How to install a program - the procedure for installing new programs. Installing programs - instructions for dummies

This article will be useful for beginners who have recently begun to master the computer. Most applications, when downloaded from the Internet, are one or more files that need to be installed or unzipped and installed in order to be able to work with them. Here we will talk about how to install utilities on your device.

Installation of a program downloaded from the Internet

You can find anything you want on the Internet. Not surprisingly, most software is downloaded from here. After all, here you can easily find both free programs and trial versions for all occasions, as well as professional and expensive software. However, the user should know that programs are best downloaded from official website developer. This will help prevent various malware and advertisers from getting onto your computer. Data received from the global network can be presented in several formats:

Files that have exe/msi extension. This is the main file format that starts the installation. Such a utility can weigh a lot and contain all the necessary components at once, so it can be used on other devices where there is no Internet. It can also take up a small amount of space, while all the necessary data that is required during the installation process will be downloaded from the network.
Data from ISO/MDF/MDS extension. These are image files from disks, which, in fact, are clones of disks in electronic format. Additional software may be required to read them.
Archives, which are files with zip/rar extension or others like that. Inside the archive there may be a regular installer program that you need to run, or there may be a utility inside that does not require installation and can be used immediately after extraction.

Files with exe and msi extensions

After downloading such a file, you need to double-click on it. After this it will start installation program, in which you will need to follow the instructions. In the process, you will have to choose the location where the program will be installed, as well as where to create shortcuts. Possible selection of components the utility itself. It’s worth paying close attention to all the checkboxes and reading what exactly they set. Some of them are worth removing because they may be responsible for installing third party programs such as browsers/search bars, etc.

It is possible that the application will not require installation and will launch immediately after the user double-clicks on it. In this case, you can move it from the downloads to a more convenient place, and then use it as usual.

Programs archived in zip and rar

After downloading, data with this extension will be required extract from archive. To do this, you can use one of the free programs.

After unzipping, you need to find the EXE file in the extracted folder and run it. The desired application may open or the installation process will begin. What to do in these cases is described in the previous section.

Installing applications from disk

This category includes both real discs purchased in a store and virtual images that were downloaded from the Internet. In the first case, the disc will need to be inserted into the drive, after which you will need to find the installation file. In the second case, you will first need to download a special program for mounting images and install it. After which, you should open the image through it.

Typically, when you launch the disk, installation begins automatically. If this does not happen, then you need to go to this disk and find the installer file there, which has exe extension ormsi and run it.

View programs installed on your computer

The computer has a special built-in utility that will allow you to display a list of all programs that are currently installed. However, it will not show those that did not require installation. To launch it you need to press keyboard shortcutsWin+R(win is the key on which the Windows logo is depicted), after which, in the window that opens, enter appwiz.cpl and click OK.

After this, a window will open showing all installed applications. Here you can delete them; to do this, click on the name of the utility and select “Delete” in the top menu.

Batch download of programs- this is something that until recently only a select few advanced users knew about.

Previously, it was possible to download software from different developers using English-language services, known mainly to system administrators and geeks.

Now we have InstallPack - a Russian-language application for batch downloading of programs, designed for users of any level.

Questions:

How to install several programs at once?

How to install all the necessary programs on several computers at once?

Recommend software for installing free programs

Step 1

Download the InstallPack application. You can do this from the official website: https://installpack.net/.

Step 2

Let's launch the application and get acquainted with the interface. In the main window there is a list of programs available for download. They can be sorted alphabetically by clicking on the “Name” tab, or by category by clicking on the “Category” tab. The last option will certainly help when you know what the program is for, but don't remember what it's called. Opposite each application you can also see its rating, price, size and brief description.

Step 3

Let’s look at the ready-made sets of programs by going to the dropdown, where “TOP-100” is selected by default. Here it is worth paying attention to the “Must have” package - it will be especially useful after reinstalling Windows. In the Patriot package you will find software from Russian developers. As for the rest, their names speak for themselves.

Step 4

For convenience and to save time, we will use the search bar located in the upper left corner of the interface. Just start typing the first letters of the program, and you will immediately see it at the very top of the list. For example, if you set out to find the Opera browser, type the Latin “op” on your keyboard - this will be enough.

Step 5

We mark the programs we need with a tick. You can also check the box next to “Silent installation” - this way we will save ourselves from notifications that usually come from the installation wizard during installation. Programs will begin to be installed one at a time to minimize the impact on the processor load

Step 6

Finally, close InstallPack and make sure that the application shortcut is saved on the Desktop. Just in case, we recommend saving InstallPack to a USB flash drive as well - since the application runs without installation, it can also be used as a portable version. We will be able to quickly and conveniently install several programs at once in various situations, be it reinstalling the system, buying a new computer or working on a new project.

Finally, we note that all programs downloaded via InstallPack are supplied in the latest versions. Since they are checked for viruses and other harmful components, their installation is completely safe.

And also other programs:

AllMyApps

AllMyApps has a huge database of both free and paid applications. You can create a free account on the site and then select the programs that interest you. After this, you must install a special AllMyApps client, which, in turn, will independently download and install all the programs you have chosen. In addition, the client can detect all the software you have installed and update it as needed.

My personal favorite in this review. You don't even need to register to use Ninite's services. You just need to mark the programs to be installed on the website, and then download an installer specially generated for you, which will automatically and quickly install all the programs you need in batch mode. There are not many of them in the service database, but everything necessary and popular is available here. And the most important thing about Ninite is its reliability and speed.

This small program allows you to automatically install in “quiet mode,” that is, without user intervention, a fairly wide range of programs. You will need to install Speed Install on your computer, mark the programs you need and click the button Install. An interesting feature of the program is the ability to create “offline installers,” which may be useful if you need to maintain a computer that does not have access to the network.

This program attempts to replicate the functionality of the Linux package manager. With its help, you can quickly install any of the programs available in the database, update or delete existing software. A special feature of Npackd is the ability to install older versions of programs, so if you don’t like the update of an application, you can roll back to the previous version. Currently, Npacd is aware of the existence of more than 300 software products.

Another great package manager for Windows, iPhone and Android. With it, you can easily download, install, update and delete applications from your device. All programs, and there are about 150 of them for PCs, are conveniently divided into categories with the ability to quickly search. Once you have checked the boxes for the programs you need, all you have to do is press the button Install, after which you can drink coffee - FreeApps will perform all further operations independently.

Although Windows operating systems do not provide a single interface for managing software, like Linux does, there are still quite decent third-party solutions. With their help, you can significantly simplify and speed up the process of installing, updating or uninstalling programs on your computer.

In the most installing programs on a computer at first glance there is nothing special. And usually even a novice user can cope with this task the first time, because the developers of most programs try to make this process as intuitive and simple as possible (although, of course, there are exceptions).

However, there are some things that all computer users should understand regarding the correct installation of programs. This will allow you to avoid unnecessary problems in the future.

In this article we will look at several points, taking into account which you will probably already know: how to download and install most programs on your computer correctly. We will talk about installing programs (utilities or “progs”) in the Windows operating system.

So let's begin...

What are computer programs?

If you don’t go into unnecessary details and just focus on our topic, then it’s enough to know just a few points about programs. Programs in general are sets of “instructions” that allow the computer, as well as the user, to achieve some result. These “instructions” are coded, digital, schematic or verbal.

Depending on the goals, programs can have different purposes: from educational and applied, to instrumental and systemic. Computer viruses, Trojans, etc. - also utilities.

Most programs that the average computer user encounters have the .exe extension. This is an executable file, i.e. it instructs the computer to unpack, install, or run the archived “instructions.”

In many cases, the installation (installation) files of the “program” are named setup.exe, install.exe. Also, sometimes the file name can be the name of the program or just any set of characters (the file name does not matter).

So, if, for example, we downloaded an archive with some utility that contains a bunch of different files, in order to install it, we need to search among the files and run the installation file.

There are also installation files with the extension .msi.

There are a huge number of sites and portals on the Internet offering to download programs from them.

And this can be very convenient when many utilities are in one place. If on such sites everything is organized into sections, good descriptions are added, and there is an easy download process, then this adds additional convenience, needless to say!

On large white catalog portals that provide downloads of programs in unmodified form, it is quite safe to do this. As a rule, upon request “Download programs”, any search engine will first of all return decent and safe utility directory sites. Such sites do not provide cracked programs, as well as cracks and serial numbers for activation.

But, if it is possible to find the website of the developer of a particular utility, then it is best, naturally, to download the “program” directly “from the manufacturer”. To find the desired developer site, as a rule, it is enough to make a request in the search engine with the name of the program and add: official website.

As a rule, the developer’s website, especially if it is Russian-language, will be first in search results. If the “program” is English-language, then even its name can show up the developer’s site in one of the first positions in the search.

Another point that sometimes needs to be taken into account when downloading installation files is the bit depth (32 and 64-bit) and version (Windows XP, 7, 10, etc.) of the operating system. Developers make some versions of their programs for specific computer parameters. Therefore, if on the download pages we see a selection of certain versions of utilities with certain parameters, then it is worth downloading the installation file that matches the parameters of our computer.

So, for a 32-bit system there may be one version of the installer (may also be marked as x86).

For a 64-bit system there may be a different version of the installer (marked as x64).

How can we find out what bitness and version of the operating system our computer has?

Left-click on the Start menu, then right-click on Computer and left-click on Properties.

You can view the necessary settings in the computer properties.

What to do if there are doubts about the security of a file?

When installing programs on a computer, the security system of the operating system may issue a warning so that we can still think about whether to run the data file or not.

As you can see in the image above, the system was unable to determine the publisher. And since this is a file with the extension .exe, it is not surprising to see such a warning.

What to do in this case?

Firstly, we must understand that little-known and undistributed “programs” may not have a digital signature, even if we download them directly from the developers’ sites.

Secondly, our computer system may simply issue a warning about opening a file with the .exe extension and you should not be afraid of this. With such an extension, you can download some malicious utility on the Internet. But the system cannot determine this, since this is the competence of antiviruses. But it can and does warn (if the appropriate settings are set in the system).

If we still doubt the reliability of the source of the downloaded program, then before running the installation file, it is advisable to scan the downloaded file (or an archive with files) with an antivirus installed on the computer with an up-to-date antivirus database.

If the antivirus is not installed on your computer or has not been updated for a long time, then you can use one of the online scanners.

Let's move on to installation.

What is the basic algorithm for installing programs?

The algorithm or process for installing a program is usually made in the form of a step-by-step installation wizard that requests certain information from the user and installs the utility based on the choice of that person.

In the installation of some "programs" there are often normal (simple) and advanced installation modes. Simple mode eliminates the need for additional selection of certain parameters. In the advanced mode, you can either exclude or add certain functions, capabilities and additions.

The main steps of the program installation wizard (the order may vary and some steps may not be present):

You need to select a language (if multilingual).
You must accept the license agreement (without it, further steps are not possible).
You need to select the installation folder for all utility files on your computer. In most cases, the default folder is the Program Files folder on the system drive (where the operating system is installed).
You must confirm or change the name of the program that will appear in the Start menu.
There may be a suggestion to add quick launch shortcuts to the Desktop and the quick launch menu.
Depending on the purpose of the program and their interests, developers can include other steps at their discretion.

To better understand what utility installation wizards are, it would be more practical to look at specific examples of installations. The section on our website already contains several dozen detailed instructions for installing various programs. So, there you can get acquainted in more detail with the different options and features of installing computer utilities.

Why does the program download something from the Internet during installation?

With some programs it also happens that when you seem to have already downloaded the installation file, but during the installation process it starts downloading something. You shouldn't be surprised, since this is usually a feature of a specific utility.

In some “programs”, developers specifically provide a small installation file for download, and during the installation, an additional download of the main database of necessary elements is launched. For example, this can be observed when installing some antiviruses.

There are also cases (rarely) when the full installation of a certain program requires some additional utility, without which the installed one will not work. In this case, the installation wizard will notify the user and offer the choice to download the desired program.

Which version of the program should I install: regular or portable?

You can often find, along with the stationary version of the program, a portable version (Portable).

The portable version is different in that it does not need to be installed on your computer, going through the entire installation wizard process. I downloaded it, unpacked it, clicked on the launch file for this utility.exe, the “program” opened and you use it.

But, along with such convenience, there are also disadvantages. For example, many portable versions are limited in some functionality.

Also, Portable utilities may be unstable, especially if they are not made by the developers of these programs.

If you work with a program frequently, then, as a rule, the choice of most users is in favor of the regular desktop version. But portable versions also have their supporters.

Therefore, which program to install: regular or portable - the choice is up to the user. And this depends on various factors: on the “program” itself; on whose assembly it is (the official developers of the utility, other trusted manufacturers, or it is not clear who); on the goals and objectives assigned to the utility used; on frequency of use; on the required functionality, etc.

Where is it better to install this or that program on the computer?

By default, installation wizards offer or immediately install programs in the “Program Files” folder located on the local drive on which the current operating system is installed.

But in most programs, when installing them, it is possible to select a different location for saving all “program” files by clicking on the Browse button.

Therefore, of course, many users have a natural question: “Should I change the installation location or leave it as default?”

If there is still at least more than 30% free space on the local disk where the current operating system is installed, then it is best, of course, to install the “programs” in the shared “Program Files” folder. This will allow, for example, when creating a system image (for backup), to restore all installed programs along with the operating system.

The only exceptions are modern games, which take up a lot of space. It is more advisable to install them on another logical drive (which does not have an operating system).

How to avoid unnecessary programs on your computer?

Some novice users eventually wonder why some programs appeared on their computers, as well as extensions in browsers that they themselves did not install and did not intend to do.

In most cases, this is simply the result of installing utilities in normal mode, or not thoughtfully installing in advanced mode.

The fact is that the developers of many programs add the ability to download and install additional programs to the installation wizard of their “programs”. And in most cases, at the next step of the installation wizard, the option to install these programs is already selected.

To prevent the installation of unnecessary utilities, you must first select the advanced installation mode (if such a choice is available). And then you also need to carefully read what this or that program additionally offers during the installation process, and simply disable unnecessary options.

Of course, not all programs on the Internet are free. Although there are many alternatives to paid programs. So, for example, the paid package of Microsoft Office applications has a free replacement, etc. The paid Winamp player, if there is a free alternative. Instead of the paid WinRAR archiver, you can use the free archiver.

The examples can be continued, but the point is that there is no need to rush to purchase paid programs, since in most cases, alternative free options may be sufficient for novice users.

But, if you still cannot do without the functionality of a paid program or there is no free alternative, then to correctly activate the desired program you must follow the instructions from the utility developers.

Different paid “programs” can also be activated in different ways. And it depends on what kind of activation process the developers of a particular program did.

For example, after paying for programs, utility owners (or their intermediaries) can provide a special code that must be inserted into the activation field. Such code can make it possible to activate the program from one to several computers.

Developers can also provide a special license file that must be added to the installed program folder.

Some programs can be activated quickly online, while others require more complex steps.

Each developer protects his intellectual property from unauthorized use as best he can. Therefore, you should not be surprised or annoyed if, having paid for this or that program, you also have to deal with issues of its activation.

Conclusion

So, in this article we looked at several issues regarding the correct downloading and installation of programs on a computer. If you have any additional questions, write in the comments.

Basically, there is nothing difficult about these tasks, and with practice comes experience.

Try to download programs from the official developer sites. If you suspect, scan the downloaded files with an antivirus. Pay close attention to what the installation wizard of a particular utility offers.

Before how to install the program Make sure all other programs and documents are closed. The installation result is not always predictable and you need to be prepared for the unexpected.

1. It doesn’t matter where or how the program came to you, still try not to install it from the media on which it was recorded. Make a temporary directory on your hard drive (a folder not on the desktop) and copy the distribution kit (installation files) there. Install the program from your hard drive. True, this is not always possible.

There are copy-protected programs that require that they be installed from the media on which they are distributed. If you can’t install them from your hard drive, there’s nothing you can do, but at least check by copying them to see if there are any defects in the recording to avoid an incomplete installation.

2. How to install a program that came from the Internet or a collection of programs on a CD, it may be contained in a single archive file. Before installation, this file must be unzipped (unpacked). On the Internet, archives are most often in ZIP format. In collections on disks they can be in ARJ, ZIP, RAR format. We will talk about working with archives in the following articles.

Programs can also be supplied in so-called self-extracting archives with the EXE name extension. To unpack such an archive, you just need to run (open) the file. It’s good to do this in some temporary folder, for example C:\TEMP(or similar).

I prefer to create folders for such things C:\T, C:\TT, C:\TTT and so on. Once the program is installed and verified, a decision is made on what to do with its temporary folder. If a program is not needed, its archive folder is deleted without Cart (shift+del). If the program is useful and will remain on the computer, its archive is moved to the folder C:\DISTRIB, where distribution copies of installed programs are stored.

3. Most modern programs include a Setup.exe file, which starts the installation. However, do not rush to do this. It’s good if the program is installed using Windows, then it will be easier to remove the program.

The Windows Application Installer used to be launched using the command: Start > Settings > Add or Remove Programs. Here, on the Install/Remove tab (In Windows 7 - Start>Control Panel>Programs>Programs and Features), there is a list of programs previously installed with the knowledge of the operating system. You can count on the fact that these programs will subsequently be able to be correctly removed; this does not include all installed MS-DOS applications, some Windows applications whose installation was started by clicking on the Setup icon, bypassing this window, as well as some extremely rare Windows applications for which no installation required. You can simply copy them to the desired folder, create an icon for them and launch them.

Removing such applications is also extremely simple - the working directory is deleted, and that’s it! Users really appreciate such user-friendly programs, but this approach requires special efforts from programmers, and not everyone’s brains are tuned to the benefit of the user.

To install programs, use the Install button. It launches the Master program, which performs the installation automatically.

In Windows 7 - Start > Control Panel > Programs > Programs and Features > Install a program, as a result, this window opens, in which it is clearly written in detail that all actions to install programs are carried out automatically.

1. In general, the Installation Wizard assumes that you are installing from a floppy disk or CD. We have already said that it is better to install from a hard drive. In the first dialog box of the Wizard, simply click Next.

2. In the second dialog box there is a line for entering the access path to the installation program (usually the driver of a device). Memorizing this path and then entering it from the keyboard is a useless exercise. It’s easier to use the Browse button, find the file you need, click the Open button - and the path will automatically be written to the command line.

3. All that remains is to click the Finish button and the installation of the program will begin. After installation is complete, you will often need to restart your computer. Since all your programs and documents must be closed, feel free to agree to a reboot. If any programs are open, then first save the data.

At this stage, you can finish the review, because now you know How Right install program, avoiding possible installation failures.

P.S. How is the Windows operating system calendar related to the program? BIOS and what CMOS memory is needed for, you can find out.

With respect to you, Abisab LLC.

Gaining new knowledge and expanding the horizons of our interests when working with a computer, we can no longer make do with only those basic programs pre-installed by the manufacturers themselves. Therefore, every user, even the most inexperienced, is faced with the need to install new programs on their computer.

For beginners, installing a new program often seems like something complicated and impossible, but in fact this is not so - installing most of the programs we use to work on a computer does not require any special knowledge and skills, and is accessible even to the most “green” » to users.

The very first and most understandable assistant in installing any program is always the instructions, which guide the user step by step. All you have to do is press the “ok” and “next” buttons. But we know that it is better to see once than to hear a hundred times, so we will give a clear example of installing a new program on a computer.

So, you have downloaded the program you need onto your computer. Find the downloaded file and double-click it to run.

The first window that will open immediately after launch will be the “Installation Wizard”, which will greet you and offer to continue the installation by clicking the “Next” button. By the way, at this stage we recommend that you stop other applications, that is, close them so that they do not slow down the process of installing a new program.

The text of the license agreement for using the program appears in the next window. Read the text and, if you are satisfied with everything, then feel free to check the box “Accept the terms of the license agreement” and click the “Next” button.

In the next window, the Installation Wizard will prompt you to select a folder to install the program. Typically, the Installation Wizard itself automatically selects a location on the “C” drive in the “Program Files” folder, but if you wish, you can change this setting and select another folder by clicking on the “Browse” button and selecting the desired folder in the list. The easiest way is to trust the Installation Wizard and leave the default folder selected - this way you will know that all programs are in one place and you won’t need to search for them all over your computer later.

When we download free programs from the Internet, they very often try to install additional, often completely unnecessary, applications along with the downloaded program. Carefully read the text that appears in the Installation Wizard windows and when it prompts you to install something else, uncheck all the unnecessary boxes and click the “Next” button.

The Installation Wizard will also prompt you to create a shortcut for the new program on the Desktop or pin the shortcut to the Start menu. If you need such labels, then check the boxes next to these positions; if not, remove the check boxes.

The installation wizard has received the basic conditions from you, so now it offers you to go directly to the installation itself. Click the “Install” button.

Tracks appear in the new window and are gradually filled with color - this is the process of installing the program. The necessary files are copied and placed in folders on your computer.

As soon as everything you need is installed on your computer, a new window appears notifying you that the installation is complete. In this window there is a checkbox “Run…” - if you need to launch a new program immediately, then leave this checkbox. Next, click the “Finish” or “Done” button.

A shortcut to your new program appears on the Desktop (if you did not uncheck the “Create a shortcut on the Desktop” checkbox in one of the previous steps).

Here we have described the basic steps for installing a new program, which are present in most such cases. But there are times when the Installation Wizard may ask for additional information, such as choosing a language or entering license keys. These additional windows should not scare you, since carefully reading the text in the windows that appear will allow you to intuitively understand the meaning of these requests and make the right decision.