How to Download Files

Downloading files may open up your hard disk to computer viruses. Avoid downloading from Web sites that you think might be dangerous or insecure.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Modems
• Internet Access
• Computers

1. Visit the Web page that has the link to the file you wish to download.
2. Click on the download link (usually a link that says 'Download' or the name of the file).
3. Indicate which language and operating system you use, if necessary.
4. Select the download site nearest to you geographically, if given a choice. A window will pop up asking whether you wish to open the file or save it to disk.
5. Select 'Save to disk' to retain the file for future use. If you want to use it only once, select Open.
6. If you selected 'Save to disk,' choose where you want the file to go on your hard disk. Most browsers then open a window indicating download progress, including percentage downloaded and time remaining.

Tips & Warnings

• Many browsers offer the option of downloading multiple files simultaneously. However, downloading multiple files at once takes just as long as downloading them one at a time.
• You can still browse the Web while your file is downloading. Just click on the original browser window.
• Many larger files are com-pressed, typically as Zip files. To open these, you'll need a file-compression/ Decompression program.