Downloading and Installing a Program with Firefox

I use the Firefox web browser for most of my downloads, so I will show how to use it to download and install a program on Windows Vista. The process with other browsers is similar.

(1) Optionally choose where to save the program on your computer. By default, Firefox running on Windows saves all downloads in a "Downloads" folder under your account. To change the default, or to cause Firefox to specifically ask you where to save each download:

(a) Left click on "Tools" in the Firefox toolbar.

(b) Left click on "Options" in the menu that pops up.

















(2) When the options menu appears:

(a) Left click on "Main" if it is not current.

(b) Note the settings in the "Downloads"section.

(c) Left click on "Browse" if you wish to change the default download folder.

(d) Left click on "Always ask me where to save files" if you would like to be given the option of choosing the destination each time you download something.



















(3) If you clicked "Browse" to change the default download destination, the following menu will appear:





















(a) In the section that shows the structure of your computer's file system, navigate to where you wish downloaded files to be saved.

(b) If you'd like to create a new folder to receive the files, left click on "Make New Folder" and follow the instructions.

(c) Left click on "OK" when you are done.


(4) Go to the site for the program you wish to download and install and left click on the link to download the file or program.











In this example, I am downloading Audacity. Every site is a little different, but the instructions are usually clear. Often, you will find a download button, which you need to left click on order to start the download.

(5) Next, you will get a small verification window, to make sure you really want to download the file. Left click on "Save File."
























(6) A "Downloads" window will appear and a green progress bar will show the status of the download.


















(7) When the program has finished downloading, you can either install it directly from the "Downloads" menu or by navigating to the folder where it is saved and executing it from there, if you do not wish to install it right away.

There are two ways of installing the program from either the "Downloads" menu or the folder containing the file. The first is to double click with the left mouse button on the file in either of these places. The second is to:

(a) right click on the file and

(b) left click on "Open" in the menu.






















(8) Follow the instructions from the operating system to complete the installation. Installing a program that has been downloaded to your hard drive is similar to installing one from a CD or DVD.