Title: READ: Downloading, Uploading and Installing
Course: Computer Technology

Downloading, Uploading and Installing

Intro

What exactly is uploading? Downloading? What's the difference between uninstalling and reinstalling? All of these questions (and MORE) will be answered in today's lesson.

Downloading

First of all, let's compare downloading to a model airplane. You decide you want a model airplane so the first thing you do is order it online and the company ships it to you. This is the like the download process.

Downloading refers to when a server on the internet sends you the raw pieces required to build an application. Once you receive the model airplane and it’s in the box, you can’t just start playing with because it’s still in pieces.

So what do you do? You put the model airplane together. Installation is the process of putting the raw pieces of a program together in a workable format so that you can use the program.

A put-together model airplane.

Think of it like this: You can fit the pieces of the model airplane into a much smaller box than the put-together model airplane.

Whenever you are downloading a program from the internet, you download either:
- A compressed folder (like a .zip file - where you have to unzip the files before you can use them)
- An installer package (like an .exe file - The installer package then builds the program for you when you run it.)

Uploading

Uploading is the same thing as downloading, only in reverse.

Executable Files

.exe stands for Executable, because when you run it, it executes a command, or a series of commands.

Installing

When you first download a program, what you are actually receiving is an installer package. When you run the installer file, the program is installed and becomes ready to use.

It is important to keep a folder on your computer of different installer files that you have downloaded because if you ever have to reinstall a program, you don't have to re-download the installer file.

Repair Install and Reinstall

Sometimes programs break. One of the most common ways of fixing this is to reinstall or repair install.

A repair install is when you run the installer file on a computer that already has the program installed. This returns the application to its original state.

A reinstall refers to fully removing the program and associated files, and then installing it again.

Uninstalling

Uninstalling means to fully remove the program and associated files.

To uninstall something, access the control panel. Choose add/remove programs (on windows 7 and vista - you will choose Programs and Features). This will display a list of all installed programs, and you can choose to repair or remove the program.

Sources

Sources:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/77/Computer_n_screen.svg/500px- Computer_n_screen.svg.png
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Open_cardboard_box_husky.png
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/75/Taxi_model_airplane.jpg