I thought this was something I should write about after what I experienced yesterday I went to download a piece of Software online and ended up with a nightmare. Not only did I not get the software I was after but I was getting all sorts of popup advertisements. Then I had all these applications placed on my laptop and it did my laptop in. I found that I could operate it, and when I went to reboot it went black. Fortunately for me I have a sister who worked at one time in a computer lab and she was able to figure out the problem and helpped me delete the spam stuff. But I am still having some issues. I learned something the hard way that unless its a trusted source such as Microsoft think twice before downloading something from a website.
Yeah this is something that has happened to me before and I now only download something from a trusted website because sometimes when you download things from other websites they can be filled with viruses and such. Thanks for sharing this also.
This happen all the time even to torrent sites. What happen to me was worse that may computer crashed that I have to reinstall the operating system and start fresh. It happened for more than twice before I started learning linux just to make myself comfortable downloading things online.
I wouldn't advice against downloading free software. Best thing to do is download "Sandboxie" lightweight software that will save you a lot of trouble. Any time you want to download or test software, all you need to do is power up your sandboxed browser, download the software and it will automatically be saved in the Sandbox created by the software. Install it in the sandbox, use it and once you are done, discard it. Log In
I never torrent anymore, unless I cannot find what I am looking where anywhere else. And if I am going to torrent, then it has to be from a website that I trust. Even then there are risks involved, which I think is important to understand, even for the most seasoned internet users. I very rarely get infections or viruses these days. Years of using the internet has taught me what to look out for, what is trustworthy, and what looks suspicious. Plus, I did dabble in the hacking world, so that taught me a lot about how to think like an attacker, so that I now know how to defend my information and computer against attacks.
That's something to criticize in traditional Windows systems. When you are using Linux, you usually have a software center which features almost all programs that a normal user might need. By downloading from there you have the assurance that no virus will get to your system; by it being a part of the operating system program and not a random web site, malicious pop-ups are avoided. In Windows the tradition has been to go to any website and download to your luck. It is not the best policy.
Unfortunately, even once reputable sources such as CNet have started "bundling" other crap with the downloads from their site. The main thing to keep an eye out for is if they say anything about downloading the software with their "downloader" which is where they often bundle this junk in. Usually if you keep looking around carefully on the page you will see another smaller link with the option to download the program you want directly, instead of with their stupid "downloader" helper program which just puts adware on your computer. You also need to take your time and be vigilant about going through the installation process with any program you are installing. If it gives you an option for a "custom" installation, always choose that and go through each option carefully. That's where they usually sneak other stuff in and bury away the check boxes to opt of of it. Another sneaky trick is they will reverse the buttons and or use deceptive wording on them to trick you into accepting the installation of the extra bundled adware instead of declining it. Three other common programs you need to keep an eye out for when installing or installing updates are Java, Flash and Acrobat. They are all bundling some sort of crapware either from Ask.com or McCaffee with their "updates".
I was a victim of this too. I downloaded a free software from the internet and all I got was this annoying malware and adware that keeps on popping up whenever I use my laptop. What makes it worse was that it makes my laptop runs very slow I could even sleep on it. Good thing my husband knows a lot about computer and he managed to get rid of all those annoying things I got on my laptop. From then on, I haven't attempted to download anything. I would ask my husband first whenever I want to download something just to make sure whether it is safe or not.
Technically, it's not even unscrupulous tactics that are used to install malware onto computers through downloads of legitimate programs. There are add-on programs for most freeware, and then you have to decline them. If you hit agree through each one, then you're accepting the malware and accessory programs that you don't need. You have to read through what you're downloading before hitting agree on any of those pages.
I have been downloading software and movies and stuff for free over the internet and I did encounter some problems. I have downloaded some viruses before which bogged down one of my laptops. I had to have it reformatted in order to use it again. Now, I purely download from torrent sites. I read the comments first to see whether the torrent is safe or not. It's better to download from torrent sites.
I agree it really is best to do a lot of research on the software itself first as well as where you are downloading it from. I always check if the website is a reputable source and if I can't find any reviews for if then I'd just look somewhere else and unless I have no other choice I will not push further in trying to get it from that site specifically.
It's very annoying and you learn by trial and error which sites to use. Rather than click the big obvious download button which is usually the culprit, I read and click on a link instead. I do choose my sites carefully as some bloggers use this ploy to get people to click their links and what you think is a referred link (because they have indicated that) is in fact a different site.
I disagree. I think that one can run into a few problems with torrent sites. Even the most trusted of torrent websites can carry files that are binded together with a virus or some sort of adware or malware. I often run a Novirusthanks or virustotal scan on smaller files that I download from websites, prior to installing them on my computer or clicking them at all. The bigger files get ran through the anti-virus on my system.
Downloading things from the internet can be something really dangerous because if we get distracted and click in the wrong place we might end up installing virus or something like that. Adblock usually helps a lot to prevent this malicious advertising.
There are so many stuff free for download online that could totally harm your computer. Personally i do love to download just about anything but every time i decide to download something, i try to read the comments first and also i make sure that the site where it's from is legit otherwise it could be suspicious.
I didn't say that torrent sites are free from viruses. There are a lot of malware lurking in torrent files. That's why I said that I read the comments of users first before I download. Besides, it's a lot better to go to a trusted torrent site rather than an unknown site that offers free downloads but let's you answer a lot of survey questions first before you get your download. Having an anti-virus is definitely great and helps minimize threats.
Yes, you are right. When I do use torrents, and when I do it is as a last resort, because I cannot find the file elsewhere lol, I am always sure to read the comments. I HATE when there are no comments though, because you have nothing to go on, and it comes down to how bad you want the file/files that you want. I don't know, I find that half of the fun is feeling out whether or not certain websites are clean or not lol. I can always tell.
Yeah, I hate it when there are no comments in a torrent. It's like taking a leap of faith when you are downloading the file. I do take a look whether the one who uploaded the file has a good reputation. If it says it's from an anonymous person, I won't download the file. Still, when you're dealing with free files online, download at your own risk.
Do you have an anti-virus software system running on your system??? If there are no comments, I don't usually run the torrent downloaded file until it has been passed though whatever anti-virus I have installed on my computer at the time. I will look at the uploader's reputation too!!!
This is where a good anti virus software comes into play. If you have a good anti virus installed it will either block the suspicious files being downloaded or at least warn you about it. But it's also good to check the reviews first before you download anything.
