Installing Your New Program
Nearly every program on the market comes with an installation component (called setup or install) that does everything for you. If the program is on CD-ROM, you can usually pop the disc into your CD-ROM drive, click a few options to tell the program that it can install itself according to the default settings, and then kick back and watch the installation routine do its thing.
Deleting Temporary Files
Many programs create temporary files and then forget to delete them. Click Start, Find, Files or Folders. In the Named text box, type *.tmp. In the Look In text box, type c:\. Make sure Include Subfolders is selected and then click Find Now. Open the Edit menu, choose Select All, and then press the Delete key.
If the program comes on floppy disks or the setup component on the CD doesn't start automatically when you insert the disc, take the following steps to kick-start the setup routine:
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If you haven't inserted the program CD or the first floppy disk into the drive, insert the CD or disk now.
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Double-click My Computer on the Windows desktop.
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Double-click the icon for your CD-ROM or floppy drive. This displays a list of files and folders on the disk or CD.
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Double-click the file named Setup, Install, or its equivalent (refer to the program's installation instructions, if necessary). This starts the installation utility.
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Follow the onscreen instructions to complete the installation.
No Install or Setup File?
I Can't Find the Setup File!
If you cannot find the Setup or Install file, Windows can help you locate the file that initiates the installation routine. Open the Start menu, point to Settings, and click Control Panel. Double-click the Add/Remove Programs icon. Click the Install button and follow the onscreen instructions
99.9% of the programs you encounter have an Install or Setup file, so you shouldn't have any problem. However, if the program does not have its own setup utility, take the following steps to copy the program files to a folder on your computer's hard disk
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In My Computer, double-click the icon for drive C.
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Right-click a blank area in the window, point to New, and click Folder.
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Type a unique name for the folder and then double-click the folder icon to open it.
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Open another My Computer window and change to the drive that contains the program disk or CD.
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Press Ctrl+A to select all of the files on the disk or CD, and then press Ctrl+C to copy them.
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Change to the folder you just created and press Ctrl+V to paste the files into the folder.
Copy Files to a Disk in Drive A
To quickly copy a file from your hard disk to a floppy disk in drive A, right-click the file, point to Send To, and click Floppy A.
The file for running the program is typically marked with an icon that looks like the program's logo. Using the right mouse button, drag and drop this icon onto the Windows desktop, and then click Create Shortcut(s) Here. You can now use this icon to run the program.
Selectively Installing Components
Many newer programs can consume several hundred megabytes of disk space, making it unwise to install the entire program on your hard disk. These large programs typically offer the option to run the program from the CD or install only the most commonly used components.
If the setup routine gives you the option of running the program from the CD or hard disk and your hard disk has plenty of free space, choose to run the program from the hard disk. You'll find that the program runs much faster, and you won't have to insert the CD every time you want to use the program. Choose to run the program from the CD only if your hard disk is running out of space.
Many setup routines provide an option for running the standard typical), minimal, or custom installation, as shown in Figure 10.3. Again, unless your hard disk is running out of storage space, choose the standard installation. This installs the most common components. If you'd like to see what's available and order à la carte, perform a custom installation.
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Figure 10.3 When in doubt, choose the standard or typical installation.