Downloading and Installing Programs
The majority of educators have not taken a computer course, but rather have developed their computer skills through practice and perhaps a workshop here and there. One of the most valuable computer skills is the ability to download and install a program on your computer. Since a few of the upcoming "Surfing Safely" posts will offer free programs to upgrade the security of your computer, knowing the download and install process will be a great help. For those of you unfamiliar with this process, the following guidelines should be of use.
- Generally when a web site offers a program to be downloaded you simply click on the download link to start the process.
- If you are using the most common browser, Internet Explorer, a window should open up warning you about the danger of downloading files from sources you are unfamiliar with, and giving you several choices at the bottom of the window. Choose "save" as your next step.
- Choosing "save" will open up your download window. At the top of the window you should see "Save in" followed by a default location. Clicking on the arrow next to the default location will provide you with a list of available locations for your downloaded file.
- For greatest ease choose "desktop" as your desired location. This will mean that the file will be visible on your computer screen once the download process is complete. Some people prefer to load to a specific folder such as "mydownloads" which is fine as long as you can locate the file.
- Click on "save" and the download process will begin. It may take a few seconds, several minutes, or somewhat longer depending on the size of the file and the speed of your Internet connection.
- Once the download process is complete, locate the file on your desktop or the specified folder. Double click on the file to begin the installation process. There may be a screen or two which asks a question of you, such as where you would like to install the program. Generally, simply accept the suggested default and you should be fine.
- Your program should now be installed. (You may be asked to restart your computer to complete the installation.) There will often be a new icon on your desktop to access the program and it should be also be listed in "all programs" under your "start" menu.
Note: Left clicking with your mouse executes an action. Right clicking generally brings up a menu of options. If you want to be sure of the safety of a downloaded file you may want to right click on it before installing the program. Among the choices you will generally find the option to scan this file for viruses. It doesn't take long and will give you an added measure of security.
If you have any further questions about this process or other computing questions feel free to use our comments section to ask for assistance.