How Install Add-ons?

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Gabriel - 28 Jun 2008 20:55 GMT

Admitedly, I'm a IE newbie having spent most of my browsing life using
Netscape and FF. Therefore, the questions I post may appear too simplistic to
even answer but I ask them only after an ernest attempt to find the answer
myself. Having said that:

I want to install an add-on but don't see how to do it. The help pages say
to go to Tools>Manage Add-ons>Find More Add-ons which takes me to
www.windowsmarketplace.com/category.aspx?bcaid=3500. Navigating through a few
more pages I can select the Add-on "Video Download" and click on "Download
Now" which brings up a dialog box with 3 choices: Open, Save, Cancel.
Selecting Open displays the contents of the file in Notepad; REGEDIT4 and 2
lines of of registry changes. Save saves the file to wherever I want.
Assuming I saved the file, what's next? I couldn't find anything called
"Install." Help seems to assume that it's common knowledge and implies that
"install" is accessable from Manage Add-ons. The file extension is incorrect
for a registry file? I tried running it from a command prompt and it couldn't
find REGEDIT4. What am I missing?

Signature

System: HP a6220n, Core 2 Duo Pro E4500 @ 2.20 GHz, 2GB, Vista Home Premium
SP1, IE 7.0 as preinstalled.

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rob^_^ - 28 Jun 2008 21:50 GMT

Hi Gabriel,

Well behaved Addons use a Windows Installer package to correctly install
programs on your computer and to allow you to un-install them from the
Control Panel > Add/Remove Programs Applet.

You are best advised to Save files downloaded from the Internet. (Choose
Save from the Download dialog). I have a separate folder where I keep copies
of all files I download so that I don't have to download them again to
re-install or repair them. (I even save Firefox extensions rather than use
the Addons manager to install them).

Once the file has completed downloading you can then choose to 'Run' the
file which will start the installation process.

Always carefully read the license agreement (some installers 'bundle'
unwanted software with their programs) to make sure you are getting exactly
what you expect.

You should be prompted for a folder to install the program to. I have a
partitioned disk and install all of my programs to disk D:, separate from
the Operating System on drive C:, but this is optional.... It makes backing
up of Windows easier.

You can un-install or repair programs from the Control Panel>Add/Remove
Programs (XP) or Programs and Features (Vista). Most programs also have an
Uninstall.exe file placed in their installation folder. You can un-install
the program by selecting that file.

The Addons manager in IE (Tools>Manage Addons) is completely different from
FireFox or Netscape. You use this tool to disable or enable IE Toolbars,
Explorer Bars, Menu and Button Extensions and Downloaded program files.
Some Addons for IE7 were written before IE7 was available and do not work
very well with IE7. You can use the Addons Manager to trouble shoot your
installed Addons by disabling them one at a time to find the one causing
problems, and then uninstalling it.

I would recommend that you download a Toolbar from

http://toolbar.google.com
http://toolbar.live.com
http://toolbar.yahoo.com

(your choice, IE7 has a built-in search function and popup blocker, so there
is really no need to install additional addons.)

to ensure that you have the latest version of their addons.

You can find additional help by searching this newsgroup.

Regards.

> Admitedly, I'm a IE newbie having spent most of my browsing life using
> Netscape and FF. Therefore, the questions I post may appear too simplistic
[quoted text clipped - 19 lines]
> couldn't
> find REGEDIT4. What am I missing?

Reply to this Message

Gabriel - 02 Jul 2008 14:19 GMT

Hi Rob

Thanks. I too have seperate directories for all downloads for the
contingencies you mention. I take it this three-line Add-on (the only file in
the download) is detritus and should be blown away. Of course, the first
Add-on I tried to install--the first on the list--just happened to be
defective. I spent hours trying to find the missing link that would install
it for me.

Signature

System: HP a6220n, Core 2 Duo Pro E4500 @ 2.20 GHz, 2GB, Vista Home Premium
SP1, IE 7.0 as preinstalled.

> Hi Gabriel,
>
[quoted text clipped - 71 lines]
> > couldn't
> > find REGEDIT4. What am I missing?

Reply to this Message