Downloading: A Foolproof Guide
By: Scott Hendison ·
Published: July 1999
When I first started downloading files from the Internet, I frequently had
trouble figuring out what to do. It seems to me, as I look at many people's
computers, that they are in the same state I was in. I've tried to prepare the
following foolproof guide to downloading.
First, before downloading anything, create a directory on your C drive called
"downloads." To do this, go to Start button - Programs - Windows Explorer. Then
left click once on the "C" drive on the left side of your screen to highlight
it. Now go to File - New - Folder. That's it. Type in the name "Downloads." Some
people prefer to keep the downloads directory on their desktop. To do that,
right click in any blank area of your desktop, then select New - Folder.
Now before any fun, you need an unzipping tool. Files from the Internet are
routinely "zipped" or compressed to speed up the download process. One of the
most user friendly unzipping programs is WinZip. You can get it free at http://www.winzip.com.
Just go to the site; go to the free evaluation version. When you're prompted to
"run this program from current location" or to "save to file" always select save
to file. Once you click "okay" you will be given a small window to browse that
lets you select where you want to save the file. Of course, you would choose
"Downloads".
Once the download is complete, log off the Internet, go to the "Downloads"
directory, and there you'll see WinZip that you just downloaded. Double click it
to begin the install process, and that's it. It will then install itself, and
automatically become the default program for any zipped files you may download
in the future.
Once you're done with the install process, you may want to delete the downloaded
file from the "Downloads" directory to prevent it from becoming crowded. Many
times I've had trouble figuring out what I just downloaded due to the cryptic
names given these files by programmers. Remember, you can create sub-directories
in the "downloads" directory to help keep things more organized. My downloads
directory has "programs" "music" "games" and "drivers". You may also rename the
files so you know what they are.
There is no end to the amount of downloadable material available for free on the
Internet. Our website, http://www.cyber49.com has links to a few shareware sites
that have thousands of free programs. Most of the reputable sites offer quality
programs to download that are completely safe and virus free. Some of the
"underground" sites have dangerous viruses, so when in doubt, never trust them.
Always use an Anti Virus program. Do I need to say that again? Always use an
Anti Virus program. Norton and McAfee both have excellent products, and one
should be available in your favorite software store…like MPH Computing! You can
also download trial versions of Anti-Virus software from the company website.
Never get it from an unknown source though.
A great download right now, especially with all the media coverage, is an MP3
player. MP3 files are CD quality audio files that you can play over your
computer. One of the best, is WinAmp. You can get it at http://www.winamp.com.
Once you've downloaded it, you can search the Internet for downloadable song
files. If you don't want to fill up your hard drive with music, you can also
download MP3spy from http://www.mp3spy.com. MP3spy lets you use your computer to
play hundreds of "streaming" song compilations from "playlists" on the internet.
There are music files sorted by genre, like blues, classical, 80's rock, etc.
Then again, I guess you could just turn on your radio. . .
Copyright 1999, All Rights Reserved
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