| INSTALL QUICKTIME |
QuickTime is a universal, multi-platform, media player that is catered for the video market and in particular the .mov file format. In other words, you would only really install this if you are interesting in the IPod Technologies/Usage, Apple Music Store and/or the playing of video files that end with the file extension .mov. Otherwise RealPlayer may be a better, prefered, choice (see next section). QuickTime in many cases is only downloaded because someone sends you a .mov video file that you cannot play.....until you are forced to download QuickTime! This is another case of companies not agreeing upon a Universal Media File Format, which means the reality for me and you is to download RealPlayer and QuickTime whether we like it or not. Hence one of the reasons why they are both exampled in this website.
Note: Even though this section (installation example) is now old, it still acts as a good example of how to install software in general. There are still worthy, relevant, notes/examples within this section in other words that will benefit you.
To install the FREE (limited, but still useful) version of QuickTime you must go to the Apple website and find the QuickTime download link. After finding it use the following instructions to guide you through the installation process.
Before you click on the FREE DOWNLOAD NOW button untick the FREE WEEKLY... and KEEP ME UP TO DATE...
options if you do not require them. Even though these options/services require an e-mail address,
inside the now empty E-MAIL Edit Box, it is better in general to untick any option(s) you do not
require as sometimes you can misinterpret their meaning and subscribe for example to a service you
did not want and/or did not fully interpret. This is not the case here but still it is better to be
safe than sorry! If you do require one or both of the above mentioned services though simply type your
e-mail address into the E-MAIL Edit Box before clicking on the FREE DOWNLOAD NOW button.
After clicking on the FREE DOWNLOAD NOW button a security requester will appear, asking you if you want
to RUN (execute/launch) or SAVE the quicktime set up file (Installation Wizard). The security warning at
the bottom of the requester is a standard file-download warning that is basically asking you if you
trust the source/origin/company (Apple). If you do either click on the RUN button (to execute/launch
the installation wizard, after it has been downloaded into the Temporary folder) or click on the SAVE
button (to save (download only) the installation wizard). In this example click on the SAVE button to
save the set up file into a folder of your choice (Fig 1.2 below).
The installation wizard in this example is a whole download, which means the software (quicktime) and the installation wizard have been built side-by-side,
as one file, for downloading. This is because Apple can afford the bandwidth (download units) needed for each download. Many companies these days have
decided it is best to download the installation wizard separately so that it can carry out eligibility checks first - Is your computer running Windows?
Do you have enough Memory and so on. Therefore avoiding a whole download (bandwidth costs to them and you).
Normally you RUN an installation wizard
because you want to download the software straight away. However. There may be times when you want the software downloaded later and only want the
installation wizard saved now (i.e. you might only want to carry out the eligibility checks, perhaps on your computer and a friend's computer - Remember
though. Eligibility checks may need an internet connection and therefore may not be possible otherwise. Hence why it is best to RUN the installation
wizard at the time and not later. In other words, the SAVEd installation wizard file might not work as mentioned if it needs a constant internet
connection to the software's server throughout the installation process for example). With Apple allowing you to download quicktime as one file (a whole
download) you have the benefit of installing it on multiple computers, with the same downloaded file (i.e. you could download it from an internet cafe
onto your flash drive and then install it on your friend's computer later).
After choosing a folder to save the set up (QuickTimeInstaller.exe) file into and then clicking on the SAVE button (Fig 1.2 above) the set up file will begin to download (save) into the folder you chose.
At any time throughout the download process and installation process you can click on the Cancel button, if a Cancel button is available of course. However. In the case of the installation process, even if you click on a Cancel button the installation might have gone too far for it to be stopped, cancelled and/or reversed. So think very carefully before deciding to install any thing onto your Computer.
When the set up (QuickTimeInstaller.exe) file has been downloaded open the folder it was downloaded into (i.e. the DOWNLOADS folder) and then double click on it (Fig 1.4 above). This will launch its Installation Wizard, which then makes Windows 7 pop up a security requester asking you if you would like to RUN the QuickTimeInstaller.exe file (Fig 1.5 below) and more precisely its internal installation script (instructions) which are taken care of by the Installation Wizard. If you want to continue with the installation of QuickTime simply click on the RUN button to continue.
After clicking on the RUN button (Fig 1.5 above) a UAC (User Account Control) security requester might pop-up, especially if you have right clicked on the QuickTimeInstaller.exe file and then selected RUN AS ADMINISTRATOR (because you do not have the correct permissions to RUN (install) the file as a non-administrator, or as an administrator but with limited permissions, for example). If the UAC does pop up, click on its CONTINUE button to continue. The UAC security requester might not pop up if Windows 7 deems the software to be safe or if you have installed the software before.
User Account Control (UAC) is a feature of Windows 7 that helps to prevent unauthorized changes to the computer, such as deleting a system file or installing software. When attempting to install QuickTime the UAC security requester above might appear and then automatically block you off, because it wants to know if you are the one attempting to install QuickTime and not a piece of malicious software for example. In the above case simply click on the CONTINUE button to continue, or on the CANCEL button to cancel the installation process.
The next step registers QuickTime with the Windows Installer so that QuickTime can be uninstalled from the Programs And Features control panel, if need be. After that (Fig 1.8 onwards) the Installation Wizard (Set Up windows) guide you through the installation process.
In Fig 1.9 above you are taken to the License Agreement window where you must agree to the Terms & Conditions before continuing.
Read the License Agreement carefully. Although these tend to contain useless information, they usually
explain Copyright issues or Usage issues that clarify who can use the software and who cannot. So if,
for example, you are told that a certain piece of software is Free and/or Free To Use you may want to
clarify this by reading the agreement. Some installation wizards do not allow you to continue, by
fading out the CONTINUE button, until you have read (scrolled down) the license agreement. With
QuickTime, when you have read the agreement, if you agree with it simply click on the YES button to
continue.
In Fig 1.10 above, before clicking on the INSTALL button you might want to change the folder where QuickTime (and the rest of the installation folders/files) will be installed, currently in D:\Program Files\QuickTime\. If so, click on the CHANGE button and then select your preferred destination (installation) folder. Normally you would not change the installation folder though unless you were having trouble with the installation for example. With some bad installations reinstalling the software using a different installation folder can resolve the bad installation (technical: because the registry entries are then changed).
Also in Fig 1.10 above you have two tick options. One to put a shortcut icon onto the desktop and the other to install an Updater. An updater in general is normally either a piece of software or a scheduled task that is installed and then told to check the software's (i.e. QickTime's) server/website, periodically, for an updated version of the software (i.e. QuickTime) and/or updates for its components. This is okay in theory. Check if QuickTime and/or any of its components need updating and inform the user (you) if any updates were found on the Apple server/website. However. In practise an Updater can be running in the background for months before any updates are available, therefore wasting your computer's valuable resources (i.e. memory and services). In other words. An Updater is a task that is always running in the background checking, periodically, for updates. It is easier to check their website once a week, for example, for updates. Therefore, you might want to untick the AUTOMATICALLY UPDATE..... option before clicking on the INSTALL button.
The steps in Figures 1.11 to 1.14 are pretty straight forward. The green guage (progress bar) in Fig 1.12 is displayed while the actual copying, installation and registration of components is going on. When those processes have completed simply click on the FINISH button in Fig 1.13 to continue - At this point the installation process has completed. In Fig 1.14 you are offered the chance to upgrade to the Professional version of QuickTime, but as you are installing the FREE version just click on the NO THANKS button to continue. You can always go to the Apple website later and upgrade/buy QuickTime Professional from there.
When you launch (run) QuickTime, from its Desktop Icon for example, a message requester will pop up (Fig 1.15) asking you if you would like to associate
QuickTime with certain file types, as it has detected that one or more other applications are associated with one or more file types but not with
QuickTime. For example. If Windows Media Player is currently associated with the mp3 file type, QuickTime is asking you if it can be the default media
player for the mp3 file type. If you want this to be the case simply click on the YES button, but if you want things left the way they are now click
on the NO button. And if you do not want QuickTime to ask you this question all the time tick the DO NOT ASK..... option before clicking on the YES or
NO button.
The file type associations (known as MIME Types) are accessed, and changed, using Windows 7's
Set Program Associations control panel. If you use the MIME Types
button in QuickTime (Edit > Preferences > QuickTime Preferences and then Browser > MIME Settings) it will also take you to the Set Program Associations
control panel.
Microsoft product screen shot(s) reprinted with permission from Microsoft Corporation. As stated here by the Microsoft Corporation.
