Windows XP for Starters: The Missing Manual: Exactly What You Need to Get Started

2017-07-07 02:10:07

5.10. Installing Software

Today, almost all new software comes to your PC from one of two sources: a CD or the Internet.

Modern software usually comes with an installer program that's designed to transfer the software files to the correct places on your hard drive. The installer also adds the new program's name to the Start All Programs menu, and tells Windows about the kinds of files (file extensions) it can open .

Tip: You don't actually have to install any software to work in Windows. Your Windows XP PC has a bunch of free, preinstalled programs for everyday tasks , like typing words and creating pictures.

5.10.1. The Pre-Installation Checklist

You can often get away with blindly installing some new program without heeding the checklist below. But for the healthiest PC and the least time on hold with tech support, answer these questions before you install anything:

Are you an administrator ? Windows XP derives part of its security and stability by handling new software installations with suspicion. For example, you can't install most programs unless you have an administrator account (see Section 12.2.1).

Does it run in Windows XP ? Windows XP is compatible with far more programs than Windows 2000 wasbut far fewer than, say, Windows 98 or Windows Me.

If the software or its Web site specifically says it's compatible with Windows XP, great. Install away. Otherwise, consult the Microsoft Web site, which includes a listnot a complete one, but a long oneof all XP-compatible programs. (The easiest way to get there is to choose Start Help and Support, then click the "Find compatible hardware and software for Windows XP link.)

Is the coast clear ? Exit all your open programs. (One quick way: right-click the buttons on the taskbar, one at a time, and choose Close from the shortcut menu.) You should also turn off your virus-scanning software, which may take the arrival of your new software the wrong way.

POWER USERS' CLINIC

Who Gets the Software?

As you're probably becoming increasingly aware, Microsoft designed Windows XP from Day 1 to be a multi- user operating system, in which each person who logs in enjoys an independent environmentfrom the desktop pattern to the email in Outlook Express. The question arises: when someone installs the new program, does every account holder have equal access to it?

In general, the answer is yes. If someone with an administrator account on the PC (Section 12.2.1) installs a new program, a shortcut winds up in the Local Disk (C:) Documents and Settings All Users Start Menu Programs folder. In other words, a newly installed program generally shows up on the Start All Programs menu of every account holder. Windows XP actually maintains two different types of Programs folders: one thats shared by everybody, and another for each individual account holder.

5.10.2. Installing Software from a CD

Most commercial software these days comes on a CD. On each one is a program called Setup, which, on most installation CDs, runs automatically when you insert the disk into the machine. You're witnessing the AutoPlay feature at work.

If AutoPlay is working, a few seconds after you insert the CD into your drive, the hourglass cursor appears. A few seconds later, the Welcome screen for your new software appears, and you may be asked to answer a few onscreen questions (for example, to specify the folder into which you want the new program installed). Along the way, the program may ask you to type in a serial number, which is usually on a sticker on the CD envelope or the registration card.

If the last installer window has a Finish button, click it. The installation program transfers the software files to your hard drive. When it's all over, you may be asked to restart the machine. In any case, open the Start menu; a yellow "New programs have been installed" balloon appears next to the All Programs button. If you click there, the program's name appears highlighted in orange, and your Start All Programs menu is now ready for action.

5.10.2.1. Installing software using Add or Remove Programs

Windows XP offers a second, more universal installation method: the greatly improved, but still ingeniously named, Add or Remove Programs program. To see it, open Start Control Panel Add or Remove Programs.

A dialog box opens showing every program on your PCwell, at least those that were installed using a standard Windows installer. Click the name of one to expand its "panel," a thick gray bar that shows you how much disk space the program takes, when you last used it, and so on. (This dialog box comes up again when you uninstall programs; see Section 5.11.)

Tip: Some programs include a "Click here for support information" link, which produces a little window revealing the name, Web site, and sometimes the phone number of the software company responsible for the software in question.

Use Add or Remove Programs whenever the usual auto-starting CD installation routine doesn't applyfor example, when the CD hasn't been programmed for AutoPlay, when the installer comes on floppy disks (remember those?), or when the installer is somewhere else on your office network.

To make it work, insert the floppy disk or CD that contains the software you want to install. Then click the Add New Programs button at the left side of the window. Finally, click the CD or Floppy button to make Windows look around for the Setup program on the disk or CD you've inserted. If the technology gods are smiling, the installation process now begins, exactly as described above.

5.10.3. Installing Downloaded Software

The files you download from the Internet (see Figure 5-8) usually aren't ready-to-use, double-clickable applications. Instead, almost all of them arrive on your PC in the form of a compressed file, with all the software pieces crammed together into a single, easily downloaded icon. The first step in savoring your downloaded delights is restoring this compressed file to its natural state.

Not that it's much work. Most Zip files unzip themselves . If you get one that doesn't, just double-click it. After unzipping the software, you'll usually find, among the resulting pieces, an installer, just like the ones described in the previous section.

Figure 5-8. You can find lots of free programs (and payment-optional shareware) at sites like www.download.com and www.computingcentral.msn.com. When you download software, click Save in this dialog box and put the installer file in, say, a Downloads folder you've created.

5.10.4. Installing Preloaded Software

As you probably know, Microsoft doesn't actually sell PCs (yet). Therefore, you bought your machine from a different company, which probably installed Windows on it before you took delivery.

Many PC companies sweeten the pot by preinstalling other programs, such as Quicken, Microsoft Works, Microsoft Office, more games , educational software, and so on. The great thing about preloaded programs is that they don't need installing. Just double-click their desktop icons, or choose their names from the Start All Programs menu, and youre off and working.

5.10.5. Installing Windows Components

The Windows XP installer may have dumped over a gigabyte of software onto your hard drive, but it was only warming up. Plenty of second- tier programs and features are left behind on the CDstuff that Microsoft didn't want to burden you with right off the bat, but included on the CD just in case.

To see the master list of software components that you have and haven't yet installed, choose Start Control Panel Add or Remove Programs." Click the Add/Remove Windows Components button at the left side of the window.

You've just launched the Windows Components Wizardbasically a list of all the optional Windows software chunks . Checkmarks appear next to some of them; these are the ones you already have. The check-boxes that aren't turned on are the options you still haven't installed. As you peruse the list, keep in mind the following:

To learn what something is, click its name once. A description appears below the list.

Turn on the checkboxes for software bits you want to install. Clear the checkboxes of elements you already have, but that you'd like Windows to delete in order to create more free space on your hard drive.

To the right of the name of each software chunk , you can see how much disk space it uses when it's installed. Keep an eye on the "Space available on disk" statistic at the bottom of the dialog box to make sure you don't overwhelm your hard drive.

Windows may ask you to insert your Windows CD.

As you click the name of a software component, the Details button may spring to life, " waking up" from its faded look. When you click it, another list of elements appearsthe ones that make up the software category.