How to Avoid Downloading A Virus On Limewire

Limewire is a popular peer-to-peer sharing network in which you can download songs, pictures, and all types of media. However, there are some people who upload viruses onto Limewire so that they can phish your information and hack into your personal accounts. Aside from the fact that Limewire is in the center of controversy over the legal implements of illegal downloading - people still use it and people do and *will* get a virus if they are not careful. So, if you are going to use it, here are some ways to avoid downloading a big bad virus to your computer.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. 

   KNOW WHAT YOUR LOOKING FOR. When you use Limewire, you should have something in mind as to what you are looking for. Example: If your looking for a song - be very specific. Type the actual name or artist into the search bar to avoid coming across "fakes."

2. 

   LOOK AT THE SIZE OF THE FILE. This is a very common mistake people make when downloading from Limewire. Some people don't really pay attention to file size, but you should. Say you are trying to download a game. You already know that at least *half* of the files are viruses. You know it's going to be a bigger file with bigger MB. Well, PAY ATTENTION! You should never download anything smaller than 5MB if your looking for any type of media file. A game, a song, a picture - 5MB is too small and will only give you a big virus on your computer.

3. 

   LOOK FOR MISTAKES. Spelling mistakes in filenames is a dead give away from a virus or potentially harmful file. Many sneaky people out there will try to grab your attention with filenames spelled in different ways. Say that you are looking for the game "Scrabble". You see lots of results with misspelled words such as "Scabble" or even spelled the ALL CAPS or LiKe ThiS. This usually indicates a file which may be a virus and you shouldn't download it.

4. 

   LOOK AT THE TYPE OF FILE. This is another rule of thumb when downloading or file sharing from ANY source - look at the file type. If you are trying to download a song, the file extension should be .mp3, mp4, or .wav. It should NEVER have .exe at the end - unless you are trying to download a program or software.

5. 

   LOOK AT THE LENGTH. Depending on your internet speed, you should pay attention to the downloading length. If you are downloading music and usually it takes you 10 seconds to download it and all the sudden it takes you 5 minutes, you ultimately know it's not the right type of file.

6. 

   USE YOUR ANTI VIRUS. Yes, that's right! That's why you have a anti virus on your computer! Scan each file individually to make sure it doesn't include any nasty add-on such as spyware or malware. All you need to do to scan the file is to left-click the file name, and go down to where it says "scan for viruses". This can save a lot of headaches and worry!

Tips & Warnings

• Be very careful.

[missnye]

on 11/18/2009 very valuable info. *****

[survivoryea]

on 11/2/2009 Really good tips for limewire and any web site - thanks