What Does Download Mean - Computer Terminology Explained

In this article I will answer the questions "what does download mean", "what does install mean" and help you understand some commonly misunderstood computer terminology.

I got an email a couple of days ago in response to my last computer tips newsletter where I talked about the importance of using Firefox instead of Internet Explorer.

A subscriber in Texas named James wrote me the next day and said:

"Dear Mr. Godwin,

I just switched to Firefox, and am having a problem downloading Flash Player. A message tells me I have to close Firefox in order to download it. How can I possibly do that when I'm actually using Firefox as a browser. That's rather like trying to pull myself up by my bootstraps! I'd appreciate any help you can give me. Thanks.

James"

First off James, you made the right decision by switching to Firefox. As I mentioned in my last email, it is a *much* safer option than Internet Explorer, and if you have a Windows computer you're really making a mistake by continuing to use IE (Internet Explorer).

Apple's Mac computers don't have the same security risks, but it also is a good idea for Mac users to avoid IE since it is so out of date that there are not only some security risks in using it, but many websites won't work.

What I think James is running in to is a common misunderstanding of two computer terms -- "downloading" and "installing".

Before I explain the two terms, let me first say that it's not your fault if you misunderstood or confused these terms -- it's very common, and is due to other people misusing the terms around you, as well as because no one has ever explained them in a clear and easy way.

Here's an easy way to understand the two terms "download" and "install".

Downloading is like delivery -- imagine you have ordered something from a catalog, or Amazon.com or someplace. Let's say it's a TV set.

Before you can use the TV set it has to be delivered to you -- shipped to you -- and this is basically what downloading is. A file (like the Mozilla Firefox installer program) has to be sent "down" to your computer (coming from the Internet is down, sending to the Internet is up, so downloading is coming "down" from the Internet from a web page or an email, etc., while uploading is sending it "up" to the Internet to a webpage or via email, etc.)

So if you want to use Firefox, or Flash Player, or other programs, you need to download them and then you need to "install" them.

So downloading is the delivery of the TV, to go back to our analogy, but before you can use the TV you still need to take it out of the box, put it on the stand, plug it in, etc. Set it up for use -- in other words, install it.

So once you've downloaded a program, you then "install" it to get it ready to use.

And here's where I think maybe you're confusing two terms, which is completely OK on your part, but if Adobe (who makes Flash player) is using the term incorrectly on their website, that is not excusable because they should know better. Again, I don't blame you one bit if you've mixed up the terms, it's a very common mistake, but Adobe should know better.

What you need to do is close Firefox once you've downloaded Flash Player, but before you *install* it. This is because Flash Player has to add some information to Firefox, and if Firefox is running, it can't do it. Kind of like how if you're standing on a rug, you can't pick it up to clean it.

Make sense?

So what you need to do James is download Flash Player, then completely close Firefox and *install* Flash Player, by double-clicking the icon of the file you download from Adobe's site, and then it should work.

Hope that helps and makes sense!

Until later, take care and enjoy,

Worth Godwin

P.S. If you have computer questions, feel free to join my free computer tips newsletter, and reply to any of my emails with your question and I'll answer it in a future newsletter email. I also have a monthly live computer Q&A call-in -- I'll be announcing the next one soon in a future email.

P.P.S. As I mentioned in my last email, I'll be recording video lessons for Windows and Mac that show step-by-step how to download and install the new version of Firefox, as well as an overview of using it on this month's Gold Club video lesson CD, and the lessons will also be available on the password-protected Gold Club members-only area of my website.

If you'd like to join in and empower yourself with more knowledge about the computer and how to make it easier, more fun, and more safe & secure, you can take advantage of my free trial membership to the easy computer lessons Gold Club right now and gain instant access to a large library of my video and audio computer lessons by clicking the links.

Connecting With People through Computers

Connecting With People Through Computers

Back in the eighties, it wasn't that usual to have a modem in your computer, if you even had one. These days, there are different kinds of modems - cable modems, DSL modems, and dialup modems like I used to have.

Even though dialup modems seem incredibly slow these days, compared to "broadband" connections like DSL and cable, they are amazingly fast compared to the ones you could get back in the 80s.

I remember that when I got my first dialup modem for my first computer. Back then, most computers didn't even have modems; modems have been standard in most computers for years now, but are starting to get phased out because they're so out of date.

The dialup modems you get now, while much much slower than "broadband" (high speed) connections like DSL or cable, are incredibly fast compared to what you could get in the mid '80s.

Back then, the modem in my PC ran at "1200 baud" (as opposed to current dialup modems which are about 50 times faster). Some of my friends had 300 baud modems. They were so slow, that if I went to read an email online, I could actually read faster than the words would appear on the screen, letter by letter, line by line.

Later, when I shelled out over $200 for a whopping 2400 baud modem, I was amazed that the words appeared too fast to read!

Of course, it was still so slow by modern standards, that if I'd tried to download even a picture like you'd find on a website of today - even a very small picture - it could take hours.

And a dialup modem these days costs less than $20.

So times change. Especially when it comes to computers.

Of course, the great thing about that is all the cool stuff you can do now that would've seemed like science fiction back in the '80s.

But really, I think the best thing about the technology we have today is how it can bring people together. These days we think nothing of sending an email across the world and have it arrive in moments. Back in the '80s, it was possible to do that, but it was a lot harder to do, and much more expensive.

And of course most people hadn't even heard of email back then.

One of the best ways people can connect, either for business or with friends or family, is video chats. Video chats have been around for years, but only fairly recently have gotten good enough to be like the video phones on the old Jetsons cartoons.

I moved out to Hawaii in 2001, about five thousand miles from where I grew up, in Ithaca, NY. My parents still live there, and while my brother is a little closer, he's still a long way away in California.

One of the ways we keep in touch is with video chats - if you don't know what I'm talking about, you've probably been in an electronics store where they have a camcorder hooked up to a TV so people can wave at themselves when they come in.

With a good chat program, a good quality web cam, and a fast internet connection, the picture can look almost as good as that.

So it's about the next best thing to actually being with friends or family, when they're a long way away. It's almost like I get to visit with my parents, or hang out with my brother.

Plus in the winter, my parents can point the camera out the window and I can see the snow fall, and I can make them jealous by showing them my view of the sun shining off the deep blue sea.

It also doesn't cost a thing, so if you talk long distance a lot, it can really save a lot of money.

There are a lot of chat programs that let you do free video or audio chats (audio chats are like regular phone calls, and in some cases you can even call from your computer to a regular phone).

You can use programs such as AOL Instant Messenger, Skype, and Yahoo Messenger for audio and/or video chats. There are versions of these programs for both Mac and PC, but the majority of Mac users use iChat AV (which is what I use to talk to my family and friends), which comes on all Macs made in the last few years.

One of the best choices overall, in my opinion, is Skype. While I personally think the program is a bit of a "resource hog" (in other words, it can bog your computer down while it's running) it does let basically any type of computer -- Mac, Windows, or Linux) talk to each other without compatibility problems. Other programs either only work on one type of computer, or don't work as well between computer types.

Skype also has some other nice features, like "Skypeout" that lets you call regular phone numbers, not just other computers running Skype.

But the main thing is, computers give us amazing possibilities to connect with others, more quickly, easily, and inexpensively than ever before.

It's a pretty amazing time we live in.

Until next time, enjoy,

Worth Godwin

Computer Maintenance Tips To Avoid Problems

Computers can develop problems for a variety of reasons, and it can sometimes be hard to isolate the cause.

Problems come in two general types: hardware and software. Hardware refers to a physical part of your computer, including the keyboard, the hard drive, and the motherboard. Software refers to programs and documents stored on your computer, including the operating system (such as Windows or the Mac OS), Microsoft Word documents, images, etc.

Software problems can be caused by a variety of things, including a hard drive that is beginning to fail, power fluctuations that happen while files are being saved, viruses, or from not shutting your computer down properly.

Hardware problems can’t be caused by software; they tend to happen over time, or because of something like power fluctuations, or excessive heat or moisture. It’s essential to protect your machine with a surge suppressor, or better yet, an uninterruptible power supply (UPS).

A surge suppressor protects your computer and peripherals from a sudden surge in electricity, sometimes caused by an electrical storm, or because of fluctuations in voltage from the power grid.

These power surges can come through either your power or your phone outlets, so if you have your computer connected to the phone line (if you use dial-up internet access for example), any surge suppressor you use should protect both power and phone lines. There are also surge suppressors which protect your cable line instead of the phone line, for those who use cable internet access like Time Warner's RoadRunner.

If you live on the Big Island of Hawaii like I do, you know we experience a lot of brownouts, and even complete blackouts are common in a lot of areas.

While a surge suppressor is a must-have no matter where you live, it's better to use a UPS (which stands for Uninterruptible Power Supply, and has nothing to do with the shipping company) to protect your computer if you live in a place with unstable power like we have here.

A UPS contains both a surge suppressor and a large backup battery that immediately takes over if the power level drops. This protects the computer from the damage done by brownouts and can even keep your computer running for up to 20 minutes if the power goes out completely, allowing you to save your work and shut down safely.

This 20 minutes can make the difference between losing hours, days, or even months of work (if the computer turns off while you're working on a project, you can lose not just what you're working on now, but everything in the file).

If you live near the ocean or in a very humid area, rust and corrosion are a very big problem; keeping your computer in an air conditioned room will help.

Regardless of where you live and whether or not you have a surge suppressor or UPS, you should make regular backups of your important files onto disks that aren't damaged by moisture, such as CDs and DVDs.

Floppy disks and Zip disks, on the other hand, are both made of similar materials to videotapes, all of which can be ruined by mold. If you have important files on floppy or Zip disk, you should look into transferring the files to CD or DVD.

In the mean time, keeping the disks in a sealed tupperware container with desiccant packs (the same stuff that comes in vitamin bottles) can help keep them working longer.

Symptoms of a sick computer can range from occasional crashes or slow operation, to a computer that won’t turn on. The thing is, a hardware problem can start out very minor, but can get worse over time.

A common mistake people make is ignoring or overlooking problems until they get too big to fix — in the case of a bad hard drive, this can mean you can lose all of your files. This is why it’s so crucial to back your files up regularly.

Don't make the mistake so many people do: make a habit of backing up regularly before you lose important files. So many people learn the hard way; I hate having to tell people that all of their many hours of work are completely lost.

I know what it's like to lose files, too -- I'm not just a computer guy, I'm also a writer. Most of my early writing is lost forever because I didn't back up my first computer many years ago (hey, everybody was a rookie once!).

Don't let this happen to you with the valuable pictures, music, letters, emails, schoolwork, customer files, or whatever other irreplaceable files you may have on your computer.

10 Good Tips About How To Use The Internet Safely part 2

10 Good Tips About How To Use The Internet Safely part 2

This article continues my list of 10 good tips about how to use the Internet safely.

In part one of 10 Good Tips About How To Use The Internet Safely, I talked about the importance of using the right web browser, and how important it is to have the latest security updates or "patches". Let's go on to the next item in our list:

Tip #3) Have a good firewall program & make sure it's on

A firewall program (not to be confused with firewire) is a protective program that guards your computer from threats either on the Internet, or from other computers on the same network (including a wired or wireless home network, one at work, or a public wireless network like you might find at an airport or a cafe).

While this has improved some with Windows Vista, Windows XP does not have a very good built-in firewall, so it's important to use a good one that not only protects from threats outside of your computer, but also from rogue programs like aware, spyware, and viruses that may already be on your computer.

Norton Internet Security, McAfee Internet Security, and Kaspersky Internet Security all have the "active" type of firewall that protects you both ways. A free alternative that does a good job is ZoneAlarm.

Personally, because of the limitations of McAfee and Norton, I don't really recommend using them (more on that in a minute) -- Kaspersky is one of the best choices out there for protecting your computer on the Internet.

Any of these firewall programs should alert you if they're not turned on correctly, and you can check to make sure it says it's protecting you by double-clicking the icon on the system tray to the left on the clock.

Apple Mac users have (currently) a lot less to worry about from Internet threats, due to their excellent built-in security, but they should still be using a firewall program.
The firewall program built into Mac OS X works well to protect you, but needs to be turned on.

If you have OS 10.4 (Tiger) or earlier, you can check to see if your firewall is on by going into your System Preferences (always available in the Apple Menu, and often available on the Dock). Then click on Sharing, then click Firewall.

If you have OS 10.5 (Leopard) you'll find the firewall has moved to Security in System Preferences.

It should tell you if the firewall is on if you look at this window; if not, click the button labeled Start, and you're protected.


Tip #4) Have the right antivirus program & Make sure your AV program is active & up-to-date

Here's a big one for Windows users that isn't currently as important for Apple Mac users.

There are known to be over *100,000* viruses & worms for Windows PCs, and only 1 known virus for Macs (and the Mac virus is more of a "test" and turned out not to spread).

Most of the 100,000-plus viruses and worms for Windows are not currently "in the wild", but it still gives you an idea of how much more at risk Windows users are for these things, so it's absolutely critical to have an effective antivirus program protecting your computer.

Note I said *effective* antivirus program -- I chose my words carefully there, since studies have shown the top 3 *most-used* (again, note my choice of words there) antivirus programs actually have an up to 80% *failure* rate at detecting and removing the latest threats!

I personally recommend using Kaspersky Antivirus (or better yet, Kaspersky Internet Security, which has a good firewall program in it too). Kaspersky has been shown to have an over 96% success rate at finding and removing viruses.

There is no 100% guarantee, but it's pretty darn close.

I'll continue with more of the 10 tips about how to use the Internet safely in a separate article.

If you'd like to *see* step-by-step how to protect yourself by doing the things I talk about in this article, plus get dozens and dozens of more quick, easy lessons that make your computer safer and easier to use, then you might want to click one of the links below to find out more...

All you have to do is click one of the following links, depending on whether you use a Apple Mac or a Windows PC.

Windows PC users (Dell, HP, Sony, etc.) click this link to get easy Windows computer lessons

and Apple Mac users (owners of an iMac, iBook, MacBook, etc.) click this link to get easy Apple Mac computer lessons

until next time, enjoy,

Worth Godwin

P.S. Those links again are:

Windows PC users (Dell, HP, Sony, etc.) click this link to get easy Windows computer lessons

and Apple Mac users (owners of an iMac, iBook, MacBook, etc.) click this link to get easy Apple Mac computer lessons