Managing Downloads
by Cate Eales
Appeared April 14, 2011 on castanet.net
This week: Learn how to install what you want and not what you don’t,
and how to organize the programs you’ve downloaded.
Choose “Custom” instead of “Typical” when
installing software
Recently I wrote about how to avoid dangerous
websites and downloads. Now that you've found a good program and
downloaded it from a safe website, you're ready to install it...safely,
right? Well, hang on a minute. There's another way that spyware and
malware and "annoyanceware" can get into your computer, and that's
during the installation process.
We all have a habit of clicking OK, OK, OK, OK ALREADY! during software
installs. Do that one time too many, and you'll have unwanted tool bars
in your browser, and popups all over the place warning you about
potential infections.
Sadly, a "Typical" install often means "Sure, go ahead and install that
MyWebSearch toolbar, and the weather bug, too." If you have a choice
called "Custom," go for that instead of typical, and just say no to the
unwanted extras. And when you do find a program that doesn't try to
sneak this stuff past you, consider rewarding the author with a
donation.
Where is that program I installed last
week/month/year?
It used to be that we installed all our programs from CD's. (Well it
used to be that we installed all our programs from floppy discs. But we
also used to listen to audio files on things called “records” while we
were installing those files! Let's not go back that far.) Nowadays, many
of us download programs, which we know Windows believes are FILES, from
various websites and then we install them.
But if ever you need to reinstall your programs, or install them on a
new computer, it's a nuisance to go out and find them all again. (It's
even worse than digging through a pile of CD's!)
After I install a program I move it to a folder I created and named
“Installed” on my hard drive. The file doesn't clutter up my desktop or
Download folder, but it's available if I need it. Periodically, I backup
the “Installed” folder to an external drive, and delete the older
installed files from my hard drive, just to keep down the clutter.
Congratulations to the winners
In a previous column I announced
a contest. The link on that very page takes you to Wikipedia where
you will find the correct answer: The Maple Leaf on the Canadian flag
has eleven points. The entries with the correct answer were placed in a
hat, and the winners drawn by my husband.
Congratulations to the winners of the print and
digital editions of “Network Your Computers & Devices Step by Step”
by Ciprian Adrian Rusen and 7tutorials! They have been notified by
email. Two print editions and three digital editions of the book will be
on their way.
If you didn’t win, of course you can purchase the book in your local
bookstore,
or from this link. Our thanks again to Ciprian Adrian Rusen and the
team at 7tutorials. If you are using or are thinking about using Windows
7, check out the
7tutorials website.
Thank you to everyone who participated in the contest!
Links
How to Avoid Dangerous
Websites and Downloads
http://rlis.com/columns/column291.htm
Win a Book!
http://rlis.com/columns/column293.htm
Buy the book from Amazon
http://www.amazon.ca/Network-Your-Computers-Devices-Step/dp/0735652163/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1294072510&sr=8-1
7tutorials
http://www.7tutorials.com/
Computer Care Kelowna
http://computercarekelowna.com/
Getting Along With Your Computer Column Archives
http://rlis.com/column.htm
Get Cate's column by email
http://www.feedblitz.com/f/f.fbz?Sub=20618
RSS Feed:
http://rlis.com/rlis.xml
--
Do you need help with your computer? I'm here to help you and your home
or business computer get along!
Cate Eales runs Computer Care Kelowna, a mobile service helping home users
and businesses get along with their computers. To arrange an appointment
phone her at 250-764-7043. Cate also welcomes your comments and
suggestions. Send email to help@computercarekelowna.com.
You can read previous
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©
Cate Eales 2011 – All Rights Reserved
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