6. Installing New Software
Most software that you download from the internet will first need to be installed on your computer before it will run. During this process, files will be copied to their appropriate locations and icons will usually be added to your Start Menu and / or desktop. Fortunately, most software companies work hard to make this process as painless as possible.
The first step in installation is to locate the actual installation file that you downloaded to your computer. (This process is much simpler if you downloaded to an easy-to-find location, such as your desktop.) Installation files usually have the extension .exe or .zip. (A filename's extension is the part that comes after the period. A file called myfile.psd, for example, has the extension ".psd".)
To install an installation file with an .exe extension, simply double click on the file and follow the instructions that appear on your screen. All of Blaze Audio’s products are packaged this way for easy installation. If, on the other hand, the file you downloaded is a .zip file, you will need a zip utility to "unzip" and install it (zip files are files that are specially compressed to take up less space, so you need to uncompress them before use). Double click on the file - if you already have a zip utility, it will automatically open and you can skip the next step.
If you don't have a zip utility, the file won't open. Go to http://www.winzip.com and download WinZip. Remember to save it to a location you can easily find again. Double click on WinZip and install it. Now you can unzip your new software program (by double-clicking on it). WinZip will show a list of files included in your download. Look for one called "readme.txt" and click on this file - it will usually have instructions for installing the software. Otherwise, try double-clicking on "setup.exe" or "install.exe" to start the installation process. Follow the instructions that appear on your screen.
Once you've installed the new software, you are free to delete the original installation file that you downloaded from the internet - it has already served its purpose and is now just taking up space on your hard drive. Once that's done, run your new software by clicking on the icon in your Start Menu or on your desktop!
A final note: Be wary of viruses when downloading files from unfamiliar sources on the internet. Make sure you have up-to-date virus scanning software installed and running on your computer at all times. Visit http://www.mcafee.com or http://www.symantec.com for more information.
