Downloading Many files are made available through the Internet for you to download. This means that you fetch a copy of the file from the Internet and save it on your own computer. Typical examples of files that are often downloaded are: New application programs bought on the Internet Program updates Product information Zipped files (.zip) - these are files that have been compressed to make them smaller and quicker to download Exe files (.exe) - these may be program files, or so called self-extracting zipped files Acrobat reader files (.pdf) Music, pictures and other multimedia files The list is almost endless! While you are downloading a file, you can continue to browse the Internet - you don't have to stop and wait. Once you have downloaded a file and saved it, you can access it with a suitable application program. File downloads often break down - bad quality communication lines or too much traffic on the Internet may cause this, for example. If this happens you will need to start again, although some programs allow a break in the download and can than re-start from where they left off. Downloads can take a very long time. The two criteria are file size and speed of access. A 56K modem will download 1 Mb (1,000 Kb) in roughly 10 minutes if the line is good. Small files (100 - 200 Kb) are not really a problem. Some program files and program updates are as much as 6 Mb and will take an hour or more to download. ISDN lines are quicker, and broadband connections (such as ADSL) will alleviate the problem. How to download a file You are normally guided to a link, which you need click to start the download procedure. Click the download link as instructed on the web page - the File Download dialog box is displayed You can then choose to open the file from its current location or save it to disk - it is advisable to choose the latter option If you choose to save the file to disk, the Save As dialog box will then be displayed In the File name box, enter a name for the file, or just keep the suggested filename Use the Save in list box and the list of folders and files to choose a folder for your file, or just keep the suggested folder Click Save or press Enter When the download is complete, click Close If you want to stop the download at any time: Click Cancel Basic Skills | Images | Links | Glossary | Forms | Saving | Printing | Downloading | Searching | Refresh