Prepare extra carefully before installing new software

Because I’ve always encouraged Good Booters to use "qualified" technicians to service their computers, I’m sure I’ll be forgive if I offer a suggestion on how to avoid their services.

And that suggestion is to due diligence when installing a software program as even software programs by the most respected software vendors can cause problems that range from simple annoyances to catastrophic conflicts.

Although most reputable software vendors do not intentionally want to cause you grief, often in their haste to be first with the most their software has not been tested thoroughly enough to insure it’s appropriate for installation on all computers. This and their obsession with insuring their software is at least one of the dominant software programs installed on your computer are perhaps two of the most significant potential problems you should be aware of.

By dominant I mean unnecessarily:
* Running in the background
* Added to the menu of other software programs
* Added to Windows Explorer context menu (the menu presented when you right click on a file or folder).

The following due diligence should be part of any program installation.

Before Installing:
* Read a software’s requirements listed on its Web site or packaging.
* Back up all your irreplaceable "Stuff".
* Create a System Restore Point.
During Installation be sure:
* The suggested default installation setting are those you want installed and installed the way you want them to be.
* You really want a suggested add-on installed e.g., an alternative Browser.
After Installing:
* Click Start > All Programs > Startup to see if the software added an unwanted startup. Right click to delete.
* Click Start > Run and type in "msconfig". Click the Startup tab to see if the software added an unwanted startup. Uncheck to stop a startup.
* Open Windows Explorer and right click on any File or Folder to see if the software added an unwanted entry on the context menu. Unfortunately eliminating an entry via the Registry is not a task for a novice. However I’ve a little non evasive freeware program available to e-mail you if you’d like to clean up your context menu.
* Open the program and put it through its paces.

Some may question my judgement in mentioning a bit beyond novice tweaks. But I suggest failure to due diligence when installing software can be a serious oversight.

Besides, I trust by now most Good Booters are aware of whether or not they’re qualified to attempt significant tweaks.

Here’s wishing you a Good Boot.