| When you bought your computer, it most likely came with certain programs already installed. Depending on the brand and model, you might have received some free programsan antivirus program, for example. These programs should already be installed and set up on your computer. If you want to add new programs, you can purchase the programs you want and then install them on your system. Most programs provide an installation program that automatically checks your system (to see if you have room for the new program and whether you have an existing version), copies the appropriate files, and sets up its related program icons on the Start menu. You can just sit back and click, click, click through the installation routine. Different programs employ different installation processes. That is, the steps will vary from one program to another, but installing programs is usually fairly automated. The first thing to do is to start the installation program. Depending on your particular program, this might happen automatically. If not, you can use the Windows Add or Remove Programs Control Panel icon to start the installation. Both methods are covered here. Using the Automatic Install To start the installation automatically, insert the program disc. Usually, the program has an autoplay feature that automatically starts the setup or installation process and displays your options. You should see a menu or dialog box with options for installing the program. Then, skip to the section "Completing the Installation." Using the Add or Remove Programs Control Panel Icon note  | You learn how to uninstall programs later in this chapter. See Chapter 20 for information on adding Windows components. |
If the installation program is not automatically started, you can use the Windows XP's Add or Remove Programs feature. To do so, follow these steps: 1. | Click the Start button and then Control Panel.
| 2. | Click Add or Remove Programs. You'll see the Add or Remove Programs window (see Figure 14.7).
Figure 14.7. Use this Control Panel feature to change or remove programs, install new programs, or add or remove Windows components. 
| 3. | Click the Add New Programs button in the taskbar. You'll see the choices for installing the program (see Figure 14.8).
Figure 14.8. When installing programs, select CD or Floppy. (Updating Windows, the other option, is covered in Chapter 20.) 
| 4. | Click the CD or Floppy button. Doing so starts the installation wizard.
| 5. | Insert the program's CD-ROM or floppy disk and click the Next button. Windows XP checks the floppy disk drive and the CD drive for installation programs. It then automatically selects the appropriate file, which is listed in the Run Installation Program dialog box (see Figure 14.9).
Figure 14.9. Click Finish to run the appropriate installation file, usually named Install or Setup. 
| 6. | Click Finish. What happens next depends on the software you are installing, so follow the onscreen directions. See "Completing the Installation" later in this section. The program is then installed, and the installation program usually adds program icons to the Start menu.
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Completing the Installation The installation program will prompt you to make selections, which vary from program to program. Here are some basic choices you can expect: You may be asked to accept a license agreement before proceeding with the installation. This is a legal document that says how you can use the program, under what circumstances, and so on. (Basically, you are agreeing to use the program on one PC and not to make illegal copies or to share it with others.) Accept the agreement by clicking the appropriate option. You may be prompted to select a type of installation. You can usually select a standard or customized installation. With a customized installation, you can select, for instance, which program components are installed. Most of the time, the standard installation is good enough. As you use it and learn more about it, you can always add other program components (that might not have been installed with the standard installation). You may be prompted to select the drive and folder used to store the program files. You may also be prompted to pick or create a new program folder for the program icons.
Each installation is different. Make your choices and click Next to go from one step to the next. Configuring the Program Lineup As another feature of the Add or Remove Programs Control Panel, you can set up a configuration that uses the programs you specify for browsing the Internet, sending email, and other common tasks. You can select to use your computer's manufacturer-set programs, Microsoft programs, non-Microsoft programs, or custom programs (where you individually select each program). To make these changes, follow these steps: 1. | Click Start and then Set Program Access and Defaults, or click the Set Program Access and Defaults button in the Add or Remove Control Panel window.
| 2. | Click Custom and then click the down arrow next to this option to specify the programs (see Figure 14.10).
Figure 14.10. You can select which programs to use for each of the areas listed. 
| 3. | For each area, select the program you want to use. You can do so for Web browsing, email, Instant Messaging, and media player.
| 4. | Click OK. Windows then uses the program you specified as the default for each action. For instance, if you select iTunes as your default media player, Windows will use this program to play music.
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