After a few weeks of using the Internet, hopefully you'll discover there's more than just Gordon Lightfoot song lyrics and Simpsons' sound files out there. There is also a huge collection of software and updates—as well as plug-ins, utilities, and drivers—to peruse and run on your computer. (Some more useful than others, of course.)

The million-dollar question is: "How do I get that software off the Internet and onto my computer?" It's a lot easier than you might think, provided you have the right tools. So let's get started.

Even if you're thinking, "Aww, heck, I know how to download software from the Net." Good for you! But here are tips I'm betting even you could learn a thing or two from: They'll help you download faster and in a more-organized fashion.

Now here's my Easy-Does-It-Downloading kit for those of you who have never downloaded and installed software from the Net before—and those who could stand a little brush-up.

Sipping Software Through a Straw

Here’s a secret: After you copy the files onto your computer, installing software from the Web is not much different than installing it off a CD-ROM or floppy disk. It's getting these files onto your computer in the right format that may cause you some trouble. So let's start there.

A great first download to cut your teeth on is an "unzipping" utility. (It is possible that you have one on your computer already, but you may want to get the current version.) On the Internet, multiple files are often compressed into one file so that they can be downloaded faster and in one swoop. This compressed file is often known as a "zip" file, because it has the file extension .zip. An unzipping utility decompresses the files -- and it’s an essential downloader's tool. Windows users should pick from either WinZip or PKZip, while Mac users are best off using Stuffit Expander. A great second tool is a virus checker. Virus scanning will cost a couple of minutes on each file, but could save hours of grief. If you're downloading from an unknown source it's essential.

Step One: Get Ready

Create a new folder on your computer to receive the files you will download. Then surf the Web (or check the sidebar to the right) to find the software you want. Locate the link that will begin the download process. (Note to AOL users: If you get the "invalid handle" error when you click a download link, try right-clicking (Mac users, click and hold) and selecting "Save File As..." from the pop-up menu.) Your browser will prompt you to choose a destination for the file it is about to download. Save the file into the new folder you created. When you click OK, the download begins.

Sit back and relax (or, if you're using a 14.4 K modem, grab your favorite Tolstoy novel) while the data is copied from the remote computer onto your hard drive. The speed of the download is based on Internet traffic and speed of the remote computer. It is possible the download rate will be much slower than the capacity of your modem. If any problems occur, or if the transfer stops midway for more than 3 or 4 minutes, click Cancel and try again.

When the download is complete, the dialog box tracking your download progress will simply disappear. You now have the software on your computer, and you can disconnect from the Internet.

Step Two: Install the Unzipper

Open the download folder you created and view the contents. Windows users, your new file probably will end with the extension .exe or .zip. (If you don't see extensions in Windows file names, check out this tip.) If the file you just downloaded ends with .exe, you can just double-click it to begin the software installation process. From this point, it is just like installing software from a disk.

If you started out by downloading PKZip, WinZip, or StuffIt Expander, double-clicking on the downloaded file will install these great utilities on your PC.

Now take a second look at the files in your download folder: You may now see a file called Readme. The Readme file contains information for installing the software and sometimes includes vendor contact information in case you have trouble. Double-click this icon to view the contents. If you are prompted to choose an application to use for viewing the file, select NotePad (Windows) or SimpleText (Mac). If no Readme is present, first look for a file called Install.exe to double-click. If no Install file is present, try Setup.exe instead. The software should take over at this point, asking you questions and putting the program files where they belong. When it’s all over, you should have a new unzipping program on your machine. Now you can go find more software to download! (The ZDNet Software Library has thousands of files to choose from—shareware, demos and freeware.)

Step Three: Unzip and Let it Rip

You’ll find that .zip and .sit files are pretty common on the Net. Once you've installed StuffIt Expander or a Windows unzip utility, the .zip files you download can be double-clicked to activate the unzip utility. A window will appear, displaying the contents of the .zip file with menus at the top. Search the menus for the Extract All option. When you choose it, you will be presented with a dialog box asking you to select another folder into which the new files will be decompressed. Go ahead and choose the same folder you created for the download in the first place.

Now the program takes over, and you’ll likely see a progress bar as the files in the .zip file are separated into their original, uncompressed versions. When this process is finished, you’ll probably have an installer program, such as Setup.exe or Install.exe, and a Readme file. Read the Readme first, then run Setup or Install—at this point, installing the program you downloaded from the Net is no different than installing software from a CD-ROM.

Congratulations! You now know how to download and install software off the Internet. If you thought you could waste a lot of time with Gordon Lightfoot and the Simpsons, you ain’t seen nothing yet!