Installing and Uninstalling Software - PC Software Help

Installing Software

In order to use new software that you buy you will first need to install it. How you do this will depend on the format of the software whether it's on a CD, DVD, flash drive or something you downloaded from the Internet to your computer.

There are several ways to go about installing new software on your computer. If one way doesn't seem to be working correctly then you can try one of the others to make sure it is properly installed.

The easiest way to go about installing software is having the CD autorun when you place it in your computer. Most computers and software support this feature. When you place the CD in the drive there is a file on that CD that makes it automatically launch the setup program for that software.

Another way to install software is to go to your Add/Remove Programs utility located in the Control Panel. For Windows Vista you would use Programs and Features in Control Panel.

From here you would click on Add New Programs and then click the CD or Floppy button. The computer will search your CD or floppy drive for the setup program for your software. If it can't find it or its located somewhere else it will give you the option to browse your computer to find the file.

You can also type the path to the installation file from the Run box. If you go to Start then Run you will have a place to type this in and click Ok. Keep in mind that most Windows installation files will be called setup.exe.

One final way to install software is to browse for the setup.exe or other installation file from your Windows Explorer or My Computer. Once you find your CD and locate the proper file you can double click it to start the installation. If the software is on a flash drive or downloaded to your computer then you can browse to the location of the software and install it from there.

Once you start the installation you should follow the instructions supplied with the software since not all software installs the same.

Uninstalling Software

To remove software from your computer you will need to uninstall it. You can't just delete the software's installation folder from your computer because that will not properly uninstall it since there will be leftover registry entries and files in other locations.

The best way to uninstall software is to go back to your Control Panel and to the Add/Remove Programs or Programs and Features (Windows Vista and 7) utility. From here you can find the software you want to remove in the list and then click on the option you want such as Change, Uninstall, Remove or Repair. Just make sure that you don't have the software running or it won't let you uninstall it.

Some software will put an icon in your start menu programs that you can click to uninstall the software. It does the same thing as going to Add/Remove software.

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