Installing Applications...disk image?

When ever i install new software such as firefox, when i run the app a disk image pops up on my desk top and a little window opens before the app runs itself. Is there a way to stop all of this and just run the app as a mac app (through my harddrive)

http://s277.photobucket.com/albums/kk42/s_canter1/?action=view&current=Picture1.png


thats a picture of it

s_canter said:

When ever i install new software such as firefox, when i run the app a disk image pops up on my desk top and a little window opens before the app runs itself. Is there a way to stop all of this and just run the app as a mac app (through my harddrive)

http://s277.photobucket.com/albums/kk42/s_canter1/?action=view&current=Picture1.png


thats a picture of it

Click to expand...

With reference to your picture above :
Drag the firefox logo on the left onto the picture of the Applications folder icon. This will install Firefox. Now drag the Firefox disc image to the trash to eject it. You can also trash the dmg file you downloaded.
Now have a look in your applications folder and you should find firefox. This will run straight from your hard disk.

it worked, thanks a ton!

Disk Images (.dmg) are sort of like .zip files, they contain something in them, they are not the actual file in itself. When you dowload a .dmg with a program in it their is no install usually involved all you have to do is drag the app into the app folder or anywhere else on your Mac other than the DMG, and than you get rid of the dmg and you're set!

What exactly is the point of the icon appearing on the desktop anyway?

all mounted disks (which is what a dmg is essentially - a logical disk) show up on your desktop by default (and in the upper sidebar of finder).

it is what it is.

To learn more about installing applications, watch this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwbE8l9Fjrw