Fig 1.0 Click on the DOWNLOAD FREE REALPLAYER SP button to continue
| INSTALL REALPLAYER |
RealPlayer is a universal, multi-platform, media player that can play every major media type, including Flash, Quicktime, MPEG-4, Windows Media, DVDs and CDs. It has a built-in media web browser and allows you to transfer videos from thousands of web sites to your iTunes library. And much more.
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 RealPlayer (called RealPlayer SP) you must go to the RealPlayer website and find the RealPlayer download link. After finding it use the following instructions to guide you through the installation process.
After clicking on the DOWNLOAD FREE REALPLAYER SP button you will be taken to the Trial Pay web page (below) whereby you are then given three main choices. Choice 1) Get RealPlayer SP Plus (the full version of RealPlayer) for free via Trial Pay - You pay for other products/services in order to get RealPlayer SP Plus for free. Choice 2) Pay for RealPlayer SP Plus as normal (i.e. with Credit Card). And choice 3) Continue to download the free, limited but still useful, version of RealPlayer (RealPlayer SP).
After clicking on the FREE DOWNLOAD button a security requester will appear, asking you if you want to RUN (execute/launch) or SAVE the realplayer 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 (Real). If you do either click on the RUN button (to download and then execute/launch the installation wizard) or click on the SAVE button (to save (download only) the installation wizard). In this example click on the RUN button to continue.
The installation wizard in this example is a separate download from the actual, realplayer, software. This is because the software and the installation
wizard have not been built side-by-side, as one file, for downloading like years ago. 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 big 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).
At any time throughout the installation process you can click on the Cancel button, if a Cancel button is available of course. However. 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.
After clicking on the RUN button the installation wizard (set up file) begins to download, into the Temporary Folder. This is because that is what the
installation wizard is, a temporary file that has one or more quick tasks to carry out (i.e. eligibility checks) before it downloads the actual,
realplayer, software.
When the installation wizard has finished downloading and is then checking for eligibility Windows 7 pops up a UAC (User Account Control) security requester. Simply click on the CONTINUE button to continue.
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 RealPlayer the UAC security requester above automatically blocks you off, because it wants to know if you are the one attempting to install RealPlayer 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.
After clicking on the uac security requester's CONTINUE button the installation wizard will then begin the preparation for downloading the actual, realplayer, software.
The first major window to appear from the installation wizard, before downloading the actual software, is the License Agreement window. Read the License Agreement carefully (below) as it explains the Terms & Conditions of using RealPlayer. If you agree to its Terms & Conditions, click on the ACCEPT button to continue.
Although license agreements tend to contain useless information, they usually explain Copyright issues and/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.
The above window has four tick options on it. The first one is asking you if you want to put a shortcut
icon onto the Desktop. A shortcut icon makes it easier to launch RealPlayer, as you only need to double
click on its desktop icon. By unticking this option you might need to launch RealPlayer in another,
more difficult, way. Although saying this, most programs these days add an icon to the Start Menu
and/or Quick Launch Taskbar anyway.
The second tick option is asking you if you want to put a Free Games & Music Link shortcut icon onto
the Desktop. When you double click on it it will link to the RealPlayer website, where you can download
Games and Music.
The third tick option is asking you if you want to add a Button to your web browser (i.e. Internet
Explorer) so that when you hover over a Flash Video for example (i.e. a youtube video) a DOWNLOAD
THIS VIDEO button will appear that enables you to download that video.
The fourth tick option is asking you if you want to make RealPlayer the default (normal) media player
for other video formats that are not currently associated with another media player.
You can change the destination folder for the RealPlayer installation if you want to, which is currently set to C:\Program Files\Real\RealPlayer\, by
clicking on the CHANGE LOCATION button and then selecting another folder (i.e. Documents), but that would be very unwise. Just leave the destination
alone.
One thing to note here is that even though the window states it will install onto my C:\ hard drive partition, where I am using the D:\ hard drive
partition, RealPlayer SP will actually be installed onto my D:\ hard drive partition.
After making your selection, by ticking and/or unticking the options, click on the NEXT button to continue.
The next window to appear (above) is asking if you want to install the Google Toolbar. While it is completely your choice, I would untick this option purely because they tend to be a waste of space. Windows 7 Gadgets, Security Software and The Internet in general can get you the same services (i.e. Weather Reports, Pop-up Blocker, etc) as offered by these kind of toolbars, so why slow down your computer with more of the same. Toolbars are okay for pop-up blocking but many toolbars these days want to give you a clock (look at your wrist watch), the weather (look outside!), a calendar (look at your computer or mobile phone) and other useless/time-wasting, resource hungry, components. Click on the NEXT button when you have decided!
After clicking on the NEXT button (Fig 1.8 above) the installation wizard actually starts to download and then install the actual, RealPlayer, software (above). When this is done the realplayer logo (welcome/brand) window will briefly appear (below) before you are asked which version of RealPlayer to install - RealPlayer Plus or Basic (Free) RealPlayer. In this example just select the BASIC REALPLAYER radio (circle) button to continue with the installation of the free version.
Clicking on the CONTINUE button finishes off the installation process, with regards to installing the free version of RealPlayer. However. There is one final step that must be performed before you can use RealPlayer, and that is the Account Sign-Up process. This basically means you need to fill in the following Account Sign-Up form, if you do not have an account with Real Networks already. If you do have a Real account, you can sign-in to that account instead by clicking on the ALREADY REGISTERED link. Otherwise, fill in the form and then click on its CONTINUE button to finalize this installation of RealPlayer.
If you have just signed-in to an existing Real Networks account, or just created a new Real Networks account (which is now active), either way RealPlayer is now open and ready for use. Having a Real Networks account will speed up future product orders, let you manage your Real e-mail options, view your billing history, personalize your RealPlayer and redownload products you have previously purchased....amongst other things.
In the above example I have gone to the YouTube website, using RealPlayer SP, in order to showcase realplayer's DOWNLOAD THIS VIDEO button. I searched YouTube for Paloma Faith's NEW YORK video and once I had found it I let it play. Whilst it was playing I hovered the mouse pointer over it until the realplayer DOWNLOAD VIDEO button appeared, which I then clicked on in order to download the video.
As you might of now guessed. RealPlayer is sometimes downloaded purely for its DOWNLOAD THIS VIDEO button opportunities, but this does not mean it is the best media player, etc on the market. Other softwares are creating "Download YouTube Video" buttons as well. And RealPlayer is not lightweight either. Years ago it used to be heavy on resources (graphics, memory and cpu usage), but these days it is becoming more resource friendly and therefore less resource intensive. On the plus side. It does stream audio/video nicely with beautiful, clear, sound quality.
Microsoft product screen shot(s) reprinted with permission from Microsoft Corporation. As stated here by the Microsoft Corporation.
