iTechtalk

David

Almost all modern 32-bit Windows programs start the setup process during a file called Setup.exe. Windows can track down the proper setup file mechanically when you use the Add New Programs tab on the Add Or Remove Programs dialog box, shown in Figure. Click the CD Or Floppy button to search removable media. Use the Browse button in the resulting dialog box to search in other locations (including your default downloads folder or a shared network folder).

On corporate networks, the Add New Programs tab also lists applications that a network administrator has made available to authorized users and groups over a network built around Windows 2000 or Windows 2003 servers. Using Windows Installer, administrators can configure a program so that it installs automatically when the user needs it.

A program installed this way will appear in either of these two configurations:

● When an application has been assigned to a user, shortcuts to the program show on the user’s Start menu or desktop, and related file types are pre-associated with the application. As soon as the user chooses the menu item, activates the shortcut, or opens a linked document, the application is installed. An application assigned to a exact user is available to that user wherever he or she logs on. An application can also be assigned to a computer, in which case the application is automatically installed when the computer starts up. (If someone uninstalls the assigned application, it is automatically reinstalled at the next logon.)

● An application that is published to a user is installed just when the user select that option from the list of existing programs at the below of the Add New Programs window.


Figure. Click the CD Or Floppy button to rapidly locate setup files. The network programs section at the bottom of the window shows only if you’re part of a domain, and programs show in this section only when configured by a network administrator.