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Welcome to today's edition of the Computer Kindergarten Newsletter.
Today is Sunday, June 22, 2003
In this Issue: Installing Programs
Special Feature: Installing From Disk
Special Feature: Installing from Downloads
Special Feature: What Does Setup.exe Do?
Special Feature: Uninstalling Programs
Featured Webpage: Viruses
Featured Webpage: Zipped Files
Featured Websites: Baseball Hall of Fame; Long Island Ducks; Birthdays; The Official US Time
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Using Links
A Link is a reference to a website. In this newsletter you will see links to many worthwhile, informative and fun websites. Here are the instructions on how to use links:
A link will be used one of two ways, depending on your email program.
If you see the link in blue, underlined text, all you have to do is click on it and a window with the Website in it will automatically appear on your screen.
If you see the link in plain text, you can copy and paste it into the address bar on your browser. Highlight the link with your mouse, click Edit up on the menu bar, and then click Copy from the menu that you just opened up. Open your browser (click the Start Button, point to Programs, click on Internet Explorer); click on the address bar. Click Edit up on the menu bar, and then click Paste from the menu that you just opened up. Press the Enter key on the keyboard and this will take you to the Website.
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Special Feature: Installing Programs
At some point, you may want to add new programs to your computer. Perhaps a word processing or spreadsheet program that you would like to use is not on your computer and you would like to put it on. There may be a program that does some special feature, you might purchase a computer game, or someone may give you a program.
Programs need to be installed, rather than just copied, because they often use resources on different parts of your system. Simply copying a program rarely works in Windows. Most programs come with a program called a Setup Wizard; this is an installer that adds the new program to your computer the correct way.
The good news is that most Setup programs are pretty smart. They know which files to put where, and how to best configure your program with your computer. This may include things like creating an item in your Start menu, or placing an icon on your desktop. Setup programs may configure sounds, associations to file types, or other items that make the program run best on your system.
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Special Feature: Installing From Disk
When you purchase a program, it usually comes on a CD-ROM or floppy disk. In almost every case, the setup program is called Setup.exe, and is located in the main folder of the disk (or disk 1 if you have a multiple floppy disk installation). The setup program is called a Wizard; this is a simple step-by-step program that guides you through the installation and helps you make choices.
Program developers usually try to make the installation easy since this is your first impression of their product. If you are asked something by the Setup program that you do not understand, the best bet is to accept the default answer. For example, if you are asked whether you want the Standard or Custom setup, you cannot go wrong by picking Standard.
Many installation CDs start automatically when you put them into your CD-ROM drive. They may just start Setup.exe automatically, or a little window will pop up with choices like:
- Install Microsoft Word (Microsoft Word is used as an example here; in your setup, your program name would appear)
- Read Microsoft Word Readme
- Run the Tutorial To Learn Microsoft Word
- Exit
Setup.exe would start when you choose Install, which usually is the first choice.
If the CD does not start automatically (it may be the way it was made), or if you got the program on floppy disks, you have to tell Windows to start Setup.exe. This is a simple command; you just tell Windows which drive the setup program is on and the name of the program.
Drives are named with letters followed by a colon. Your floppy drive is most likely to be drive A:. Your hard disk drive is most likely to be C:. If you only have one hard drive, the CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive is likely to be drive D: or a letter of the alphabet beyond that. If you have more than one ROM drive, it is probably the last letter used.
But you don't have to guess: start Windows Explorer. The CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive letter will be next to the little picture of a ROM disk.
Now insert the CD or floppy into its drive and click the Start button. Choose Run. Click the Browse button. At the top of the resulting dialog box, you will see the words Look In. Next to that is a drop-down list box. Click the down arrow to the right of this box; which will display all the drives on your computer. Click on the drive that has your disk in it. Once you do that, in the pane in the middle of the dialog box, you will see the setup file. Click on it; click the Open button.
This will take you back to the Run dialog box; click the OK button and the setup program will begin.
Although it is extremely rare with newer programs, sometimes a program does not have an install and you are asked to set it up manually on your system. If you do not feel comfortable manually installing a program you should not do it. Either find a similar program with a good installation program, or get in touch with your local computer geek to help you install it.
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Special Feature: Installing from Downloads
Downloading a file means getting a file from a remote computer and putting it on your computer (uploading means the opposite. So you download to get a file, and upload to send one).
This is a great way to get software or data files, and downloading is used for many purposes. For example, you might download a game or some utility program for your computer like a fancy clock that displays on the desktop. There are programs, such as an upgrade to your virus protection software that you can purchase from a web site that lets you download the software after processing your credit card order.
Downloading adds one or two steps to installation, but if you want the program at the moment without going out shopping for it, it is well worth it; once, of course, you get the hang of it.
When you download a file, Windows will ask you what folder to put the file in. (If you are using AOL, you will usually be directed to the folder C:\Programs Files\America Online 8.0\download or something like that). When the download is complete, use Windows Explorer to find this folder and the new file in it. Then you use the setup.exe file to install the program you downloaded.
Here are the steps for installing a downloaded program:
1. Download the file from the website (Note: when a website has a file that you can download, generally there will be help offered right on the website that will give you information for the download and installation of the file). After giving the command to download, your computer will show you which folder the downloaded file will go in; you can change the folder or let it go into the one that Windows suggests. In either case, note the folder name so that you can find the file when you are ready to install it.
2. Using Windows Explorer, find your download on your hard drive.
3. If the file is a ZIP or other kind of archive file, decompress it using an UNZIP program such as Winzip or PKUNZIP. If the file is an EXE file (such as setup.exe) skip to step 4. (To learn more about zip files, see the Featured Webpage section of this newsletter)
4. Run the setup program as discussed in the article on running setup.exe from disk. This will install the program.
5. Delete the downloaded file. You can keep it if you choose to do so, but it is not necessary; it is no longer needed once the program has been installed.
As with any new files, it is a good idea run a virus check on the files you download before running them. In addition, after you have installed the software, run the check on the folder you installed to. Downloads from reputable websites are usually checked, but it never hurts to check for yourself. (To learn more about viruses, see the Featured Webpage section of this newsletter)
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Special Feature: What Does Setup.exe Do?
Why can't you just copy a file someplace and run it? It used to work like that, years ago before Windows came on the scene. Now, setting up most programs to work in Windows is complicated, but setup.exe does all the work for you.
A basic setup program:
- Creates copies of needed files in the correct location of your hard drive - Creates shortcuts in your Start menu
Most Windows programs consist of many files, each of which has to be located in a specific place relative to the main program file. Sometimes these are in subfolders of the program's main folder. Other times they are in other folders. And sometimes, parts of files getting added into existing files that make your computer run. Luckily, the setup program knows exactly where everything belongs and what to do.
Most setup programs will give you some choices though. For example, you can change the folder the program is installed into. There may be a good reason to do this maybe you have an old version of this program that you want to keep and use occasionally – if you do, you don’t want the new version to go in the same folder and replace the older version. If this is not the case, or you are not sure, use the default folder suggested by Setup.
Another choice is the name of the Start Menu group for this program. Most times the name of the company that makes the program is suggested (i.e. Microsoft). You may replace this with the program name, or anything else that will help you remember what the menu item is actually for.
While almost any setup performs those two basic functions, copying files and creating Start Menu entries, many do a lot more. Here are a few of the other things a Setup might do:
Register Your Program: Some programs need a registration code to qualify them as registered. If so, during the setup process, you will be prompted for a registration number. This registration number is usually found somewhere on the package the software came in. In the case of a downloaded program, you’ll usually find the registration number in the README file. (see the link below for zipped files)
Enter Your Name and Company: Some programs require at least a name in order to install properly. This means that you will be the registered owner and user of the program.
Set Initial Settings: Often the setup will write settings specific to your computer (like where to find data files, or which browser to use). It checks your computer during setup to find out where things are on your system, then sets the program with the correct locations. Some setup programs look for earlier installations so it can ask if you want to bring your old settings into the new version.
Set Associations: A setup may set certain file types to always open using the program it is setting up. For example a graphics editor might be associated with the graphic file formats it supports.
Special Setups: Some programs will run faster if you install the whole thing on your hard drive. But this may take more room that you want it to. It may be possible to only install the most necessary files onto your drive, and read the rest, as needed, from the CD-ROM drive. A Setup program can give you these options, or may let you chose which elements to install.
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Special Feature: Uninstalling Programs
One of the quickest ways to free up storage space on your computer is to uninstall programs that you do not use anymore.
There are five ways you can uninstall a program:
- Delete the files from your hard drive. This is NOT a good way to uninstall a program. There are literally hundreds of places that a program can keep files, registry entries, and bits and pieces of files and such. By simply deleting the program files from your computer, you will not be able to remove all the extra files and pieces. All these junk files will be left on your computer and eventually slow things down.
- Use the Add/Remove Programs function in the Control Panel. This is a standard Windows removal tool that actually does a pretty good job of removing programs from your hard drive. To access the Add/Remove Programs function, click the Start button, choose Control Panel, choose Add/Remove Programs.
- Use the program's uninstall procedure. Many programs come with their own uninstall program that will quickly remove programs from your computer. Some installers do not put their program on the Add/Remove list, so your next place to look is in the Start menu. Find the group for that program and see if there is an item called Uninstall. If so, pick it and the Uninstaller will run.
If there is no menu item, look in the folder containing the program. There may be an uninstall.exe there. If so, double click it and the Uninstaller will run.
- Reinstall the program. Sometimes the easiest way to uninstall a program is to reinstall it, then remove it using its own uninstall program (see above)
- Use a third-party removal tool. A third party tool (such as Norton Uninstall or Clean Sweep) will be extremely thorough in removing programs. You will be able to uninstall any program on your computer, even if it does not show up in the Add/Remove list or have an uninstall feature built in. Some uninstall programs will detect files called Orphans, which are programs and files to which there is no connection; you’ll then be able to delete them, too.
Often an Uninstaller does not delete everything. If it does not, it will tell you what it has saved. Uninstallers will not delete data files you created with the program, in case you want to keep them to use with a different program (although it is always a good idea to back up all important files before uninstalling the program used to create them). The Uninstaller usually tells you where to look for these files in case you want to delete them.
Additionally, uninstalling programs will not uninstall shared files, which are usually DLL files. Some DLL files are used by many different programs and the Uninstaller may not know if a particular one is used by a different program.
In this case it will ask you whether it should delete the file or not. If you do not know, say No. If no other programs actually use the file it will not hurt anything, but if other programs do use the file, deleting it could make them stop working.
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Featured Webpage: Viruses
When you bring files into your computer from any outside source, whether they are from a disk or something you download from the Internet, there is a risk of getting a virus. Learn more about viruses, how to spot them and how to protect your computer at our website:
http://www.stsico.com/html/viruses.html
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Featured Webpage: Zipped Files
When downloading programs from the Internet, the downloaded file will usually be in the .zip format. Learn more about zipped files, what that means, and how to unzip a file at our website:
http://www.stsico.com/html/zip.html
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Today's Featured Websites:
Note: if you're not sure how to use the following links to websites, take a look at the instructions on using links at the beginning of this newsletter.
Baseball Hall of Fame It's that time of year again: Summertime! Hotdogs and baseball. If you love baseball, visit the National Baseball Hall of Fame's Web site. You'll find pictures and bios of every member, information about visiting the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, Web-based baseball exhibits, a research library, and even games and activities.
http://baseballhalloffame.org
Long Island Ducks Support your local baseball team. You can visit the Long Island Ducks at their website. Take a look at the schedule and go see a good baseball game, right here in your own backyard!
http://www.liducks.com/
Birthdays Here is an interesting website. Go to anybirthday.com, click on search and you can input anyone’s name to find their birthday.
http://www.anybirthday.com/
The Official US Time This clock, provided by joint effort of the National Institute of Standards & Technology and the U.S. Naval Observatory, is accurate within 1 second, something our computer clocks could never claim.
http://www.time.gov/ |
