Adobe Acrobat Reader
The internet is a place for the exchange of information, but to protect the hard work of those who produce that information, documents are being produced in more protected formats.  The most common is the .pdf, a format viewable through Adobe Acrobat Reader.  Adobe Reader is available from Adobe's website.

To download, click here.  A new window will open where you can download this software.
 

Google Toolbar
One of the many additions to the world of computing over time is the inclusion of the popup.  While there are many programs out there that block popups, most either cost money or come with spyware of their own to support them.  Google Toolbar appears to have none of these issues.

To download, click here.  A new window will open where you can download this software.

Note:  Google's toolbar requires that Internet Explorer be shut down before the completion of the installation, so if you need these instructions, you should considering printing them.

Windows Cleanup
Every web page we go to has pictures, text, links, all of the basic pieces of a web site.  Some of these items are downloaded to our computers and saved as "temporary" Internet files or cookies (if you log in to a website.)  These files are temporary, but not until you remove them.  Some spyware and virus activity occurs in these files, hiding behind them until they can install their software.  What makes it more complicated is that there are several locations that such files are saved.  Windows Cleanup is an excellent program for removing these items, both freeing up space and helping to rid yourself of some of the unwanted items that collect.

To download Windows Cleanup, click here.  A new window will open where you can download this software.
 

PowerPoint Viewer 2003
Many of the professors on campus use PowerPoint as a teaching aid, collecting useful notes into slides to move more efficiently through their classes.  At the same time, many of these professors give copies of the presentation through their individual web sites.  While some computers come with a full Office suite, some student computers only come with Word, meaning that some students can only take advantage of the PowerPoint presentations in class or in a lab.  Microsoft has released a product that allows people to view, but not create, presentations and it is available from the Microsoft Download Center.

To download, click here.  A new window will open where you can download this software.
 

QuickTime
One of the two more common movie players, Windows Media Player being the other, QuickTime is useful for viewing the occasional movie file that you will need to download for some classes, science being one.  It is bundled with iTunes, so if you have iTunes, you already have it.  QuickTime is available for download from Apple's Download page.

To download, click here.  A new window will open where you can download this software.
 

Firefox
Internet Explorer is not the only browser you can use to surf the internet.  There are others, such as Mozilla's Firefox, which are good as alternate browsers should a page not work in IE.  Firefox is a tabbed browsers, meaning that they open tabs within their respective windows, but don't clog your desktop with a mass of browser windows..

To download Firefox, click here.  A new window will open where you can download this software.
For instructions on setup, you may get them with pictures or without pictures.  The instructions without pictures are more printer-friendly.