Beginner's guide to Downloading
By
CNET staff and Gregg Keizer Free! Free! Free! Luckily, downloading is easy to learn. The process varies, depending on the
type of computer you use, which operating system it runs, what software you use
to access the World Wide Web, and how the download itself is packaged. But
overall, it's pretty straightforward--just a five-step process:
After you've mastered the art of
downloading, we'll show you how to find, handle, and work with your newly
acquired files. Stick with us to get more fun and productivity out of your
computer. To make a special folder for storing your downloaded programs, follow these
steps. When your Web browser prompts you to save downloads into a certain
folder, simply save them to the directory you've created. If you use multiple hard drives on your PC or your hard drive is partitioned,
you may want to put the download folder on a secondary drive or partition rather
than on the primary C: drive. This keeps your main drive or partition free for
applications and documents and saves storage space. Windows 95/98/NT/2000 Windows 3.x Macintosh Use Download.com Once you've zeroed in on a program you want to download, click its title to
get more information about it. To download it, just click the Download Now link
on the right side of the page. This will automatically start your download,
grabbing the software from the fastest location on the Web. If you'd rather
choose the site yourself, click the All Download Sites link on the left side of
the page. Save and Decompress If your browser isn't configured to view compressed files (the format most
downloaded files are stored in), you may get a message that reads "No
viewer available for this file type. Do you want to save to disk?" Uncheck
the box that says "Always ask this question with this file type" (so
that in the future your computer will begin downloading automatically) and click
OK. Then, select your Downloads folder as the save destination. 3. Decompress Your Downloads Decompress on Your PC If you've downloaded a file that ends in .arc, .arj, .gz, .z, or .zip,
however, you'll need to decompress it with a program such as WinZip. Here's how: Decompress on Your Mac Be sure your files are clean and virus-free before you decompress and install
them. It's a good idea to invest in some virus-scanning software so that you can
check downloaded files before you go to the next step. WinZip makes it easy for PC users to install downloads. If a file with a .zip
extension contains a program called either Install or Setup, WinZip detects it
and, in the Classic interface, creates a button labeled Install near the right
side of the WinZip button bar. In its Wizard mode, WinZip simply notes that
installation will proceed once you click the Next button. Before you click
either Install or Next, check the downloaded file's readme file, a text
file that contains special installation instructions and extra information about
your new application. Once you know what you're getting into, click the Install
button and let WinZip do its thing. Installation routines vary, so just follow
instructions as they come up. Never fear, the software will prompt you through
the necessary steps. If an Install button doesn't appear in WinZip, you'll have to install the
program yourself. This process varies among programs, so check the application's
readme file for instructions on how to do this. Mac users should open the readme file after expanding an archive to get
specific installation instructions. That's it. You're now ready to enjoy your new program.
(6/22/00)
As any marketer will tell you, we all love free stuff. And the Internet is the
best source of free stuff we know. You could spend the rest of your life
downloading free software--games, graphics, fonts, sounds, videos, and anything
else you might want to make your computer cooler, faster, prettier, and more
fun. But first, you've gotta know how to download.
1. Make a special download directory.
2. Find and download software.
3. Decompress your downloads.
4. Install the software.
5. Clean up your directory.
Downloading can get messy. Unless you neatly file away new software, you'll be
buried under a cluttered desktop, lost files, and overflowing folders. To keep
track of downloaded software and files, you should save them in a special
download folder or directory that you can use over and over. Once you create
this folder and call it something obvious, say, Downloads, you'll always
know where to find your new files.
1. In Windows Explorer (Start/Programs/Windows Explorer), click the drive where
you'll store the folder.
2. Select New/Folder from the File menu.
3. A folder will appear on that drive with the highlighted default name New
Folder. Type Downloads over that name and press Enter.
1. In File Manager, click the root directory (usually C:).
2. Select File/Create Directory.
3. Type Downloads to name the directory and click OK.
1. In the Finder (on the desktop), select New Folder under the File menu.
2. An untitled folder will appear on your desktop. Type Downloads over
the folder's current label and press Enter or click elsewhere on the desktop.
Downloadable software is available everywhere on the Internet--from FTP sites,
individual Web sites, and special collections such as CNET Download.com. If
you're not sure where to find a particular piece of software, try searching
Download.com.
To find software at Download.com, head for the Search box at the top of the
page. Enter one or more search words, such as ICQ, and click the Search
button. (Mac users may need to select the Mac link from the list of options
under the Search box.) The search returns a list of software that matches the
word (or words) you used. Sort through these results by clicking the options
(Title, Date Added, or Downloads, for instance) that appear at the top of the
page. Download.com also lets you filter the results by OS, category, or software
license by using the drop-down boxes at the bottom of the page. Check out
Download.com's search tips if you have more questions.
After you've started a download, your Web browser determines what happens next.
In most cases, you get a dialog box that confirms where to save your download.
Before you click OK, make sure you've picked the Downloads folder you created in
step one.
Nearly every file you'll download from the Internet arrives on your computer compressed--stored
in a format that takes up less space. A compressed file reduces download time
and makes it possible to download all of a program's files, such as help files
and drivers, in a single package. But once the file is on your hard disk, things
get complicated. At that point, it may have one of several unfriendly-looking
extensions, such as .arc, .arj, .bin, .exe, .gz, .hqx, .sea, .uue, .z, or .zip.
How you handle these files depends on whether you're using a Mac or a Windows PC
and what software you use to decompress them. The most popular decompression
program for the Mac is StuffIt
Expander, while most PC users rely on WinZip
or Netzip
(Linux users can unstuff some types of zipped files--for example, files that
were created in a Windows format and saved to a format usable by Linux--using RAR.)
If your downloaded file has the extension .exe, it's probably self-extracting,
which means it will automatically decompress as soon as you double-click it.
Make sure the file is in your Downloads folder or directory, then double-click
it to install or open the program. Once your installation is complete, you can
skip straight to step five.
2. Click the Extract button.
3. Select a destination folder or directory for the files (to create a new
directory, just type in a name for the new folder and press Enter) and click the
Extract button again.
If you've downloaded a file that ends in .sea, it's a self-extracting file that
you decompress simply by double-clicking it. For files that end in .cpt, .hqx,
or .sit, you need a decompression program such as StuffIt Expander. Some
browsers, including most versions of Netscape Navigator, contain StuffIt as a
helper application and will launch StuffIt automatically when you click a
compressed file. If you don't have StuffIt Expander, download it right away.
After StuffIt is installed, simply drag compressed files to the StuffIt icon to
expand them.
In some cases, decompressing a program does not mean that you've installed it.
If your computer hasn't prompted you through any installation steps, you may
have a little more work to do.
Before you start enjoying your newly downloaded and installed software, remember
that the compressed file (which you no longer need because you created a new
copy when you decompressed it) is taking up valuable disk space. If you want to
pass the software on to friends or think you may need to reinstall it, hold on
to the compressed file. We suggest you move it to a floppy disk, an alternate
drive, or a removable drive. But if you're finished with the compressed file,
just delete it and empty the Recycle Bin or the Trash.