Windows 7: Saving program

I downloaded Microsoft 2010 and I would like to save the whole thing in case I have to reinstall it. How do I do that? I have an external drive and am familiar with backing up the data, but not the whole intallation process. There was not an option to buy the CD;s of it.

is it an .iso file and a text file with a key?

It is an .exe file with a product key. It said you could reinstall it if necessary.

Just create a new folder on your external hard drive and give it a name such as Microsoft Office 2010 Installer and save the downloaded Office 2010 files to this new folder.

When you want to reinstall Office, connect your external hard drive, open your Microsoft Office 2010 Installer folder and look for a file named setup. Right-click this file and choose Run As Administrator then wait while Office 2010 is installed - you'll need your Office product key during the installation.

Initially you may save the installation files to an external HDD. But it is better in the long run to burn them to a CD/DVD with the CDkey on a text file saved along with the installation files.

This way even if one day your hard disk gets corrupted, or accidentally this program gets deleted, you will have a copy of the original program for reinstall. Save this disk in a safe place and try not to swap it amongst your friends.

Is this the installer file? If it is not, then I don't know where it is. After downloading it to the desktop, this is where it went and I think I installed it from here

That looks like the programs I have downloaded through my student account, so I think you got the right one. Right-click it, then left-click it on "properties" to check the size.

The reason I mention this is that a few of the programs I've downloaded saved a very tiny download manager file which takes you to the website where you download the real deal, which might then run automatically but be saved somewhere else - usually in your temporary files folder. If the size of the file in your screenshot is quite large then you've got the right one.

If this is the small one used for downloading the real program, the real setup files will be downloaded to a temporary location.

If the setup starts automatically, do not press next immediately. Stop at this point and search in your temp folder location, which is a default location for downloaded programs. Look for a folder with large number of files, browse through the folder and check any readme files, which gives information about Microsoft Office 2010.

Copy the entire folder rightaway to another folder in preferably D: drive (if only C: is there copy to User folder.

Now continue the setup and finish it. The reason for explaining the above method is that once the downloaded setup files complete installation, sometimes they get deleted automatically. This will give you a chance to get a copy before they vanish.

This method can be used for any downloaded programs from internet.

It is 61 kb - that is not big enough, is it. I cannot find windows 2010 anywhere else. I havent forgotten my password, just want to make the downloaded Microsoft windows 2010 into CD's or on my external hard drive in case I have to reinstall it at sometime. I think I can go to the mfg and pay more money to get the cd's, but I know where must be a way to do it myself.