Here's a good test: If your computer and internet connection will let you watch a Youtube video without too much trouble, your system will run Google Earth without putting you to sleep. (click the PLAY button to see if the video below works, you don't have to watch it all, but it's cool)
Did that work?
NO - Do Not Pass Go, invest in more RAM, a faster internet connection, a new computer, or all of the above. ASK A GEEK to help!
YES - THE VIDEO WORKED , you are on your way to the next step!
System Restore Point
Hey! Make a Windows System Restore Point before you begin installing anything, ever, ok? (it's the safe thing to do!)
Installation is very quick and simple, should take less than 4 minutes.
Start Google Earth and...
Google Earth has an "Fly To" tab and search field at the top left, and you can type or paste in normal addresses, or latitude/longitude.
For best results, type in Street Address, City, State, Zip and click the magnifier search button.
You can also type City,State or City,Country and usually get pretty close.
The software is surprisingly good at guessing from incomplete requests.
If you use latitude and longitude to find locations, look in Tools/Options for the correct format, or change it to your preference.
If you are looking at urban areas, be a patient human.
MAKE SURE that the 3D Buildings layer is checked ON (lower left, in the sidebar)
Those 3D models of skyscrapers and office blocks, the stadii next to the transit centers, bridges and towers and monuments , all have to download to your google earth session.
And it's worth the wait, if being able to fly is fun for you. It simulates flying to any location and looking at any location from any angle.
Getting used to the controls
Try one thing at a time, and practice movement commands separately. You'll be able to put them all together soon enough.
Hold down the SHIFT key and roll your mousewheel to tilt your view (gently!) and then try pivoting the view by holding CTRL and mouse wheeling.
Another method of the same movements is with the SHIFT and ARROW keys, play with it.
This videos will help, and it's short ...
When you get the view all messed up, and have no idea what's going on, click on the view window and hit the r key. This will Rectify the view, putting you straight overhead of somewhere, with North at the top of screen.
When you get hopelessly lost, go back to the Sidebar (CRTL-ALT-B), click a placename there to fly back to it right away.
There's always aerial photography of any location, so go and see if the house you grew up in, or a local landmark is on the aerials.
The resolution and accuracy of the aerial photography is whatever is available to Google.
Some good, some not so good.
If you are lucky, the city that you want to view has donated their most recent aerial photos to Google.
And make sure that the Terrain layer is turned on (Sidebar again, down near the bottom), it's a big help for realism.
Example Locations
Paste these into the "Fly To" search field (one at a time!) and poke around in the results:
