Downloading exe's. Are they needed after installation?

I recently downloaded Acrobat Reader 5.1: a 13 MB "exe" file. When it finished downloading, I double-clicked the file, and it installed the software in my C:/Program Files.

However, I thought I could delete the original downloaded file (which was called Acroreader51_ENU_full.exe and which I saved on a separate partition) because I assumed that it was just an "installer" that wasn't needed anymore (as was the case with other software I have downloaded).

However, when I tried to delete this file, the system wouldn't let me. I received the message "Access denied." Does this mean the file is necessary for Acrobat Reader to work properly?

I tried moving the file to another disk, but that would not work either. I also tried copying it, but it doesn't appear to copy everything (many properties that appeared in the original file were absent from the copied version).

I thought that the downloaded installer file - even if it is an .exe - was not needed anymore once it did its job and installed the software. Are some "installers" different? Can someone enlighten me please?

P.S. I was having trouble downloading the file Acroreader51_ENU_full.exe in Windows, so I tried doing so on my Mac (which worked). I saved it to a "shared folder" (a folder which the PC and Mac share). I never had problems moving or deleting files from this shared folder before, but could it possibly be a problem this time? (Maybe Windows thinks I don't have permission to move an .exe file...)

Have you rebooted, and then tried to access the file?

It should be only the installer that can be deleted/moved etc. after the install process. BUT, it may have left a little piece of itself running, after the install was complete.

Hi, WhitPhil. Yes, I've rebooted. The Acrobat Reader software works fine. I'm just perplexed about why the installer (I assume that's what it is) won't allow itself to be deleted or moved.

Adobe has lots of lil' fun things built in. Some of them "could" be classified as spyware imo. Have you looked in C:\Windows\Downloaded program file to see if it put an entry there? Also,look in Windows temp file for it. You may be able to reboot to safe mode and remove it from there. Unless you go to ad-remove and totally trash it,it doesn't want you to mess with it after install...Using Juoni's Reg Cleaner,on the software tab,you may also find a listing for Netscrape Navigator after installing Adobe too. I always check to see and remove it from there...:D

Big Oops on my part. :o

WhitPhil, you were right. I thought I had rebooted after installing, but I rebooted again and, lo and behold, everything works as you said. I was able to move and then delete that installer with no error messages.

You and Ridgerunr sound knowledgable in this, so here is my next question: Before I deleted the installer, I tried moving and copying it to a different disk. It did this without any error messages, but the file doesn't appear to be the same once it is moved or copied to a new location.

When I right-click on it for "Properties," many of the properties that appeared in the original file are missing.

Does this mean that I can't archive installer files on different disks or different media (because the act of moving/copying them changes them)?

In other words, if I double-clicked on an archived installer file (one that's been moved from its original download location), does that mean it could not reinstall the program and I would have to re-download the installer anyway?

I hope I've made myself clear. I guess my question in brief is: Is it worth it to archive (back up) .exe installers in case the program needs to be reinstalled? Will they still work?

You didn't say what changed in the properties when you moved the file.

I save all my d/l'ed install files onto another partition and burn them when I get enough.