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Ask for help > "Safe" downloading of clip art, templates, etc.
"Safe" downloading of clip art, templates, etc.
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SueThom
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"Safe" downloading of clip art, templates, etc.
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I �m looking for advice from some of you who are far more knowledgeable than I when it comes to Internet use.
I often see links in posts on this forum to sites from which you can download clipart, backgrounds for PPTs, templates, etc. from other websites. There are many such sites on the Internet and for a lot of them, you must pay to download. Others are free.
I �m a little leery about the free ones, although the price is about what I can afford. 
I �ve been told in that past, though, that when you download free stuff, you often also unwittingly download malware, for example viruses; programs that track information about your computer use and sell it to others or "steal" personal information; and so on.
Are there tips you could give me to know how to select "safe" websites from which to download and avoid those that are likely to cause problems?
A list would be helpful, but websites start up and disappear so frequently that any list would soon be outdated. I �m more interested in learning, if possible, some basics regarding how to judge when it �s "safe" to download a border or piece of clipart and when it �s better to pass.
Thanks in advance for any help you can give me in this matter.
Sue
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4 Sep 2010
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perma
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Hi Sue! Most anti-virus programs today also have an internet security suite which monitors your on line activity and will warn you if a webpage or download is potentially harmful, before you open the page or start the download. Usually these security programs are not free, though. If you can �t find a free anti-virus with integrated internet security, you can try a free anti-virus plus a free firewall from a different publisher. HTH! |
5 Sep 2010
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baiba
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Hi Sue,
Here are my considerations.
I think the only way to be safe is to have a reliable anti-virus program in your computer, nothing else will protect your "machine".
You will not see any suspicious action about to happen when you are going to download something from the net. Malware is not anything you can detect with your own eyes.
You might be asked to tick some box before downloading sth, read what exactly you are offered. I �d rather avoid such things.
It is impossible to make a list of "safe" websites because viruses can affect ANY website at any time, even a website which was very safe an hour ago.
Just use your common sense and rely on providence!
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5 Sep 2010
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ueslteacher
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It doesn �t have to be malware. Most sites that offer free services have "cookies", which they send to your computer. I know what they are I �m just not sure I can explain it clearly. May be someone else here could explain it to you. Sophia |
5 Sep 2010
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