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Downloading
is a simple process.
Downloading
is the process of copying a file (such as a program) from one computer
to another across the Internet. When you download a program from our web
site, it means you are copying it from our web server to your own computer.
This allows you to install and use the program on your own computer.
First
make a folder for your downloads to live in.
Double click
on "My Computer" on your desktop. This will open up a window
something like this one.

Double click
on the "C" drive in this window, this opens up the list of folders
on your hard drive. Most computers default to viewing icons like the window
below.

If
you find it hard to read change the view to list. Click on View, then
list. Then it will look like this.

Click
on File in the upper left of the window, then click on new and then click
on folder.

The
new folder will be added at the bottom of all the other folders and files,
so scroll down to it. You are ready to rename this folder "downloads."
RIGHT click on the folder named "New Folder" and select "rename"
from the list that appears. Type
in "Downloads" and press enter. Congratulations! Now you have
an easy to find place to put your downloads.
What
do I do with the download?
Should it
be opened from where it lies? Or should it be saved on your computer's
hard drive? Let's use a few pictures to help explain.
If you use
the Internet Explorer browser, and click a download link, a dialog box
appears with questions about what you want done with the file:

Your
options: Run the program, or Save the program to your hard disk. Always
choose the Save option. You want the file located on your hard drive,
right?
Making
sense of the Save As window
When this
box comes up it will probably not be showing your new "downloads"
folder that you created earlier. You will have to navigate to it by clicking
on the folder with the up arrow icon until you get to your C drive, and
then double click on your "downloads" folder to open it. When
the "downloads" folder is open it will say "downloads"
in the little "Save In:" space, just like in the example below.

When
you are in the "download" folder click the save button. Your
download will start.
When
the process finishes, you'll see a new window that confirms the success
of your download.
If
you want to open the program and have it installed immediately, click
the Open button. The program you've downloaded will be opened and installed.
Make sure that you do not have virus software open and running when you
install software. Your software will most likely not install properly
when virus software is running.
If you click
the Open Folder button, then the folder into which you've sent the downloaded
file will open. Or, click the Close button to close the dialog box. You
can then open the program you just downloaded by locating it your downloads
folder (if you indeed gave Windows instructions to save it there) and
double clicking to start its unzipping, unpacking, or opening routine.
Download
to your heart's content
That's really
all there is to know about downloading files from the Internet. You simply
save the file to a folder location on your computer's hard drive. Then
you double click the file to start it.
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