There are many great products available for purchase and download these days for our personal computers. These include music, audiobooks, creative fonts, games and a variety of software. However, before you download something onto your computer, you need to make sure that the download won't infect your computer with a virus or malware. Here are some easy tips that can help keep you safe and secure.
It is important, first of all, to never download anything unless you trust the source. For some items, such as music from iTunes or downloads from companies such as Microsoft, you are probably very secure. However, other websites are less well known and possibly less secure. If the site is unknown to you, do some research and see if other people have downloaded items safely from this source.
File extensions also can be troublesome, and these are located at the end of every file and might look like .gif or perhaps .jpeg. There are many different extensions and often those that look like .exe, .doc, .scr and .bat can be malicious. However, anytime you download from a source you aren't 100% sure about, it is wise to scan the file first with your anti-virus program.
You might not realize it, but when you receive links in emails from friends or associates, these could potentially contain a virus or other malware. Often they are disguised as links to a funny video or an outrageous news story. It might appear to come from a trustworthy source, such as major news organization. However, if you hover over the link (without clicking on it) and look at the bottom of your browser screen, you will see its true location. What looks like it came from CNN or YouTube might come from a malicious site that is trying to hack into your PC.
Often when we are searching for something, such as a specific song or maybe a movie to download, we find a site offering the item for free. Copyrighted items, such as books, movies, music and games rarely are free and often these sites are offering illegal, pirated downloads. Not only are you breaking the law when you download illegally, often these sites are simply scamming you and what you are really downloading is malware. Never download from an untrusted site and if the deal seems too good to be true, it probably is fraudulent.
If your PC does become infected, removing the malware can be tricky and time-consuming, so it's often easier to simply call in a Portland computer repair expert to handle the job for you. GeeksAKnockin', for instance, offers computer support in Portland, computer support in Hillsboro, computer support in Gresham, computer repair in Beaverton and throughout the Portland area.
It is important, first of all, to never download anything unless you trust the source. For some items, such as music from iTunes or downloads from companies such as Microsoft, you are probably very secure. However, other websites are less well known and possibly less secure. If the site is unknown to you, do some research and see if other people have downloaded items safely from this source.
File extensions also can be troublesome, and these are located at the end of every file and might look like .gif or perhaps .jpeg. There are many different extensions and often those that look like .exe, .doc, .scr and .bat can be malicious. However, anytime you download from a source you aren't 100% sure about, it is wise to scan the file first with your anti-virus program.
You might not realize it, but when you receive links in emails from friends or associates, these could potentially contain a virus or other malware. Often they are disguised as links to a funny video or an outrageous news story. It might appear to come from a trustworthy source, such as major news organization. However, if you hover over the link (without clicking on it) and look at the bottom of your browser screen, you will see its true location. What looks like it came from CNN or YouTube might come from a malicious site that is trying to hack into your PC.
Often when we are searching for something, such as a specific song or maybe a movie to download, we find a site offering the item for free. Copyrighted items, such as books, movies, music and games rarely are free and often these sites are offering illegal, pirated downloads. Not only are you breaking the law when you download illegally, often these sites are simply scamming you and what you are really downloading is malware. Never download from an untrusted site and if the deal seems too good to be true, it probably is fraudulent.
If your PC does become infected, removing the malware can be tricky and time-consuming, so it's often easier to simply call in a Portland computer repair expert to handle the job for you. GeeksAKnockin', for instance, offers computer support in Portland, computer support in Hillsboro, computer support in Gresham, computer repair in Beaverton and throughout the Portland area.
About the Author:
Frankline Bell loves writing reviews on computer repairs and support companies. For further information about the best computer repair Hillsboro Oregon professionals or to find out more about Portland computer repair services, please check out the GeeksAKnockin website now.
No comments:
Post a Comment