When they ask if you want to RUN or SAVE this file, which do you want to do?

[raccoon]

I'm referring to when you download some software.

[Turbineguy]

1. Save it

that way you can vet it for malware and viruses.

[ManiacJoe]

4. Exactly.

Saving it also allows you to install it again if needed without downloading it again.

Now if it is something like Adobe's browser plug-ins, I will just install them directly.

[PoliticAverse]

2. If it is something you are installing from a site you trust then usually run.

If you want to keep it around for the future or want to scan it with anti-virus, anti-spyware,
anti-rootkit, or similar type software before beginning installation then save.

If you have no idea what it is or where it is from then neither.

[TreasonousBastard]

3. I always run it, assuming...

I deliberately downloaded something I want to run from a safe site. One less hassle.

If I need the file for some unlikely reason, it's happily sitting in a temp download folder.

[krispos42]

6. I second that.

With Firefox, you can click on the "download" arrow to see the most recent things downloaded in that session, then right-click and hit "Open Containing Folder" to find where the file of interest was stored; it will open up a Windows Explorer window for you.

[hobbit709]

5. Save first. Then run when download is finished.

If you tell it to install while downloading and there's a glitch in the download, it usually becomes a hassle.