To download a program
from a website, first create a folder named
Downloads
as follows:- double click
My Computer
. Double click
My Documents:
click
File
then click
New
. Click
Folder
, a new folder will appear with the name New folder high-lighted. Type the
name
Downloads
to replace the name New Folder, and then press the
Enter
key.
Close down the
My Computer
window. Connect to the website which is offering the download and follow its
instructions. Then use
My Computer
to locate the file you have downloaded in the
Downloads
folder.
To install the program or file, usually, you
double click the downloaded file
to install it. If the download is a zip file, unzip it with the free Winzip
program.
For a list of 200 safe legal music retailers
such as wippit.co.uk, Tesco, MSN Music Club UK, Napster, Wanadoo, etc go to
www.pro-music.org/musiconline.htm
These sites may charge a reasonable fee (from 40p per track) for downloading
music, but they are safe and they guarantee the sound quality. You can even
find safe legal music sites which are free, search the name of a favourite
musician or group, or find a label's own site, but do be careful.
Downloading free music:
I often have to repair computers infected with Malware (Trojans, Premium
rate Diallers, and HiJackers). The repairs can be lengthy and costly. The
cause is nearly always children illegally downloading free music. Malware
can also arrive through pornographic websites. All P2P (Peer to Peer) sites
offering free music downloads seem to be in league with sick minds spreading
dangerous infections and pornography. For instance Kazaa (now closed down)
was linked with Altnet which can hijack (take control of) Internet Explorer
and Outlook Express.
A recent USA government study
searched on Kazaa for pop singers, smileys and cartoon characters. Half
of them contained some form of pornography. Some illegal music websites
claim they now have a 'Family Filter'. However, you should not trust
sites involved in illegal P2P activities such as Kazaa, Grokster,
LimeWire, GTK-Gnutella.
Even 'paid-for' music and video have been exploited by criminals. Never
use 360share or Ultimate Movie Downloads, they are expensive scams.
Pop-up messages and adverts
are symptoms of infection. Malware can slow your computer to a crawl.
Anti virus programs are not designed to detect Malware, nor can they
delete most Trojans. Hijackers are difficult to remove. Registering at a
P2P site may commit you to unwittingly agreeing to act as an illegal
distributor of spam and pornography.
The only safe absolutely way to prevent infection
from P2P sites is never to download free music. The cost of repairing an
infected computer far outweighs the savings made by stealing music. The
British Phonographic Industry claims that parents have been fined huge sums
for allowing children to upload illegal music. The charity Childnet
International has a pamphlet titled 'Young People, Music and the Internet';
it can be viewed, or downloaded, or it can be sent by post; log on to
www.childnet-int.org/downloads/musicLeaflet.pdf
