I have downloaded and installed the basic 0.48.5 Inkscape program. Many of the "save as" options do not seem to work. This makes me think that I need to download and install additional elements. What should I download and where do I find all of these downloads? In the Help info I found a link but it did not work.

Welcome to InkscapeForum!

Did you really download 0.48.5, or is there a typing mistake? 0.48.5 is a developmental version, so indeed, it may not function properly. Usually a dev version would be functional, but not necessary at any give point when you download. Although having said that, I can't actually find any files for 0.48.5.

The current stable version is 0.48.4 and is fully functional, all by itself. Which Save As options are you having trouble with? OOhhh, you mean you're trying to save a certain file format, and it won't work? If you need to save a file under certain format, it's possible you might need to download something else. See this topic for more info: viewtopic.php?f=5&t=820