It costs nothing to download a freeware and hence it is downloaded by a number of people. Freeware is like any other software that can be downloaded from internet, but free. Every freeware is some kind of a utility providing some specific functionality to the user. It is not a rocket science to install the freeware. Simple read me files and user friendly installation wizards make it very easy to install them.
It is not uncommon to get a Spyware along with a freeware. You certainly get the freeware for free, but it can also come with a troublesome package with it. Downloading freeware with no recognition or authentication is a risky proposition. Spyware is very dangerous software to have in your PC. It is known to broadcast your important data to remote locations. You may end up sharing your passwords and other information with unknown people. It is therefore a very important thing to be careful before downloading any freeware. Following are some of the points that you must take into account before downloading and installing any freeware.
If the freeware manufacturing company is reputed and reliable, you could safely download it. You must therefore do a serious research about the company. Check out the previous track record and market image of the company. A good company with good market image is certain to develop reliable and authentic freeware.
You must do a rigorous research on the freeware product that you look to download. Many people must have shared their experiences on forums, blogs and other communities, about this freeware. This information would give you a lot of idea about the credibility and performance of the freeware. You must collect a lot of information and not get carried away by just one positive review. Only once you are satisfied with the review should you download it.
One of the finest ways to check the credibility of the freeware is to check if it is listed on any of the reputed software download websites. No reputed website would list a freeware that contains any Spyware. Once you have assured that the freeware is listed in the list, you can download and install it. However, in case you do not find it listed on any of the reputed websites, you must not download it until you have verified it further.
Do not skip the terms and conditions page, but read it carefully. You might get a significant amount of clue about the authenticity of the company. You should however not completely depend on this tactic. After all, any page can easily be faked. There is no harm in reading through the page though.
Make sure that you have an anti Spyware installed on your system, before you opt to install any freeware at all. The anti Spyware can guard your PC against Spyware, if found. It is very important to have the latest version of anti Spyware installed on the PC, for an older version may not be able to identify a newer Spyware.
So, is it worthy to install a freeware? It certainly is. However, you need to be smart enough while validating a freeware for its credibility. It needs you to do a rigorous research and be 100% assured about the freeware before clicking the download link.
Susan Reynolds is a content editor for a leading Spyware Removal Software brand. For more information visit: http://www.spywareremovaldoc.com
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Mon, Mar 15, 2010
Spyware