Most of the Internet users download screensavers. With many sites offering screensavers, how does one select the right screensavers? Downloading any screensaver can harm your computer, because most of websites wrap screensavers with spyware and adware. Both of these additions can considerably slow down your computer speed. Here are few tips about selecting the right screensaver.
Select free - Internet offers two varieties of screensavers. One that will cost you and the other that is free. Try free. You will get a large collection.
Adware And Spyware - Please read the instructions before downloading. If anywhere, they have written, that some adware will be added so that they can offer you free screensaver please get away. Those who add spyware, don't mention it. Prestigious websites avoid using spywares. Take care about these two additions and you will be safe.
Designs - The latest variety is Video Screensavers in Flash. These are beautiful screensaver, not high in weight and look lovely. The three dimensional Variety may weigh quite a lot and will take away lot of hard disk space and also take much more time downloading. Search for screensavers designed with themes of nature such as - Clouds, Birds, animals, Beaches, Oceans, rivers, waterfalls, Leaves etc.Andd you can view them any time you wish. During Holiday, download specific Holiday screensavers and double your enjoyment of holidays at no cost. Screensavers are a easy way to relax on the computer. Whenever you feel tired or tense, click one and watch it for some time. It will take your tiredness away.
There are many websites online that offer free screensavers for download. The question remains though, are those screensavers safe? By downloading and installing these so called free screensavers will any harm come to your computer? This is a legitimate concern, which needs to be addressed before any user even thinks about installing a free screensaver.
There are several malicious programs which can come bundled with a free screensaver. These will mainly be viruses, spyware, adware, and toolbars. There are a few variations within these programs, but in the main they are considered undesirable, unless the user specifically requests them. And out of that list, the only one that you would even consider installing would be a friendly toolbar. But more on that later.
Below is a brief run-down of each type of malicious programs that you would want to avoid:
Viruses: These must be avoided at all costs as they can detrimentally harm your computer, often to the point of losing unrecoverable data. If you are afraid of being infected with viruses, only download software from trusted sites where programs are verified and tested, such as at Download.com. Download.com also host their own files, which means that software cannot be altered at a later date to include any viruses.
Spyware: These are programs which are used to unethically track and spy on your internet online activities. The data can then be sold to advertisers or used to change your browser and computer functions. Spyware is one of the worst type of bundled software, and can be difficult to remove.
Adware: Adware is a little less scary than spyware, though no less annoying to the average computer user. Adware programs will continually display popups and unwanted adverts while you are browsing. Sometimes you may not even realise that you have adware unless you notice an excessive amount of popups during your normal surfing (where there were no popups before).
Toolbars: Finally we have toolbars, which is a mixed basket. Some toolbars are actually quite useful, such as the Google Toolbar, or some that offer increased entertainment experience like the StumbleUpon toolbar. Having said that, there are other toolbars which are used as a means of displaying ads and are hard to uninstall. Some of these unwanted toolbars come bundled with free screensavers or software, often from some so called ?big name? companies.
It is extremely important that you do your research before you download screensavers. Read the Terms of Service, and Conditions of Use on the websites, as companies are required by law to inform users what they would be installing.
Make sure you read the fine print. Not just what is on the download page. Sometimes they will say ?No spyware?, but they do not mention anything about adware. Are you prepared to put up with some (or a lot) of advertisements for a free screensaver? Most people certainly should not.
Both Cd Mohatta & James Lunden are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Cd Mohatta has sinced written about articles on various topics from Halloween Costumes, Careers and Job Hunting and Family Concerns. CD Mohatta writes for ecards and online greetings, screensavers and desktop wallpapers. The topics of his writings include love, inspiration, holidays, birthdays, nature, religion and spirituality, success etc. You can have his writings on your desktop wi. Cd Mohatta's top article generates over 1220000 views. to your Favourites.
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