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March 15, 2002
Installation Made Simple
By Bill Bateman
It's your turn in the funding cycle and you have new software to install! Following the steps below can help take the frustration out of that sometimes problem-rich process.
Preparation
Before ordering your new software, make sure you know how much room you have on your hard drive and that your memory and processor are compatible with your new application. (If you're unsure how to do these things, check my IT Guy column archives at www.techlearning.com. September and December are the months to begin with.)
If your computer is on a network, but the application is for your machine only, the same logic applies. In most cases you won't have permission to load to the system hard drive, which is a good thing. If you install your lunchtime video game on the main server, you'll have more problems than the copyright violation. If it is for the system, and you're not the IT person, get a dozen Krispy Kremes and see if it will move you up on your IT expert's "to do" list.
Installation
When you install on a stand-alone computer, you want to make sure you have a clean, orderly hard drive to work with. First delete any unused applications and excess .tmp (temporary) files, and get rid of all e-mail from the '90s. If you're upgrading, do NOT delete your old version of the program, or you'll lose all your prior work.
Now that you have a clean machine, restart your computer before installing. This clears out the memory. Load the program CD in the drive, restart, and (about 50 percent of the time) the load procedure will begin automatically. If not, go to the Start menu, choose Run, and then select Browse. Go to your CD or disk location and look for the SETUP.exe icon. Click it; your installation wizard should take it from there. Mac users have it easier, in that the installer is automatic. Just follow the prompts.
Both systems allow you to choose standard or custom installation options. If you are a new user, go with the standard installation. If you are more experienced, then you may want to customize the features you install. Be careful here, as you can make a mess. Don't initially add features you did not use in the older version-you can do that later.
Determine whether you want to load the whole program to disk so you don't need to have the CD to run it.
If space is tight, a smaller installation may be more practical.
When the prompt asks you to "Agree/Disagree" with the license, you MUST click "Agree," or it won't install. One staff member of mine took strong exception to certain language in the agreement and wouldn't click Agree. Sigh.
Troubleshooting
So you've followed the prompts, restarted your machine, and "Mr. Thumpy Does Quantum Physics" just won't go. If you customized the install, uninstall and do it again using the standard installation. If this does not fix the problem, it's possible the driver is out of date. Visit the vendor's Web site and go to Support to easily download and install an up-to-date driver. Pay attention to the instructions, and label the download file so you can find where you put it.
Save your documentation-from POs to CODs. I have had software that was supposed to work on a specific network, but wouldn't. I've had software that simply would not go and no amount of tinkering would fix it. That is when I called in the vendor rep. One required an updated version; another had a "bug" that needed a patch. Here is where saved documentation is vital.
In a Nutshell
There's always more, but for now, plan your purchases, clean up your system before you begin, and read carefully. Keep good documentation, and don't be afraid to go to a publisher's or vendor's Web site for information and updates. Next time around, you'll be a pro.
In addition to being a teacher of at-risk students, Bill Bateman is a Web designer and Webmaster, and he writes frequently for both magazines and the Internet. Watch for his daily tech tips this fall on techLEARNING.com.
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