Installing Programs
Installing Programs from a CD
Most programs come on CD-ROM, with an occasional DVD-ROM or floppy disk still needed, though rarely. To install a program, most of the time it is as simple as inserting the CD into your optical drive, and then waiting for the install wizard to begin. Sometimes, however, a computer will not automatically start the program, or there is no option on the CD for automatically starting the program.
Enabling Auto-Play on a CD or DVD drive
Auto-play is the term used for starting up a program automatically when a CD is inserted. This is normally enabled on most computers, but some administrators, manufacturers or owners will disable it for various reasons. To re-enable this setting, follow these simple steps.
In Windows 95, 98, and ME:
Go to Start->Settings->Control Panel.
Click on System.
Navigate to the Device Manager Tab.
Open the tree of devices under CD/DVD Drives. To do this, click the small plus in the box next to the title. Select the drive that you want to enable auto-play on.
On the General Tab, check the box that says "Auto-Insert Notification."
Click OK.
In Windows 2000 and XP:
Go to "My Computer."
Right click on the drive you want to enable auto-play on.
Click on the "AutoPlay" tab.
Select a content type and choose the action you wish to perform. Chances are you will simply want to click "Prompt Me Each Time" and this will automatically allow the programs to run automatically upon CD insertion, or bring up a dialog box when video or music is detected.
Click OK.
Now the operating system should automatically start the installation program of any CD inserted in the drive, providing it is Auto-Play compatible.
Installing Programs from Non-AutoPlay CDs
Sometimes, even with AutoPlay enabled, a CD simply doesn't have the files necessary to tell Windows what program to run. In this case, you will have to run the file yourself. First, look in the instructions with the program (if you have them) and see if it tells you how to install the program. Many times it will tell you to go to Start->Run and then type in D:\setup.exe, or something similar. If this is the case, simply follow the instructions. If there are no instructions, then you have to hunt for the install yourself. First, open up Explorer or My Computer and navigate to the CD's files and directories. In the root directory, if there is a file named "Setup.exe" or "Install.exe" or something along those lines, then double-click it or run it from Start->Run. This should start the install.
If there is no file in the directory, look for a file called "readme.txt," "file_id.diz," or something with readme in it. These files are often text files that have release information and installation instructions in them. Read the file and follow the instructions, if there are any.
If you are still having difficulty locating an install program, then it is probably buried in a subfolder somewhere. Browse through them looking for an executable file, or perhaps a ZIP file. If there is a large number of folders, then you may want to run a search. In Windows XP, simply click the Search button on the toolbar in the window where you are browsing. In Windows 95, 98, and ME, go to Start->Find->Files and Folders. Windows XP also has a search function in the Start Menu. In Windows XP, click on "All Files and Folders" and select the CD drive for the place to look in. In other Windows, simply set the search area for the CD drive. In the box "Files with the name:", type (*.exe) without the parentheses. This limits the search to executable files only. You may also want to include *.zip if you suspect the program is in a ZIP file. Run the search. After a few moments, the search should return a list of executable files found. Browse them until you locate one named setup.exe or install.exe, or even an executable with a different name, if it is the program you are looking for. Double-click it to start the install program.
This methodology also works for floppy disks, except replace the CD drive with the floppy drive in searches and browsing.
Installing Programs Downloaded from the Internet
Many times nowadays programs come downloaded off the Internet from a website. This eliminates the need for CDs, but introduces a whole host of new problems. This section will help guide you through the process of installing a program from the Internet, possible pitfalls and how to troubleshoot any problems.
Note: Never "Run from current location." This gives the program unlimited power to run on your computer, and could potentially be malicious or contain a virus.
Download the file, always using "Save as" into a temporary or separate download folder that is easy to remember. The desktop is not a good idea, as it introduces clutter and increases load times when booting up or refreshing the desktop. C:\temp, C:\My Downloads, or C:\Downloads are good, short paths that are easy to remember, rather than something like C:\Documents and Settings\Owner\My Documents\My Received Files.
Once the file has downloaded, locate it using My Computer or Windows Explorer, or by clicking "Open Folder" if the download dialog has not closed. The first thing to do is to run a virus scan of the file downloaded, regardless of the auto-protection offered by your virus scanner. This can either be done by right-clicking on the file and selecting the "Scan..." or "Scan for Viruses..." menu option, if it is offered, or directly through the virus scanner interface. Once you have verified it is clean, with UPDATED scan data files, it is probably safe to run.
If the program is in a ZIP file, it must be decompressed to run. Windows XP will do it for you, and other users can download Winzip or PKUNZIP, or a similar utiltiy, and extract the files to a temporary location, and then run the executable from there.
If the program refuses to start, or crashes, chances are the file did not completely download, was corrupted during transfer, or simply is a bad copy on that site. If this is the case, simply delete your copy and download the file again. (NOTE: Some browsers will retrieve the copy of the file from the Internet cache, so if the progress bar on the second download jumps from 0 to 100 instantly, it's probably copying it over. Simply delete the temporary Internet files to fix this.) If it still refuses to run after a second download, try finding another copy on a mirror or different website. You may also try restarting your computer, as there may be something interfering with the program's attempts at starting up.
Once the install has begun, check the end user license agreement carefully, and a privacy statement, if there is one. If the statements mention anything about ads, content delivery, geographic information, your name, cookies, or gathering information, or anything even remotely resembling this wording, cancel the install. This sort of wording is an invitation for spyware. Delete the file and find another program that will do the same thing without spyware or ads. File-sharing programs often come bundled with this annoying software.
If the privacy statement and EULA check out, then it is time to begin installation. Now, it should run like a program installing from a CD.
If the install doesn't complete, or the program doesn't run properly once installed, uninstall the program or delete its files and try it again from a fresh download. Internet files are easily corruptible and sometimes don't have the quality of coding that boxed software has. If you continue to experience problems with a program, try a different version, contact the vendor or find another program.
Uninstalling Programs
Chances are, when a program has outlived its usefulness, is hogging resources, or is no longer needed, you will want to uninstall it to free up space on your computer. This is normally a painless process. To uninstall a program, usually you only need to go the folder in the Start menu where the program's shortcuts are located and click "Uninstall Program." The second, simplest and cleanest method to uninstall a program is to go to Start->Settings->Control Panel and then to the Add/Remove Programs icon. This will bring up a list of all the registered programs on the computer. To remove one, simply click it and then click the Add/Remove (or Remove) button. An uninstall program should start, and clean up the program files and registry entries. If warnings about shared files come up, it is safest to leave them on the computer.
Sometimes a program will not uninstall automatically, and this can be for several reasons. The most common is the install log has been deleted. Also, the uninstall program can be missing, corrupted or nonexistent--that is, the program has no uninstaller. In this case, you have to delete the files yourself. You can delete the shortcuts from the desktop and Start menu, and be none the wiser, but the program's files will still be on your hard drive.
If you want to remove the program's files manually, it is not too difficult. Simply locate the program's directory (usually in the root directory of the hard drive or under Program Files), highlight it, and either right-click and then click "Delete" or hit the Delete key. This will send the offending program off to the Recycle Bin most of the time. Sometimes, however, an error about "Cannot delete file: currently in use" or "Access denied" will pop up. In this case, you're probably going to have to go to safe mode to get rid of the files, because some active program in memory is using the files.
To go to safe mode, restart your computer, and just before the Windows logo comes up (the black screen), press and hold or press repeatedly the F8 key. If the Windows logo appears, it didn't work. A menu with boot-up options should appear. Select "Safe Mode" and press enter. The computer will spew a bunch of gibberish and will give you notifications about safe mode, and will eventually boot up into Windows, albeit with low resolution, bad color and practically no drivers. Once you're in safe mode, navigate to the program's folder and delete it. No program should be using it now. Then restart your computer as normal.
If the program keeps coming back after every restart, or is an ad-delivery program, then it may be spyware and will have to be removed by a special program. Also, simply deleting the files does not delete the registry entries created with the program. Unfortunately, deleting registry entries is a complex, and risky venture, and is not under Basic Computing. To remove registry entries, you may want to purchase a program specially made for removing unwanted programs, files and registry keys.