If you can see it on the desktop, try double-clicking the icon. You might get a question window asking if you want to run the file or display it's contents. Choose run. If that doesn't work, go back to the download page and follow the Installation Instructions link. It's quite lengthy.

Cheers

Well, just a remark that may be of future interest. Installing the driver from ATI is rather inconvenient considering that it needs to be reinstalled every time that the kernel is updated. It's far easier to leave all that to your updater.
I would simply edit xorg.conf to use the vesa driver for now, that should always work, then reboot or hit ctrl + alt + backspace and ubuntu should then offer to install the proprietary ATI driver for you. The best thing about this approach is that it will keep doing every time your kernel updates.

I tried double-clicking and egrep said it couldn't open it, asked "was it a binary"? Tried hitting Ctrl+Alt+Backspace and Ubuntu rebooted, but the only thing I got when it was done was the UpdateManager asking if I would like to install the 22 updates it found (none of which was the Ati Driver install package). I can see it on the desktop, and know it is 51MB +/- and if I right click on it I'm given the option of "opening with", but I don't know what to open it with.

Hopefully I'm learning as I go and won't need to ask these questions the next time I try!

Larry

Not true. You probably also believe that recycling one's sandals will save the earth. You are however correct that updating a kernel could affect a system, but that does not mean you should cry out and say "the sky is falling".

I've installed the ATI driver, updated my kernel, and yet all still works. I have learned that there is generally no practical reason to update a kernel unless you believe in voodoo. Once a system is working to your satisfaction, "lock" it down. If your system contains state secrets, then maybe, just maybe, you should think about protecting it with updates. Kernel updates generally contain minor bug fixes and additional support for "new" hardware.

You know, there are folks who are running brand new hardware too. If you skip the kernel updates, there's no way you'll ever get all of it to work properly if some component is not recognized from the start. I am still waiting for a few of those so it's far from being voodoo.

And claiming that a driver will keep working after a kernel update is a bit dubious, to say the least. Maybe look around here on LQ or elsewhere on the net, you'll find plenty of newbies scratching their hair because, hey, I updated my kernel and now my video card doesn't work anymore, wtf???

Thanks for quoting me. However you probably should have read and quoted this too:

"Once a system is working to your satisfaction, "lock" it down"

To be honest, Larry, installing proprietary drivers is a bit out of my league, and the best I can do is point you back to the download page to follow ATI's step-by-step instructions. As a precaution, I'd also like to reiterate my earlier statement:

I'm a firm believer in the old adage, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it". And as you can see from other posts, doing so can be highly debatable.

Cheers