subject: Free Movie Downloads Often Will Be Carrying Bad Viruses [print this page] The internet is full of websites that offer free movie downloads, and yes - it's true you can find just about any movie you want if you look long enough. They can range from cute rated "G" flicks to those you wouldn't want to watch with your grandparents. But you have to be careful - especially these days - in looking for sites that offer the latest and greatest at no cost to you. Sometimes "something for nothing" is nothing you want. So here are a few tips to keep in mind when web surfing, that could save you from experiencing "computer home theater" regret:
Make sure free actually means "free" - No one looks forward to getting hit with the unexpected reality that "free movies" really means a free TRIAL membership they didn't want. This is especially irksome after they've spent the last hour on some endless form that supposedly gains them access to no-cost downloads. Then add in the fine print telling them they're expected to pay for three months in advance before they can get access to any movie, and that person wants to scream - to say the least.
To prevent this from happening, search the internet with key words like "totally free movie downloads". This should bring up any sites that are really offering free movies and free membership sign-up. This will save you a considerable amount of time, and annoyance, in wading through deceptive advertisements.
Be prepared to run into snafus everywhere - Once you actually find a free film site, the next job is to locate a download link that will get you what you want. Although sometimes you can find one immediately, and it goes off without any problems, most of the time you'll have to put in some leg work to get it. You may run into things like broken download links, or ones that lead you to other sites so you can purchase their "free" movie torrent program, or worst of all - to the announcement that the page you want is no longer available.
Be sure you know what type of operating system you're on before you click a download - When you finally get to the download section for your movie, you may be asked to select a specific one based on your computer's operating system. Make sure you pick the right one, or your computer won't be able to read the data code, and could even freeze up - leaving you back at square one.
Use a portable flash drive - Because of the many viral and hacker threats to computers systems and personal information these days, always use a flash drive to download internet goodies whenever possible, and be sure to scan each of them before viewing what they contain. This is especially important if your computer doesn't already have a good virus counter-attack program installed on it.
It's smart to make it a practice of saving anything from the internet to a portable flash drive - especially things like movies - and then scanning it for any errors before opening it up on your computer. If you don't have access to one of these drives, then save the file to a folder on your computer's hard drive, making sure to scan it before attempting to view the contents.
When you find those sites offering free movie downloads, be aware that they don't always mean "free" in the literal sense. Many an internet surfer has jumped to accept something they thought would cost them nothing, only to find out that they'd be paying for it in more ways than one, somewhere down the road.
