Playing It Safe with Program Installations

Programs you buy in a store aren't likely to contain any malicious code such as viruses, worms, or spyware. Those things tend to be spread by e-mail attachments and free downloads from the web. However, you face an outside chance that the new program is incompatible with Windows 10 or a hardware device on your computer. So, sometimes you need to uninstall a program and then get all your system files back into shape to undo any changes made to your system by the new program.

Updates Versus Upgrades

Non-technical people often assume that updates and upgrades are the same thing. They aren't. An update is usually something you do online. You have nothing to buy at a store, no disk to insert in a disk drive. Updates are generally free, and often automatic (many programs scan for updates and offer them to you automatically). You don't have to make an effort to seek those out and install them.

Updates for some programs may not be quite so automatic. But you can often find out if any updates are available right from the program's Help menu or similar area.

Unlike updates, upgrades are usually not free. You have to purchase them and install them. For example, say you have Microsoft Office 2010 installed on a computer. You want to get Office 2013 on that computer. In that case, seek out an Office 2013 Upgrade Edition (which is cheaper than the regular edition). Then install that upgrade right over your existing version. You don't uninstall (remove) your existing version first. For software that is delivered as software-as-a-service (SAS), you may be required to upgrade or pay an additional subscription fee when upgrading to Windows 10. Contact your subscription service for details on upgrading to Windows 10. For example, Adobe Photoshop is subscription-based software.

Installing and Upgrading from a Disk

Before you begin installing and upgrading from a disk, you must have administrative privileges to install a program. You need to know the password for an administrative account on your computer. If you have a limited user account and don't know the administrative password, you need an administrator to install the program for you.

Most programs that you purchase are delivered on a CD, DVD, or via an Internet download. Always follow the installation instructions that come with such a program. But just so that you know what to expect, here's how the process usually works, after you have the installation files or CD/DVD in hand:

1. Although this step is not required, you should run the installation with no other programs running to make sure you have plenty of system resources available. This step ensures that no files that the installation will upgrade are in use. Close all open program windows on your desktop by clicking their Close buttons or by right-clicking their taskbar buttons and choosing Close.
2. For programs released on a disk, insert the CD or DVD into your computer's CD or DVD drive and wait a few seconds. Wait for the installation program to appear on your screen. If it doesn't appear within 30 seconds, see the section “Using the installed program” later in this chapter. Skip to Step 4.
3. For programs released on a download from the Internet, find the installation or setup file, which usually has an .exe file extension. Double-click that file to launch it.
4. Follow the onscreen instructions to perform the installation.

That's installation in a nutshell. You're presented with some questions and options along the way. Exactly what you see varies from one program to the next, but some common items include the End User License Agreement (EULA) and the option to choose a folder in which to store the program, which we discuss in a moment.

For programs on a CD/DVD, sometimes your Windows setup may not launch the installation program automatically. If nothing happens within half a minute or so after you have inserted a program's installation CD/DVD into your computer's CD/DVD drive, you may need to start the installation program manually. Here's how:

1. Open your Computer folder by clicking the File Explorer icon on the desktop taskbar and choosing This PC.
2. Open the icon that represents the drive into which you placed the disk.
3. If the installation program doesn't start automatically in a few seconds, click (or double-click) the icon named Setup or Setup.exe.

That should be enough to get the installation program started. From there you can follow the onscreen instructions to complete the installation.

The onscreen instructions and prompts you see during the installation vary from one program to the next. The next section discusses some common things you're likely to come across when installing just about any program.

Common Installation Prompts

Even though every program is unique, you're likely to encounter some common elements during a program installation. When you install a program, you probably won't see all the prompts described in the sections that follow, so don't be alarmed if your installation procedure is much simpler. (Be thankful instead.)

The initial CD or DVD prompt

Shortly after you insert the installation disk for a program, you may see a prompt like the one in Figure 28.1. This is a new setup feature. Click this message to display the actions you can take with the installation disk. Figure 28.2 shows examples of setup options Windows 10 provides. The most common option is Run SETUP.EXE, which is what you would click.

The End User License Agreement

Just about every commercial program and most freeware and open-source programs require that you accept the End User License Agreement (EULA) as part of the installation process. Figure 28.3 shows an example. The agreement is a legal document that defines your rights to the program, as well as the developer's retained rights.

The EULA differs from one program to the next. In most cases, the EULA gives you the right to install a program on one computer. However, that is not always the case. The EULA for Microsoft Office 2013 applications, for example, allows you to install the software on a licensed device (such as your desktop computer) and one portable device (such as your notebook PC). The intent of this clause is that you'll use the software on only one computer at a time. In addition, you can access and use the software on the device remotely from any other device. For example, this means you can connect to your office PC from home and run the Office application remotely on your office PC (or vice versa).

Although many people never read the EULA when installing a program, you should take the time to do so. You'll discover interesting bits of information (such as the fact that you can install Office on more than one computer) and also potential problems. For example, we've seen EULAs for shareware and commercial programs that explain that the Setup program installs other, third-party applications along with the program, and that by accepting the EULA you're indicating your acceptance of those other programs. These programs may have nothing to do with the program you're installing, such as weather monitors, web browser add-ons, toolbars, and so on. Often, the installation program gives you the option of not installing these additional programs, but that isn't always the case. So, my best advice is to always read the EULA.

You can't install the program if you don't accept the terms of the agreement, so assuming you're happy with (or at least resigned to) the terms of the EULA, check the I Accept option and click Next, Continue, or whatever button continues the installation process.

Type of installation

Sometimes you're given some choices as to how and where you want to install the program. Figure 28.4 shows an example from Microsoft Office Professional 2013. Unless your computer is low on disk space, generally you should install the program with all features. Otherwise, months later you may go to use some advanced feature of the program only to get an error message saying it isn't installed.

As to the where to install the program, you rarely have any reason to change the suggested location, which is typically some folder in C:Program Files. Don't change that location without a good reason. Whatever you do, don't make the common newbie mistake of installing a program in your Documents folder or someplace like that. You're not installing a document. You're installing a program. The Documents folder is intended to store documents for easy retrieval later. And we recommend keeping all your programs in subfolders under C:Program Files.

Setup completed

The last page of the installation options may offer a couple of final options, as in the example shown in Figure 28.5. Whether you choose these options is relatively unimportant. You can check the web for updates and additional downloads at any time, whether through the program itself or by visiting the software company's website (or the Microsoft Update site).

Some applications give you the option of keeping installation files on the computer rather than deleting them. Keeping the installation files can simplify the process of changing program settings or installing missing components in the future. Installation files usually don't take up any significant amount of disk space. Click Finish, remove the CD/DVD from the drive, and put it someplace safe in case you ever need to reinstall.

You may also be prompted to shut down and restart Windows after the program is installed. If prompted, you can click Yes to restart now or click No to restart later. In any event, you must restart at least once before running the program for the first time.

Wrapping Up

Installing programs from files, CDs, or DVDs is easy. It's a matter of running the executable file, or putting the program installation disk into your CD or DVD drive and following the onscreen instructions. Here's a quick summary of the main points presented in this chapter:

• Consider creating a system restore point (see Chapter 24) before installing any program. That way, if the new program creates problems, use that restore point and return to the protection point to undo every change made during the program installation. Note that Windows 10 will create a restore point for you automatically in most situations.
• You need to install a program only once, not each time you want to use it. After you've installed the program, you run it from the new Windows 10 Start screen, without the program CD or DVD in the drive. In a few cases, the program requires the CD or DVD in the drive to validate that you have a licensed copy of the program (because possession of the CD or DVD implies that you haven't installed it by using someone else's media).
• If you're upgrading a program that's already installed, do not remove the existing version unless the installation instructions tell you to do so.
• The typical procedure for installing a new program is to insert the program's installation CD or DVD and follow the onscreen instructions. For a program that you download from the Internet, you simply need to double-click its setup filename.
• If nothing happens within a minute of inserting the installation disk, open your This PC folder, open the icon for the CD drive, and double-click the Setup or Setup.exe icon on the CD.
• When the installation is complete, store the installation disk in a safe place. In most cases you don't need it to run the program. But you may need it to reinstall the program should some mishap cause you to lose the program.