procedures for dealing with executable files (programs)
.exe files
These notes will help you to understand .exe files.
They tell you how to dowload them and save them.
You can print out these notes for reference.
Soon, you won’t need them any more!
1. These .exe files are information which has been compressed to take up less space.
2. They can also be downloaded and extracted without the unzipping process.
3. The really good news is – they unzip themselves!
4. You download them in the same way as any other file.
5. See downloading instructions for details.
6. Go to the Internet site and download your .exe file.
7. A dialogue box will ask you if you wish to save the .exe file into a directory.
7. Don’t worry about this process. You can remove or delete anything later if you change your mind.
8. For instance, you might be asked to download file filename.exe into the suggested directory [or folder]:
C:FOLDERfilename.exe
9. If a dialogue box pops up and asks – ‘Create directory C:FOLDER ?’ – you should say ‘Yes’.
10. This puts the file filename.exe which you want to download into a directory called FOLDER.
11. This directory is created automatically on your hard disk.
12. You can give it another name if you wish:
C:MYSTUFFfilename.exe
13. Remember – you can delete it all later if you wish.
14. Now you can log off the Internet if you are on a dialup connection.
15. Go to your Windows file manager. This is ‘Windows Explorer’ in Win95 and later. [Not to be confused with Internet Explorer.]
16. Locate the directory FOLDER which has been created.
17. The file filename.exe will be in the directory.
18. Double-click on the file. This activates it.
19. Another dialogue box comes up, asking where you wish to place the file.
20. You could type C:MYSTUFF or C:TEMP
22. Choose your directory, say OK, and the file will be unzipped into the place you choose.
23. Voila! It all happens automatically – and very quickly.
24. You can now open the file which has extracted itself.
25. Do this by double-clicking on it.
25. These files will be automatically opened by the following programs:
.txt files – Windows Notepad
.doc files – Microsoft Word
.htm files – Firefox or Internet Explorer
© Roy Johnson 2004
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