You'll get a window like this one.
Unless you're specifically told not to by the web site, always select the second option:
Save this file to disk
Make sure the 'Always ask…etc' box is checked.
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How do I download software?
After you've gotten familiar with the internet, you'll see programs offered for download that look pretty useful. So what do you do with them?
First, get organized! Create a single folder on your computer to download files into, so you'll never 'lose' them. Also, get in the habit of never moving them from that folder, or doing anything at all to them, until you've used your anti-virus program on them. For example, double-click the 'My Computer' icon on your Desktop, then double-click ('C:'). Go to the File menu and select New --> Folder, and name it Downloads. Some people, like myself, prefer to use the Desktop for new files, so you can see at a glance what you have.
Now that you have a place to put things, you'll need an unzipping program. Most software on the web is 'zipped.' Most of us access the web with a modem and a telephone line, and it's soooo sloooooow. To 'zip' a program means to compress it; it's the same program, but smashed into a tight little bundle so you don't have to set aside a day to download it. There are many free unzipping programs, ( go to a download site and search for "zip"), but the best choice for a beginner would probably be WinZip. WinZip gives you a free thirty-day trial period before you have to decide whether to buy it or delete it. Here's the WinZip site.
OK, let's learn by doing. This example is a clock.
A download link will look something like this:
KclockLite (8 kb)
With the name of the program, and it's size. The size is almost, if not always, a zipped size. Just click the link to start downloading.
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You'll get a window like this one.
Unless you're specifically told not to by the web site, always select the second option: Make sure the 'Always ask…etc' box is checked. |
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Click OK, then navigate to your Download folder. Go up to the File menu and select New --> Folder, and give it a name. You can use the program name, or any name you want.
Now just follow the instructions of your unzipping program.
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If you have WinZip, you may find it easier to right-click the file, and select Extract to… |
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Test the program by clicking the file with the .exe ending. If all goes well, you can now delete the original .zip file.
(If you downloaded the clock program to test it, you probably got a message about needing the vb40032.dll, a self-extracting zip file).
This example is a tiny program. Note that large programs will probably have many files in the .zip file, including one called Setup.exe. For those, Setup.exe will do most of the work for you. It may ask where you would like to put the files…you should always use the place that Setup suggests. If you tell it to put the files someplace else, you may not be able to uninstall the program when you're done with it. (This is called sloppy programming; it isn't supposed to happen, but it can and does.)
Some programs to be downloaded will end with .exe; these are self-contained zip files. Just click them after you've downloaded them, and they'll set themselves up.
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To make pictures like you see on this page:
when you see what you want on-screen, push your "Print Screen" key on your keyboard once. Nothing will happen. Go to your Start menu, -->Programs --> Accessories, and select Paint. In Paint, select Edit --> Paste. If it asks if you want the bitmap enlarged, click Yes.
