Downloading Cautions

Beware of that 'Freeware' you found in
your last		Search!

Downloading programs is not a bad thing in and of it self as long as you understand what you are doing. You must have an up to date anti-virus program running on your computer and in many cases, permission from your network administrator.

You will probably encounter problems if you are downloading software that is not written well, doesn't uninstall easily or comes loaded with spyware. Most of the software available is well behaved and won't cause problems. However, if you are downloading new things all the time, especially “free” software, it can potentially mess up your Windows installation, causing "illegal operation" messages, crashes and other slowdowns.

To protect yourself against potential problems, ensure that you always keep your important data backed up to CD or Zip disk. A program like DriveImage will actually copy your entire hard drive to an easily restorable archive file. Some software such as Norton CleanSweep can take a “snapshot” of your Windows registry and restore it to its former cleanliness if particular programs don't want to uninstall properly. Use programs such as Ad-Aware and BigFix to remove spyware and keep your computer up-to-date with the latest patches and bug-fixes. Check your computer for Trojans as well with SpyBot-Search and Destroy. If you are experiencing problems and slowdowns with your computer check out one of the free online virus scan tools: McAfee FreeScan or HouseCall. You can get an update on the latest virus threats from Symantec's Security Center.

Home users should take extra precautions when downloading anything from the internet. Your school computer is more than likely connected to a network with an advanced firewall and corporate virus scanning software which makes downloading safer. At home you are wide open to attack. If you are a Windows user stay current with any updates and patches by using Windows Update from your tool bar menu regularly. If you are running windows XP then be sure to turn on you Internet Connection Firewall, otherwise install a third party firewall. Zone Labs offer a free version of ZoneAlarm which is very good.