Software is any program that runs on your computer. Windows is an example of software, as are Outlook Express, Netscape, Internet Explorer, Microsoft Office, and any thing else that needs to be installed on your computer and comes on floppies or CD-ROM's.

There are several things that you should be aware of when downloading software.

• ALWAYS be certain that what you are downloading is virus-free. You don't want to take a chance that what you are downloading could potentially have a virus in it and could really cause problems on your computer.
• Make sure that you know how long what you are downloading will take to complete. You don't want to unwittingly tie up your phone line for hours upon hours unexpectedly.
  
  

Download Assistants

What if a download goes awry? What if it suddenly just stops right in the middle of the process? What if you have to disconnect while a file is downloading? You might wish to try these download assistants to save your time and sanity:

• GetRight helps to schedule and resume broken downloads. This popular program runs in the background and does the downloading for you, and can be configured to redial when disconnected, shut down the computer after downloading, and more.
  
  
• Netscape's Communicator Suite comes with something called "Smart Download", which enables you to resume a broken download anytime afterwards.
  
  
• Go!Zilla, another download-resuming program designed to work on a Windows 95/98 machine and with either Netscape (if you don't have Smart Download) or Internet Explorer.
  
  
• CoffeeCup Free FTP Free FTP utility that resumes broken downloads.