Downloading applications - saving as volumes/disks?

[jess24]

I'm having an issue with downloading applications, it's been going on for a while, but it's starting to bug me. Whenever I download an application (say, Firefox, Skype, DivX or Flash Player), it saves the dmg as a disk/volume on my desktop. Like this:

I can delete these off my desktop, but whenever I want to open that application, it pops up again on my desktop. I like to keep my desktop as uncluttered as possible - how do I get these things off of it permanently without deleting the applications?

 

[Chef_eam]

Double click on the disk image, and when it opens, drag the icon for the application into the Applications folder. This will install the application and you will no longer need the disk image and can delete it.

 

[jess24]

Hmm, I just tried that and it didn't work. I "ejected" the disks, but when I opened the applications again the icons popped back up on my desktop.

 

[chas_m]

You are not installing your applications correctly.

Downloads like Firefox will come as a DMG file. Depending on how you have your computer set up, this should appear in your downloads folder. When you double-click on a DMG file (or if using Safari, it opens automatically) you get the actual disk image (as seen in your screenshot).

As Chef_eam said, you then drag the actual application to the Applications folder, then eject the disk image.

However, I think what YOU did is that you dragged the application from the disk image to the DOCK, creating a link to the *disk image,* forcing it to reload each time you call for the application. This is, of course, not correct.

Try this: remove the icon for Firefox from the Dock. Now navigate to your download folder, find the DMG file for Firefox, put it in the trash *and empty the trash.*

NOW drag the application from the Application folder to the Dock, creating a shortcut (the actual application will stay in Applications, of course). NOW when you launch Firefox it will work as expected.

 

[jess24]

Tried that also. My downloads seem to be saving all over the place, I had to spotlight search for them because they weren't in the downloads folder or any other folders I could think of. So I put the dmg files into the trash, and I get this error when I try to empty the trash:

This is happening for each application. None of them are in use. I even went to force quit to make sure they weren't open somewhere in the background that I couldn't see, and none of them were.

Edit: Nevermind! I got it to work. I hadn't ejected the disks (again) before I tried deleting the dmg files, but after I had it worked. Thanks for the tips!!

However, since the applications are not downloading properly, what do I need to change in order to make sure they do in the future?

 

[chas_m]

In your browser, set the place where you'd like downloads to arrive.

 

[harryb2448]

Suggest sending them to Downloads under the Home heading in your menu bar. Just double click on the .dmg file there and it will unarchive and mount the installation icon on the desktop and as you have learnt, open them and just drag to the Applications Folder.

 

[jess24]

Perfect, thanks everyone!