How to install software on a computer

中文教程

在电脑上安装软件有多种方法：exe 安装、命令行安装、应用商店安装等。本教程只讲最流行的 exe 安装步骤。

1. 下载 exe

找到软件的官方正式网站，网站里就有下载按钮。从官方正式网站把 exe 安装包下载到自己电脑上。

2. 安装 exe

双击 exe 文件，电脑会自动安装。安装时让选择安装位置，如果硬盘较大，可以不做修改，安装到默认位置就行了；如果硬盘较小，可以把安装位置修改到 D盘。

3. 取消广告

安装时注意取消不必要的附加项目。附加项目一般在稍显隐蔽的下拉选项当中，下拉选项图标像 > 或 v。

4. 删除 exe

安装完成后，删除第 1 步中的 exe 文件，因为它当中的程序已经被电脑写入安装位置了，可以在桌面点击软件的快捷方式直接使用了。

之所以删除 exe，是为了节省硬盘空间，让文件夹整洁。对以后来说，当前这个版本的 exe 就是旧版软件了，留着没意思。

有少许软件是绿色软件，不用经历上述四个步骤就能直接点击 exe 文件正常使用，这种 exe 文件所在的文件夹不要删除，因为它没有经历上述四步这个把程序写入安装位置的过程。这种绿色软件是号称没有病毒的、方便携带的，英文是 green、portable。

不需要安装，而且不能删除的绿色软件，在电脑软件中是少数派，只占 3% 以内。需要安装，而且可以删除 exe 的普通软件，在电脑软件中是多数派，占 97% 以上。

但是，如果硬盘比较大、所安软件比较稀缺、未来不一定还有新版、不好再找新版、或者习惯了旧版，上述第 4 步中的删除 exe 步骤，不照做也没关系。在硬盘空间充足的情况下，备份喜欢的软件的旧版是个好习惯。

English Tutorial

There are several ways to install software on a computer: exe installation, command-line installation, app store installation, and so on. This tutorial only explains the most popular exe installation steps.

1. Download the exe

Go to the software’s official website, where you’ll find a download button. Download the exe installer package from the official website to your own computer.

2. Install the exe

Double-click the exe file, and the computer will automatically start the installation. During installation, you may be asked to choose the installation location. If your hard drive has plenty of space, you can simply install it to the default location; if space is limited, you can change the installation location to the D drive.

3. Disable ads

During installation, be sure to uncheck unnecessary additional items. These are often hidden in drop-down options, which are marked by icons like > or v.

4. Delete the exe

After installation is complete, delete the exe file from step 1. The program has already been written into the installation location, and you can use it directly by clicking its desktop shortcut.

The reason for deleting the exe is to save hard drive space and keep your folders tidy. Over time, the current version of the exe will become an old version of the software, and keeping it serves little purpose.

Some software is green software, which can be run directly by clicking the exe file without going through the above four steps. In such cases, do not delete the folder containing the exe, because the program has not been written into an installation location. Green software is known for being virus-free and portable; in English, the terms are green or portable.

Green software that does not require installation and cannot be deleted makes up a small minority—less than 3% of all computer software. Regular software that requires installation and whose exe can be deleted after installation makes up the majority—over 97%.

However, if your hard drive has plenty of space, the software you install is rare, there may not be a new version in the future, it’s hard to find a new version again, or you are used to the old version, then it’s fine to skip step 4 and keep the exe. When storage space is sufficient, backing up old versions of software you like is a good habit.