") and not by UPS. Any claim you have in respect of the software must be made against Skinkers and you agree not to involve UPS in any dispute with Skinkers in connection with the software or otherwise. Your downloading, installation and use of the software is subject to additional terms in the form of the "Skinkers License Agreement" which will be presented to you during installation.

FAQs

• I'm having problems adding RSS feeds
• Is there a Mac® or Linux® version?
• I have downloaded the UPS Widget but it is not running. What's going wrong?
• What is the right-click menu? How do I access it, and what is it for?
• How do I access the UPS Widget’s settings?
• What are channels?
• I have installed the UPS Widget correctly. Why haven't I received any messages?
• Why doesn't my UPS Widget make any sound?
• The sound my UPS Widget is making is annoying. How can I turn it off?
• I closed a message by mistake. How do I recall it?
• I can't find the icon in the system tray anymore. Where has it gone?
• My personal firewall flagged the fact that the UPS Widget is trying to connect to the Internet. Why?
• Ever since installing Service Pack 2 on Windows® XP, my UPS Widget has stopped displaying messages. How do I get it working again?
• The UPS Widget application is causing my computer to dial up to the Internet without me knowing. How do I stop this from happening?
• What port does the UPS Widget use to access the Internet?
• Is the UPS Widget storing all of the messages on my computer? Will I run out of space?
• Does the UPS Widget contain adware, spyware or viruses? Are you uploading my personal information without my knowledge/consent?
• Is the UPS Widget application using a lot of system resources?
• When I click on a link sent to me by the UPS Widget, nothing happens. Why?
• Some of the text in the messages seems not to fit in the window and there are no scrolling options to go view the bottom of the message. Why is that?
• Why does my UPS Widget character/icon hide after a few minutes even if I don't touch it?
• Why don’t videos play?
• Why doesn't the "send to a friend" function work?
• I want to uninstall the UPS Widget, How do I do that?

I'm having problems adding RSS feeds

If you aren’t able to add RSS feeds, please check that you have typed in the correct URL and that it is a valid RSS feed. Feeds may temporarily become unavailable so you may need to wait a bit and try again. If the problem persists it may be an issue with proxy settings, please contact your IT department or the HelpDesk for further assistance.

Is there a Mac® or Linux® version?

Unfortunately not. But, we do plan to make it available for Mac and Linux users in the future.

I have downloaded the UPS Widget but it is not running. What's going wrong?

The program you have downloaded is the UPS Widget application installer, which must be run to install the application. Be sure to download this file to a place you will remember, such as "Desktop" or "My Documents". Once downloaded, double-click the file and follow the on-screen instructions to install the UPS Widget.

What is the right-click menu? How do I access it, and what is it for?

Using the right-click menu, you can access all of the available functions of the UPS Widget, including:

• Show/Hide - Click this to either bring the character onto the screen, or send it away again.
• Options - Allows you to change various UPS Widget configuration settings, or activate/deactivate available information channels.
• Snooze - Stop UPS Widget activity for a set period of time. This does not shut down the Widget.
• Help - Here you can find instructions and support for the application.
• Exit - Shut down the UPS Widget. You will not receive any messages until it is restarted.
• Latest Alerts - Recall messages you have previously received.

To access the right-click menu, right-click either the icon located in the system tray.

How do I access the UPS Widget's settings?

From the right-click menu choose the settings option. This could be called one of the following:

• Settings
• Options
• Channels & Options

What are channels?

Much like a television, a UPS Widget can provide information through separate "opt-in" streams. For example, the application could have a news channel, a sports channel and an entertainment channel. To select the channels that are of interest to you, simply access the UPS Widget’s settings and check or uncheck the boxes next to the channel names (if available).

I have installed the UPS Widget correctly. Why haven't I received any messages?

There are a number of reasons why this may be happening:

• You could be accessing the Internet through a Proxy Server. By default the UPS Widget application will use the same settings as Internet® Explorer™, so if you can access the Internet through the web browser, your UPS Widget application should too. You may, however, need to manually enter the relevant details into the UPS Widget application. (Please check with your Network Administrator or ISP to find out if this is the case.) To do this, follow these steps:
  • Access the UPS Widget settings from the right-click menu.
  • Click on "Use Proxy Server" or "Proxy Settings" to open the proxy window
  • Click the circle next to "Manually enter settings" and enter the details provided by your Network Administrator or ISP.
  • Click "OK" to close the Proxy Settings window, and close the UPS Widget settings window.
  Your UPS Widget, like your web browser, should now connect to the net through the Proxy Server and you should be able to receive messages.
• Most messages are shown at a pre-set time/date. If your computer clock is wrong, messages will not be executed at the correct time. Make sure your time settings are correct by double-clicking the time in the system tray
• You may not have any channels checked.
• PowerPoint® is running. To stop messages from appearing during important presentations, the UPS Widget application will not display anything while PowerPoint® is running. If there is a message waiting, closing PowerPoint® will make the message appear immediately.

Why doesn't my UPS Widget make any sound?

Your UPS Widget is meant to make some sounds. Make sure:

• You have a sound card in your computer.
• You have speakers plugged into the computer and they are turned on.
• You do not have the sound muted in Windows®.
• The sound option (if present) is checked in the UPS Widget’s settings.

The sound my UPS Widget is making is annoying. How can I turn it off?

To mute your UPS Widget, open the UPS Widget's settings and uncheck the "sound" option.

I closed a message by mistake. How do I recall it?

Simply access the right-click menu and choose the appropriate message from the Message History. Some older versions of the application will only allow you to recall the last viewed message.

I can't find the icon in the system tray anymore. Where has it gone?

There are two possible reasons why the UPS Widget icon may have disappeared from the system tray:

• Windows® XP has hidden it. To retrieve it, simply click the "<<" button in the system tray.
• "explorer.exe" has crashed and not correctly restored the icon. THE UPS Widget IS STILL RUNNING. To retrieve the icon, you will need to stop the application and restart it. Windows® 2000/Windows® XP users should follow these steps:
  • Hold down "CTRL + ALT + DEL".
  • In the resulting window, click the "Task Manager" button (in Windows® XP Home Edition, you will automatically be taken to the Task Manager)
  • The Windows® Task Manager will appear. Click the "Processes" tab.
  • Click the column title named "Image Name" to alphabetically order the processes.
  • You must find the process related to your UPS Widget. This is commonly called upswidget.exe
  • Once you have found the process, simply highlight it and click "End Process". A warning will appear and you should click "Yes".
  • Now the UPS Widget has been stopped, you can re-launch it from the Windows® Start Menu.

My personal firewall flagged the fact that the UPS Widget is trying to connect to the Internet. Why?

The UPS Widget application needs to contact the Internet occasionally to see if there are any messages it needs to display. If there are, and these messages contain multimedia content, the UPS Widget will also download these assets in the background. The application will also send back anonymous statistics (such as the number of clicks on a particular link) to our server. These are the only reasons why the UPS Widget needs to access the Internet so you should allow it through your firewall.

Ever since installing Service Pack 2 on Windows® XP, my UPS Widget has stopped displaying messages. How do I get it working again?

Service Pack 2 introduces Microsoft's new Security Center, which includes a personal firewall (Windows® Firewall), stopping malicious applications from accessing the Internet. Sometimes Windows® Firewall will also stop your UPS Widget from accessing the Internet to retrieve messages. To restore the message function follow these steps:

• From the Windows® Start Menu, choose "Control Panel" (or "Settings > Control Panel if using the "Classic Start Menu").
• Click the icon named "Security Center".
• In the resulting window, click the "Windows® Firewall" link.
• The Windows® Firewall settings panel will appear. From here choose the "Exceptions" tab.
• Click the "Add Program..."
• In the following list find the UPS Widget application you are running, highlight it and click "OK"
• Click OK again, close the Security Center, and close the Control Panel.

The UPS Widget application is causing my computer to dial up to the Internet without me knowing. How do I stop this from happening?

There is an easy way to stop your computer from trying to automatically establish a connection:

• From the Windows® Start Menu, choose "Control Panel" (or "Settings > Control Panel if using the "Classic Start Menu").
• Select "Network and Internet Connections > Internet Options" (or "Internet Properties" if using a Windows® version earlier than Windows® XP).
• Click the Connections tab, then click the circle beside "Never dial a connection".
• Click OK to save and close the window.

After you've done this, to go online simply click on your dial up connection. It is recommended you do this or you could allow other software applications to automatically dial up for malicious purposes.

What port does the UPS Widget use to access the Internet?

Port 80.

Is the UPS Widget storing all of the messages on my computer? Will I run out of space?

No. Once a message has been "bumped" out of the message history, all assets relating to that message are deleted.

Does the UPS Widget contain adware, spyware or viruses? Are you uploading my personal information without my knowledge/consent?

No, the UPS Widget application does not contain any type of malware. The only information the application uploads are anonymous statistics. Please see our Privacy Policy for details.

Is the UPS Widget application using a lot of system resources?

No. The application uses very little system memory (usually between 5 and 10 megabytes), its CPU usage is very low, and the hard disk space used will rarely exceed 20 megabytes.

When I click on a link sent to me by the UPS Widget, nothing happens. Why?

Some users, AOL® users in particular, may have an unsupported browser associated with links or not have one set up at all. Follow these steps to fix this issue:

• From the Windows® Start Menu, choose "Control Panel" (or "Settings > Control Panel if using the "Classic Start Menu" or a Windows® version earlier than Windows® XP).
• Select "Network and Internet Connections > Internet Options" (or "Internet Properties" if using a Windows version earlier than Windows® XP).
• On that window, select the "Programs" tab.
• Make sure you tick the box next to "Internet Explorer should check to see whether it is the default browser".
• Start Internet Explorer and choose "Yes".
• If using another browser such as Mozilla®, Netscape®, Firefox® or Opera® please refer to the relevant help section in those applications to set them as the default browser.

Some of the text in the messages seems not to fit in the window and there are no scrolling options to go view the bottom of the message. Why is that?

You may have large fonts setup in your display settings. To revert to small fonts, you need to do the following:

• From the Windows® Start Menu, choose "Control Panel" (or "Settings > Control Panel if using the "Classic Start Menu" or a Windows® version earlier than Windows® XP).
• Select "Appearance and Themes > Display" (or "Display" if using a Windows® version earlier than Windows® XP).
• Select the Settings tab.
• Click the "Advanced" button.
• Change Display Font Size to Small Fonts.
• Click Apply/OK and Reboot.
• (Note: This will also change the font size of all of your desktop icons, etc.)

Why does my UPS Widget character/icon hide after a few minutes even if I don't touch it?

The UPS WIdget application is programmed to hide the character/icon after few minutes to prevent it from getting in the way. It can always be recalled by choosing Show/Hide from the right-click menu.

Why don’t videos play?

The UPS Widget application is able to display videos in a number of formats using Windows® Media Player. However, you may need to install extra software (known as codec's) on your computer to support these formats. Please go to the following URL to download the most up-to-date codecs from Microsoft: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/format/codecdownload.aspx

Why doesn't the "send to a friend" function work?

Unfortunately, the send to a friend function is not supported by certain e-mail clients, such as AOL® and Lotus Notes®.

I want to uninstall the UPS Widget, How do I do that?

There are two ways to uninstall the UPS Widget application:

• From Windows® Add/Remove Programs, located in the Control Panel (please consult Windows® help for information on how to do this).
• When it is installed, the UPS Widget application creates an uninstall icon in its program group in the Start Menu. Clicking this will start the un-installation process.