How To Installing Software

Prepare for the installation by closing all the programs that are running on your computer. Computer programs often share components. If any program is running when you install a new piece of software, if may be one or more of the components that the new program needs to install properly. Unfortunately, when this happens, there are no error messages. To the computer, this is just a minor problem, so it goes unreported. The installation seems to go as planned. Then, after the installation, your computer will start to crash constantly or give you unwanted error messages. In other works, your computer gets a little messed up. Sometimes the new program will work correctly, but you find that some other program no longer works properly. A situation like this is difficult to troubleshoot, so it causes a lot of computer frustration and aggravation.

Any program that is running during an installation can cause a problem. This includes programs that run in the background. So even though you close all the programs that you have open, there may be other programs that are running that you may or may not know about. A virus protection program is one of the biggest culprits here. It runs in the background, meaning that you don't see it running on the task bar, but nonetheless, it is an active program. So, you need to turn off your virus protection program and any other program that you know is active before you start the installation. After you do this, you can start the installation, or you can go a step further to really be assured of a good installation.

Once you are ready to start the installation, just follow the instructions that came with the program. Often, when you insert the CD-ROM into the computer, the installation program will start automatically. Sometimes the instructions tell you to type in the drive's name and the name of the software's setup or installation file name. They give you an example like a:\setup.exe. You are expected to substitute the letter of your installation drive for the letter a. So, you will need to know the name of the drive that you are using. If you are installing the program from floppy disk, the floppy disk drive is almost always the A drive. If you are installing the program from a CD-ROM, the CD-ROM is often , but not always the D drive. In Windows 95/98 you can click on My Computer to see the letter name that represents your CD-ROM drive. Look for the icon that looks like a CD. If you have a CD in the drive, you may see an icon with the name of the CD. The drive letter will be below that icon. Once you have found the letter that represents the CD-ROM drive, you can substitute that letter for the CD-ROM letter in the given instructions to start the installation.

Once you start the installation, a wizard will walk you through the installation process. This is where you need to be alert. Read each screen before you click the button to go on with the installation. If you don't know which option to choose, the program will usually make a choice for you and you can just accept that choice. However if you read each screen you will gain an understanding of what the program is doing and where it is being installed. You may also be presented with other choices that will be important. Some programs will ask you for a serial number as part of the installation procedure. The serial number is usually found on top of, or inside of the owner's manual. However, it is sometimes found on the CD-ROM or installation disk itself. Be sure to keep the serial number in a safe place where you can find it if you ever need to reinstall the software. If you are requested to restart the computer to complete the installation process, be sure to do this before you try to use the program

You may be tempted to install several programs at once. However, it is more prudent to install one program at a time and to use the computer for a few days before you install the next new program. If that is not feasible, at least try to use the computer for an hour or two between program installations. If you install several programs at once and you then start to have a problem with your computer, it is often difficult to determine which of the newly installed programs caused the problem.