Section 6.11. Installing Software: All Versions


6.11. Installing Software: All Versions

As you probably know, Microsoft doesn't actually sell PCs (yet). Therefore, you bought your machine from a different company, which probably installed Windows on it before you took delivery.

POWER USERS' CLINIC
Who Gets the Software?

As you're probably becoming increasingly aware, Microsoft designed Windows to be a multiuser operating system, in which each person who logs in enjoys an independent environmentfrom the desktop pattern to the email in Windows Mail. The question thus arises: when someone installs the new program, does every account holder have equal access to it?

In general, the answer is yes. If an administrator (page 669) installs a new program, it usually shows up on the Start All Programs menu of every account holder.

Occasionally, a program's installer may offer you a choice: install the new software so that it's available either to everybody or only to you, the currently logged-in account holder.

Also occasionally, certain programs might just install software into your own account, so nobody else who logs in even knows that the program exists.

In that case, you can proceed in either of two ways. First, you can simply log in to each account, one after another, reinstalling the program for each account.

Second, you may be able to get away with moving the program's shortcut from your own personal account folder to the corresponding location in the All Users folder. Windows actually maintains two different types of Programs folders: one that's shared by everybody, and another for each individual account holder.

Here's where that information pays off. Open your Start All Programs menu; right-click the name of the program you want everyone to be able to access, and choose Copy from the shortcut menu. Now right-click the Start menu; from the shortcut menu, choose Open All Users. In the window that appears, right-click the Programs folder, and then choose Paste from the shortcut menu. The program now appears on the Start menu of everybody who uses the machine.


Many PC companies sweeten the pot by preinstalling other programs, such as Quicken, Microsoft Works, Microsoft Office, more games , educational software, and so on. The great thing about preloaded programs is that they don't need installing. Just double-click their desktop icons, or choose their names from the Start All Programs menu, and youre off and working.

Sooner or later, though, you'll probably want to exploit the massive library of Windows software and add to your collection. Today, almost all new software comes to your PC from one of two sources: a disc (CD or DVD) or the Internet.

An installer program generally transfers the software files to the correct places on your hard drive. The installer also adds the new program's name to the Start All Programs menu, tells Windows about the kinds of files (file extensions) it can open, and makes certain changes to your Registry (Appendix B).

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTION
Microsoft InstallShield?

I'm a bit confused . I bought a program from Infinity Workware. But when I run its installer, the Welcome screen says InstallShield. Who actually made my software?

Most of the time, the installer program isn't part of the software you bought or downloaded, and doesn't even come from the same company. Most software companies pay a license to installer-software companies. That's why, when you're trying to install a new program called, say, JailhouseDoctor, the first screen you see says InstallShield. (InstallShield is the most popular installation software.)


6.11.1. The Preinstallation Checklist

You can often get away with blindly installing some new program without heeding the checklist below. But for the healthiest PC and the least time on hold with tech support, answer these questions before you install anything:

  • Are you an administrator? Windows derives part of its security and stability by handling new software installations with suspicion. For example, you can't install most programs unless you have an administrator account (see page 669517).

  • Does it run in Windows Vista? If the software or its Web site specifically says it's compatible with Vista, great. Install away. Otherwise, consult the Microsoft Web site, which includes a listnot a complete one, but a long oneof all Vista-compatible programs.


    Tip: See "Running Pre-Vista Programs" later in this chapter for compatibility tips.
  • Is the coast clear? Exit all your open programs. (One quick way is to right-click the buttons on the taskbar, one at a time, and choose Close or Close Group from the shortcut menu.) You should also turn off your virus-scanning software, which may take the arrival of your new software the wrong way.

  • Am I prepared to backtrack? If you're at all concerned about the health and safety of the software you're about to install, remember that the System Restore feature (page 648) takes an automatic snapshot of your system just before any software installation. If the new program turns out to be a bit hostile , you can rewind your system to its former happier working condition.

6.11.2. Installing Software from a Disc

Most commercial software these days comes on a CD or DVD. On each one is a program called Setup.exe, which, on most installation discs, runs automatically when you insert the disc into the machine. You're witnessing the AutoPlay feature at work.

If AutoPlay is working (page 286), a few seconds after you insert the disc, the "wait" cursor appears. A few seconds later, the Welcome screen for your new software appears, and you may be asked to answer a few onscreen questions (for example, to specify the folder into which you want the new program installed). Along the way, the program may ask you to type in a serial number, which is usually on a sticker on the CD envelope or the registration card.

When the installation is overand sometimes after restarting the PCthe words All Programs appear with orange highlighting in the Start menu. If you click, the new program's name also appears highlighted in orange, and your Start All Programs menu is now ready for action.

6.11.3. Installing Downloaded Software

The files you download from the Internet (see Figure 6-18) usually aren't ready-to-use, double-clickable applications. Instead, almost all of them arrive on your PC in the form of a compressed file, with all the software pieces crammed together into a single, easily downloaded icon. The first step in savoring your downloaded delights is restoring this compressed file to its natural state, as described on page 149.

Figure 6-18. You can find thousands of Windows programs (demos, free programs, and shareware) at Web sites like www.download.com, www. tucows .com, or www. versiontracker .com.
Top: When you click a link to download something, this box appears. Click the Save button .
Bottom: To avoid losing the download in some deeply nested folder, click Desktop in the left-side pane. After the download is complete, quit your browser. Unzip the file, if necessary, and then run the downloaded installer .


After unzipping the software (if it doesn't unzip itself), you'll usually find, among the resulting pieces, an installer, just like the ones described in the previous section.

6.11.4. Installing Windows Components

The Windows installer may have dumped over a gigabyte of software onto your hard drive, but it was only warming up. Plenty of second- tier programs and features came on the Vista DVDstuff that Microsoft didn't want to burden you with right off the bat, but copied to your hard drive just in case.

To see the master list of software components that you have and haven't yet installed, choose Start Control Panel Classic View Programs and Features. Click the "Turn Windows features on or off link at the left side of the window.

You've just launched the Windows Features Wizardbasically a list of all the optional Windows software chunks . Checkmarks appear next to some of them; these are the ones you already have. The checkboxes that aren't turned on are the options you still haven't installed. As you peruse the list, keep in mind the following:

  • To learn what something is, point to it without clicking. A description appears in a tooltip balloon.

  • Turn on the checkboxes for software bits you want to install. Clear the checkboxes of elements you already have, but that you'd like Windows to hide.


    Note: In Windows Vista, turning off an optional feature doesn't remove it from your hard drive, as it did in Windows XP. Turning off a feature simply hides it, and doesn't return any disk space to you. You can make a feature magically reappear just by turning the checkbox back on (without having to hunt down your Vista installation disc).
  • Some of these checkboxes' titles are just titles for bigger groups of independent software chunks (see Figure 6-19).

    Figure 6-19. Most of the optional installations involve networking and administrative tools designed for corporate computer technicians. Still, you might want to turn off Games if you don't have that kind of time to kill, or Tablet PC Optional Components if your computer doesn't have a touch screen .





Windows Vista. The Missing Manual
Windows Vista: The Missing Manual
ISBN: 0596528272
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2006
Pages: 284
Authors: David Pogue

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