 Once you've carefully selected and purchased some software, then comes the fun of getting it onto your computer - installing it. Software has recently become much more "user friendly" in this area. Most software will handle the installation chores without a lot of input from you, the user. Let's look now at some of the choices you have to make and some of the problems that may arise.
Documentation
 The first thing you'll have to do is look in the box. Did the box have a installation manual? Is there an installation chapter in the main manual for this software? If so, read it! Yes, you really should read the directions before starting an installation.
| Warnings in the Manual: |
The instructions may warn you about conflicts with other software and how to deal with them.
You might need to uninstall a previous version of this same program, or maybe you need to have it currently installed to update to the new version.
You may need certain settings for certain brands of hardware, and different ones for other brands.
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 This kind of information is usually both in the installation manual and also in a file on the installation disk, named readme.txt, readme.doc, or something similar. Always check these out carefully before trying to install new software.
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Insert disk 
Insert your installation disk in the correct drive, right-side up.
All software is coming on CD.How do you tell which side is which? For CDs the
side with the print on it should be on top.
Uninstaller program
If you have an uninstaller program like CleanSweep or Uninstaller or Remove-It, you should start its tracking function now. Some will automatically begin when you use the common commands used to start installations.
The point of such tracking is to make it easy for you to uninstall your program if it doesn't work right or you just don't like it. By tracking what changes the installation made, it is easier to be accurate in the uninstall process.
Even if the program has its own uninstall command (uninstall.exe and
unwise.exe are often used), some of these programs are not as tidy as others. They leave things behind. A third-party program like those named above could probably help you clean up better.
Start the install
Your manual's directions (you DID read them, right?) will tell you what command starts the install process. It is usually either setup.exe or install.exe. That should bring up a series of dialog boxes that will offer you whatever choices you can make for this software.
 Under Win95/98/XP using a CD disk, the install process will start up automatically if your computer is still set to
autoplay CDs. If the CD doesn't start up by itself, you can use the Run line from the Start Menu to type in the command. Or open a My Computer or Explorer window to the drive with the installation disk, find the command that starts the install, and double-click on it.
Code
 Before you can make choices, you may first have to enter a registration code off the box
or CD sleeve or some paper inside the package, so don't throw away anything until you know for sure.
Be sure to keep track of all such codes for use later when you need to reinstall the software. And yes, sometime or other, you WILL need to reinstall all your software!
Drive/Folder
The first choice offered is usually what drive and folder to install the program in. The simple thing to do is to accept the location that they offer you. If that drive is short on space, or if you just hate the name they use, you can change the path. There will be a text box to type in or possibly a Browse button which will open up a dialog box.
Type of installation
For large programs and suites, you will probably be asked which kind of installation you want - Typical, Minimum, or Custom.
The Typical install will not install everything possible, just those parts that the authors expect most people will want. Sometimes they don't guess very accurately what you want. You need to check the list of what is left out before agreeing to a Typical install. Such a list is often in the readme.txt on the disk. Even if you think that the Typical install is good for you, later on you may need a filter or template that you didn't install. You can add in these items later, but only if you know they exist!
A Minimum install will install only the basics, or, if the program
can run directly off the CD, it will install just enough to get the program started so it can access the CD for everything else. This is a good choice if you are short on hard disk space.
A Custom install allows you to choose what parts you want. If you have any experience at all with this kind of software, you will probably want to do a Custom install. Often some very useful parts are left out of the Typical install. Also, you may not need some of the filters, templates, or samples that the Typical install contains. Why waste your hard disk space on stuff you don't need?
Write down what parts you are installing, or, if it's a shorter list, what parts you are not installing. Later on you may need to know what you did.
Icons
Under Win95/98/XP you will probably be asked if you want some icons in the Start Menu for the new software. You can change which group these are put in, if you like.
You may be asked if you want a Desktop icon. This is a shortcut directly on the Desktop. If you plan to use this software a lot, you might want such a shortcut. If you like a clean desktop, you won't want one.
Most programs put more icons in the group than you'll use. Take a look, identify all of them, delete the ones that aren't needed. Be sure you are deleting program icons or shortcuts and not the actual files themselves!
Reboot
Many times, after your software has finished writing its files, it will say that for all the new settings to take effect the computer needs to be rebooted, that is, it must be shut down and then turned back on. If you started this installation process with other tasks unfinished (a bad idea!), you'll want to wait and reboot manually after you close down the other tasks. If everything was closed up before your installation started, you can go ahead and let the install program reboot the computer now.
Why is this needed? The installation process made changes to such system files as autoexec.bat, win.ini and system.ini and
the Registry. These are looked at when the computer starts up and not again. So the computer won't know about the changes you just made until it boots the next time.
By the way, files with an "ini" extension keep track of a program's initial settings when it starts up. In Win95/98/XP most such settings are stored in the Registry along with a lot of other important settings.
Try it out
Start your new program and try out some of its features right away. Make sure everything is working as it should. Have some fun!
Most programs include some kind of tutorial or walk-thru. Check the Help menu for such choices. Multimedia tours are all the fashion for programs that come on CD. If yours has one, by all means run it at least once. Some are a lot of fun as well as informative.
   
~~ 1 Cor. 10:31 ...whatever you do, do it all for the
glory of God. ~~
Last updated:
22 Jan 2008 |
