Free & Safe v.s. Free & Not Necessarily Safe

There's a lot of software out there on the web, much of it "free".

Fortunately some of it is really free and it is safe (containing no worms, virus, spy ware, etc.) and may be incredibly good. Under the header Recommended, at the top left of this page, you'll find links to free software we believe is safe*.

However many so called free programs found on the web contain either advertising or far worse including viruses, malware, advertising and so on.

How do you tell the difference if you want to take advantage of the truly free products but not risk your computer (and yourself to problems that won't seem to quit)?

Your fundamental and basic step is to be sure you have a real (paid) virus checker and spyware checker that should also check for worms, adware and other infringements on your privacy or even upon your credit. Yes you can get free versions of security software too, but they are usually limited and often may fail to prevent some threats.

You can buy Norton Security, Microsoft OneCare, McAfee, or other name brand protection and install it on your computer before downloading any software. Properly installed and updated, that will prevent most (but not necessarily all) damage from the bad things that can attack your computer or steal your personal information.

A good first step is to visit Microsoft or Google or one of the name brand companies web sites and see what they offer free. Downloads from Microsoft or Google or Symantec, McAfee, etc. are reasonably safe even if you have no protection installed because they are legitimate companies offering reasonable care that their downloads (and download processes) are safe and secure.

Google, for example, offers some really great software including spreadsheet, database, word processor, presentation, image and photo management, absolutely free, and if you remember to unselect the check boxes to get on their mail list, you can get the software and avoid the mail lists.

Microsoft also offers some really great software, absolutely free, including software to check for some threats as well as offering a free online scan of your computer. Symantec (Norton) and McAfee also offer free online scans of your computer.

In summary, when you download, be sure you have commercial threat protection software installed before you download. Make your downloads from such companies as Google, Microsoft, Symantec, McAfee and the like which are the safest.

For links to these sites and free software click the Google image above or visit our free products and services web portal where we offer links to online virus scans, as well as the proper links for free software at Microsoft and Google.

* Please remember though, that no one, including us, can guarantee that you won't get some kind of bad software on your computer, but if you use reasonable care, the probability is very low that you will have problems.

Also if you get a virus, worm or other bad software and can't remove it properly, call us for help at the Largo, store or bring your computer in any time for service and a checkup.