Minecraft downloading trouble!

[DaftMaul]

I have been driving myself nuts trying to download Minecraft onto our pc. Ds has registered and has a user name and password.

I purchased it and have had email confirmation of the purchase, have updated Java in case it was that and have tried it using Google Chrome as a well as from Internet explorer.

I think it is somewhere on the computer but no shortcut appears automatically as I would expect. I have followed a YouTube film to set up a shortcut but this only gets a pic of a file/folder that opens a list of other folders, not the game.

I also somehow managed to get a shortcut with the minecraft pic onto my 'Start' list but this just links to another box showing 'run' or 'cancel', again not opening the game. However, if I select 'run' at this stage, a box opens with the game and login details on bottom rights and side.

So, have I even managed to download the game or not?! If I have, where is it and how do I get a working shortcut that opens the game so ds can play offline?

As you can probably tell, I am not the most computer literate! So answers in very basic geeky language woud help enormously!

Have you actually downloaded the game from the website www.minecraft.net/download,if so try start,documents,downloads.If it is there try running it to install it to your pc.

Thanks Motion, It is listed in Downloads. After I click 'run', the Minecraft Launcher opens, I log in and a screen shows very briefly saying something like 'download complete' but still no shortcut appears.

I have just tried doing all that with the firewall disabled too in case that is affecting it.

I have now got a shortcut with a minecraft pic (using the downloads file) but this still only opens to another run/cancel box, not the game

I notice on the website I says the file is 270kb but the file in Downloads is only 258KB. Is this significant?!

Right I have downloaded from my link,I dont actually know anything about Mine craft but I am a gamer so will try and help.270 kb is not a big download ans I suspect this is a web based game that you dont actually install on your pc.
To get a shortcut on your desktop,right click the file in downloads,click "send to" then click desktop(create shortcut)
It does say that once you have played online once you can play offline,sorry I cant be anymore help.

Thanks Motion. Did you get a working shortcut automatically or did to set that up yourself?

Your link is the same as I used to download.

The file you download is very small - it's a launcher, basically a mini application that launches the game. The first time you log in, it downloads the actual game files onto your computer (which is why you have to be connected to the internet at least once, but can play offline once that's done).

It sounds like you have successfully downloaded the launcher, logged in, and it has downloaded the game files. The only thing you're lacking is a shortcut on your desktop to make it easy to start, there's not actually anything wrong with it. Having just reinstalled Minecraft on my own PC (not played it in ages, had to do a password reset because I couldn't remember it) so I could have a look for you, it appears that it's normal that it doesn't create a shortcut automatically. Just go to your downloads folder, find Minecraft, rightclick it and hit 'create shortcut'. Then you can launch it from there. You'll still get the launcher box that wants you to log in but that's normal! If you're connected to the internet, that's how it checks for updates to the game.

Oh, and if you're not connected, it'll give you an option to play offline. So what you're seeing is all completely normal and you've done it right.

Thankyou, Naoko.

I have managed to work it all out now, I think. Your explanation has helped confirm it all.

I had to click a box 'do not ask me this again' type thing and then the shortcut worked. Phew!