There are a gazillion places on the Net where you can find free software (often called shareware or freeware), but they’re useless if you don’t know how to download software from the Web. Downloading software is one of those skills — like using e-mail — that you usually learn by trial and error.
Judging by the number of questions we get on the topic, there are plenty of readers out there who still haven’t perfected this skill simply because no one has ever told them how to do it. Here’s a step-by-step mini-primer on downloading software.
Step 1: Preparing a File for Download
For purposes of this exercise, we’ve found a file we would like to download at File Mine, which not only is a sister site of Net Guide, but is also a popular place to download shareware on the Web. We’d like to download the free Bill’s Pie Toss Interactive Screen Saver, which will enable us to toss pies at Bill Gates’ face (oh, yeah, and it will also help save our monitors, too).
When you have determined you have enough disk space to download the file, the first thing you need to do is click on the actual file you want to download. Once you do that, you will be prompted to save it to your hard disk.
There are two things you absolutely must remember: where you saved the file and what the file was named (jot this information down if you have to). It would be a good idea to create a folder on your computer specifically for downloads. After you’ve chosen a place to save the file, your computer will begin downloading it, and you will be given an estimate of how much time it will take.
Step 2: Don’t Forget to Exit Out of Your Browser!
Many people don’t realize that after they have downloaded the file, they must run through an installation process to make the software work. Once you download the file, close out of your browser and find the file you have just downloaded. In our case, the file we downloaded was called Pietoss, and we saved it in our Netscape/Downloads folder.
Step 3: Running Through the Installation Process
Clicking on the name of the file you have just downloaded will get the installation process going. You usually will be prompted to answer a few questions, such as “What is your e-mail address?” and “What type of browser you are using?” When the installation is complete, you can begin enjoying your new software. In our case, we are ready to pelt Bill Gates with pies!
Things to Know
Worried about getting a virus from downloading a file from the Web? Well, it can’t happen from actually downloading the file, but you could encounter a virus when running the file.Cnet offers some good advice: After downloading the file, rerun your anti-virus software. If it doesn’t detect a virus in the new file, it should be safe to run.
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