There used to be a time when installing software in a computer means going through lots of CDs that contain the installer program of various applications. The process is fairly easy and quite convenient. However, there are instances when after reformatting your hard drive, you realize that you’ve already lost some of the optical medias that house some of your favorite software.

All is not lost, though. In fact, losing those CDs might have done you a favor as far as de-clogging your computer table is concerned. There are many software makers that already allow complete downloads of their products over their Web site. This saves you from having to wait for a few days for the spare installer disk to be thrown at your doorstep.

If you weren’t able to keep a list of the previous apps that you’ve had, you might want to visit www.filehippo.com. The Web site contains a compilation of various must-have programs that may be downloaded for free. Of course, the site excludes software that needs to be purchased, such as Vista.

Be careful when downloading anything from the Internet. Trojan-like malware which infiltrates registries abound in cyberspace. If your computer seemed to have slowed down after installing an application you’ve downloaded from the Net, then you might want to have your registry scanned and checked by a cleaner, such as RegCure. Many cases of PC slowdowns are attributed to faulty or compromised Windows registry.

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Installing applications, including operating systems, was a very daunting task before optical disks came along. I remember juggling around 14 floppy disks when I installed a 60MB game 15 years ago. Not surprisingly, software came in big boxes at that time. You could just imagine the shelf space that those programs take up. Some even rival that of bookstores!

Of course, installation dilemmas are already a thing of the past, as in Windows 95 past. You could now load gigabytes of data by just popping in a single DVD installer. Many software companies are even dispensing the disk altogether by providing the files online, enabling users to just download it.

Things are getting a lot more complicated, especially in the IT industry. Fortunately, there are still a number of things that are not getting too esoteric for those who want an uncomplicated life, be it the virtual or the real one.

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