Big sites will get you started on shareware

By MICHAEL FOREMAN

The most popular sources of shareware are the big US-based websites such as Tucows, Download.com or Jumbo.

These sites, which list tens of thousands of programs divided into categories such as games, utilities or media players, are most useful if you are shopping around for a certain type of package, but if you are after a specific title, it's usually quicker to go directly to the program's website. You can usually find this by typing the name into a search engine. Either way you will eventually find one or more buttons or text links, which start the downloading process when clicked.

At this point, make sure the version you select matches the operating system you are running (such as Windows 98 or Me).

If the site offers a choice of sources in different geographical locations, picking the closest location may result in a slightly faster download, but be prepared for a lengthy wait as the file is copied on to your hard disk. In theory a 3-megabyte file should arrive in six or seven minutes on an ordinary modem but in practice it may take much longer.

Usually when you start a download a dialogue box pops up asking you what you want to do. Choose the "save this program to disk" option and select where on your computer you want to save it. It's a good idea to create a folder in your PC where you can keep all downloaded programs.

Finally, when the file has completed its download, click on it and it will begin to install. It may have to be "decompressed" first - no problem if you've installed a utility such as WinZip.

Links:


Tucows

Download.com

Jumbo

Google

Altavista