The question this raises is where to save the downloaded setup files. If you don’t have the download, you might not be able to complete that second step. The instructions for a complete reinstall are pretty simple: reinstall Windows and then reinstall all your applications. The second most common scenario? Reinstalling an existing machine from scratch because of a bad malware infection, or because the hard drive died and you didn’t have a backup image. You’ll probably want to install the software on your new computer. The most common scenario for needing that download again is getting a new machine. If you routinely delete set-up files before saving them somewhere else, when it comes time to set up that program again, you might be out of luck. When you have physical media, like an installation DVD, you can keep it somewhere and grab it when needed. The issue is simple: if you ever need to set up the program again, you’ll need the setup program to do so.

I recommend you save that downloaded setup program somewhere before you delete it from your hard drive. If it were on a disc, you would eject it. After setup is done, it’s no longer required for the installed software to run. When you run the downloaded setup program, it copies the software onto your hard disk. While the distribution model is different - downloading a file rather than receiving a disc - the method hasn’t changed much at all. After setup was complete, you removed the discs and began using the new software on your machine. You would run the setup program from the disc, and the software was copied onto your computer. Setup files and packages downloaded from the internet are just like the original installation media you received back in the day when you purchased software in physical form.Īlmost all software used to be sold and distributed on CD or DVD media (or floppy disks, if you go back far enough). Downloaded setup files are like installation media Like installation media, though, you should keep them somewhere safe, in case you need to run setup again and the download is no longer available from the original source. Once used, they can be deleted without harm to the application. Downloaded setup files are the new installation media.

Should i delete quicken software