Downloading Files from the Internet

3 Basic Issues

An organizational tip:

Create a "downloads" folder, then create a Desktop Shortcut (Windows 95/98) to this folder. Save all files you download from the Internet to this Downloads folder for quick and easy access to these files!

To create a new folder:

To create a desktop shortcut:

How do I download a file?

You can minimize the downloading window and open other browser windows to do other things while this file is downloading.

Tip: Look for a listing of the file's size and approximate download time at the site before downloading. Some sites will give you this information, others will not. Files larger than 1.44 Mg. will not fit on a single floppy disk!

Virus Issues:

When you download files from the Internet you run the risk of spreading viruses to your system. It's a good idea to install up-to-date virus scanning software on your system and then check each file you download BEFORE you open the file. It's also important to make sure you keep your virus scanning software updated with the most current release of the program.

If the file you download is small enough to fit onto a single floppy disk, download it to disk, then scan it with your virus software before copying the file to your computer's hard disk.

How do I open or view a downloaded file?

How you open and view a downloaded file depends on the type of file it is. Look at the file's extension (the 3 character file ending after the period). The easiest way to open a downloaded file is to locate it in either My Computer or Windows Explorer and double-click the file name. If the file's extension is recognized as a file type associated with an application installed on your computer, the application will load and the file will open.

.pdf files - Portable Document Format - can be opened and viewed using the Adobe Acrobat Reader software. (Acrobat Reader can be downloaded for free from the ITS Help Desk Archive pages at http://www.ndsu.nodak.edu/csg/software/ ).

Word processing, spreadsheet, database files can be opened and viewed using the application software the file was created in; for example, files ending in .xls are generally Microsoft Excel spreadsheet files and files ending in .doc are generally Microsoft Word documents.

Graphic files can be opened and viewed in any graphic editing application such as Adobe Photoshop, Microsoft Photo Editor, etc. Graphic files ending with the extension .jpg or .gif can also be opened and viewed with any web browser such as Netscape or Internet Explorer.

Files ending with .exe - Executable files - may either be programs that run when you double-click the file in My Computer or the Windows Explorer or they may be self-extracting compressed archives file which will automatically decompress to their original state when double-clicked.

Files ending with .zip - several files compressed into one smaller file for transfer over the Internet. Zip files must be "unzipped" using an unzipping utility before the files can be opened.

Popular "unzipping" utilities:

Freeware vs. Shareware:

Freeware is absolutely free for use by anyone.

Shareware is a "try it before you buy it" system. Some shareware authors request that you send a small registration fee if you decide to keep the software installed on your machine after trying it, but is completely on the honor system. Other shareware has built in programming that will disable the software after the evaluation period has passed or is set to allow only a small amount of data to be accessed or entered before forcing registration and payment.

Be aware that not all shareware and freeware available for download will have the full functionality of a commercial version of the same software.

Some good sources of freeware and shareware:

Try searching the WWW using the keywords "freeware", "shareware" and "software"; you'll be amazed at the huge amount of software available for download.

Be aware that the University is occasionally audited for unregistered and/or unlicensed copies of software installed on University owned computers. Please be sure to properly register any shareware applications you install on University owned machines according to instructions included with the software when you download it. If you don't intend to register the software, be sure to remove the application when the evaluation period has expired.