How to Install a Program — Safely
A new program can be useful. It can also be a trap with a pretty button. Today you will learn the most important thing: where a program comes from — and when to call an adult.
For parents: a one-page guide — dinner questions and the “5 questions before I install” card.
01Remember
Three questions from earlier lessons. Think first, then open the answer.
Where does a computer keep programs and files when it is switched off?
In storage (the disk). Working memory forgets when there is no power.
Why do we put files into folders?
To find them fast and not lose our work. A program is also saved on the disk and takes up space.
Who decides what happens on the computer at home — only you?
Not only you. Some decisions belong to the adult — for example, what gets installed. Today you will see why.
02Story
Many years ago a program was bought in a box — with a floppy disk or a disc inside. You could see the box and know where it came from.
Today most programs come through the internet. It is faster, but it is also easier for someone to slip you a fake program with a pretty button.
So the most important question is not “how do I install it?” but “where does it come from?”. Microsoft advises: download apps only from trusted sources, such as Microsoft Store.
03Worked example
You want a drawing program. Here is how to do it safely:
Ask an adult
Installing is the adult's decision. You tell them which program you want and why.
Look in the official store
On a computer with Windows it is Microsoft Store, on an iPhone or iPad it is the App Store, on an Android phone it is Google Play. A store is a place where programs come from one familiar address.
Check the publisher and the ratings
Who made it? Is the publisher well known? What do other people say? If something is unclear — we do not get it.
The adult presses “Get”
You watch and ask. Sign-in details and permissions are theirs.
If an administrator window appears
You stop. You say: “A window appeared that asks for permission.” The adult decides.
What about pirated programs?
A pirated (“cracked”) program is a paid program copied without its authors' permission. That is not fair to the people who made it, and it may be illegal. Also, such programs do not come from an official store but from unknown sites. And a trusted source is exactly the opposite of an unknown site.
We do not install them — ever. There are many free programs in the official stores.
04Try it now
1 · Predict
Where is it safest to get a new program? Choose before you check.
2 · Run: store or trap?
Choose a screen. Then click the parts of the drawing and see what they say.
3 · Change: the administrator window
Sometimes, while installing, a window appears that asks whether to allow changes. In Windows it is called User Account Control (UAC). Show it and choose what you do. Then change the publisher and see whether the answer changes.
05No screen: the “5 questions before I install” card
You need: a sheet of paper, a pen and (if you like) an adult next to you.
Draw the card and write the five questions:
- 1. Where does it come from? An official store or the maker's own site — not an ad and not a message.
- 2. Who made it? Is the publisher known?
- 3. Why do I need it? Did a teacher or parent say I need it?
- 4. Does it ask for anything strange? Money, personal details or administrator rights?
- 5. Did I ask an adult? If not — I do not install.
Read three made-up cases aloud and decide for each: “I ask an adult” or “no”.
- “Sketchpad” from the official store, with lots of ratings.
- “Computer Booster” from a pop-up ad.
- A paid game “free, with a crack” from an unknown site.
Stick the card next to the computer. The rule is simple: if you are not sure — stop and ask.
06Make your own
Draw on paper a made-up download page with four traps (address, big button, prize, “crack”). Give it to someone at home to find them.
- Tell them where you hid the traps only if they cannot find them.
- Show them the “5 questions” card too and explain why it is better to ask before you click.
07What I learned
- The most important question is “where does it come from?”. Safe: the official store of the device.
- A giant “Download” button, a prize and a “crack” are warning signs.
- A window that asks for administrator permission means: I stop and call an adult.
Before you let someone into your home, you ask who they are. What do you ask before you “let in” a program?
Check yourself
1. Where is it safest to look for a new program?
2. While installing, a window asks for administrator permission. What do you do?
3. A website shows a huge green “DOWNLOAD” button in the middle of an ad. What is likely?
It is yours when you can say where a program can safely come from and when to call an adult. No points and no rankings — just a skill.
08I have a question
Do you still have a question? Write it here. It goes to your parent, not to strangers. Your parent confirms their e-mail first.
The form is loading… If it does not appear, write your question on paper and show it to a parent or teacher.
·Sources
- Title: How to Install a Program — Safely (DB-RK-07) · Author: Children's Library, East Accelerator Foundation · Source: original content, 2026 · Rights: CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Microsoft Support: “Protect your PC from unwanted software” — “Download apps only from trusted sources, such as Microsoft Store” · checked 02.10.2026.
- Microsoft Support: “Get trusted apps and games from Microsoft Store” · checked 02.10.2026.
- Microsoft Learn: “User Account Control” — the window asks for permission when a change needs administrator-level rights · checked 02.10.2026.
- Google Play Help: “Use Google Play Protect…” — a safety check on apps from Google Play before download · checked 02.10.2026.
- Apple Support: “How to manually update apps from the App Store” — the App Store is the place for apps on iPhone, iPad and Mac · checked 02.10.2026.
- Microsoft, Windows, Microsoft Store, App Store, Google Play and Android are names of their owners; they are used here only to name things. The screens in this lesson are our own drawings.
- Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0 · Children's Library, East Accelerator Foundation, 2026. You may share and adapt this lesson if you credit the author and keep the same licence. Learning is free forever.