Everyday Computer Skills · Installing & Removing Apps · Lesson 2 of 5

Installing Safely

Walk through an installer, answer the permission box, and skip extras.

Walking through an installer

When you download an app from a website, you get an installer. It is a file in your Downloads folder. Its name often ends in "setup" or "installer".

Double-click it to start. Soon, Windows shows a box that asks: Do you want to allow this app to make changes to your device?

This is called User Account Control. It is a safety check. Windows wants you to confirm before a program changes the computer.

Read the box before you answer:

• It shows the program's name and its publisher. The publisher is the company that made it.
• If you just opened the installer and the publisher looks right, click Yes.
• If you did not start anything, or the publisher says "Unknown", click No.

Next, the installer shows a few screens. You usually click Next on each one. One screen may ask you to accept the terms. Another may ask where to put the app. The usual choice is fine.

At the end, click Finish. The app now appears in the Start menu.

On a Mac, you often open the download and drag the app into the Applications folder. Some Mac installers ask for your password before they make changes.

Saying no to extras

Some free installers try to sneak in extra programs. These are called bundled extras. Bundled means packed together with the app you wanted.

An extra might be a new toolbar for your web browser. It might change your search engine. It might be a "cleaner" app that shows scary warnings to sell you something. You didn't ask for any of these.

The installer usually offers them on one of its screens. The box next to them is often already checked. If you just click Next, they get installed too.

So slow down on every screen:

1. Read each screen before you click Next.
2. Look for boxes that are already checked.
3. Uncheck anything you did not come for.
4. If you see a choice like Custom or Advanced, pick it. It often shows the hidden extras.
5. If a screen says Decline or Skip, use it for offers you don't want.

The best protection is still where you got the installer. Download only from the maker's official site, or use the store. Store apps install without these extra screens.

If extras slip in anyway, don't worry. You can uninstall them, which the next lesson covers.