HOW
DO YOU DO IT?
When
you find a program that you would like to download, you click
on the link to the file, it usually says something like DOWNLOAD
NOW or GET IT HERE.
Then
a box usually comes up asking you if you want to save the file
or open it from its present location. Often there will also be
warnings about the possibility of malicious information being
passed to your computer and asking you if you trust the site you
are connected with. It will give you the choice of backing out.
All
files at themathlab.com are used
by us in our own homes and our own professional classrooms. So
you do not need to fear them.
When
you click on "save this file", the downloading will
begin. The phone lines will start to pass the program into one
of the files on your computer (you can specify
where to save the file or let it save in the default location
that appears on your screen).
Be
sure that you WRITE DOWN where the file is being saved and
its name. Otherwise you may have a hard time finding it.
It
will take a while to transfer into your computer so be patient.
When it is finished there is usually a message like, DOWNLOAD
COMPLETE.
Now
it is time to "install". This means you find the
program on your computer, and make it active by clicking on it.
In most cases, this will automatically open up the folder containing
the program. You will need to simply click on the file that says
Setup. Sometimes this happens for you automatically. Once setup
begins, it will talk you through the steps to get the program
running.
Now
remember that this information is being transferred in many cases
over phone lines at a rate of 28.8 kpbs which is VERY SLOW for
a huge amount of data. Because of these information transfer rates,
many of the programs are "zipped" or compressed and
made smaller, so that they will load faster.
Now
a program that has been "zipped" may download quickly
(2 to 5 minutes), but it will have to be "unzipped"
in order to actually work on your machine. To achieve this, you
will need an "unzipping" program such as WINZIP.
You
can get a free copy of WINZIP at http://www.winzip.com.
Simply go there and follow the directions for the free evaluation
copy. Once you have this program on your computer, anytime you
download a file that has been "zipped" and you click
on it to install it, the unzipper in WINZIP will begin its work.
The
entire downloading process is easy after you do it a few times.
Once you master the steps, you will find yourself looking for
programs to try out all over the place.
Themathlab.com
is a great place to learn how to download, because all of our
files load quickly and install painlessly.
Have
fun exploring this new aspect of the Internet experience. It very
well may change how you buy software!