How to Use FrostWire Without Any Viruses

FrostWire allows you to download images, songs, videos, documents and other files using an online peer-to-peer community. Since the contents are shared entirely by other members of the network, you can never truly know where your files originate. As a result, you must remain careful in order to avoid viruses. You can protect yourself on FrostWire by downloading files selectively and making the right settings adjustments.

Instructions

1. Open FrostWire. If using Windows, click the "Tools" menu at the top of your screen and select "Options." If using Mac OS X, click the "FrostWire" menu at the top of your screen and select "Preferences."

2. Click "Filters" in the left column of your "Options/Preferences" window. When you see the options expand below, click "Junk."

3. Click the bubble beside the words "Do not display junk." On the "Sensitivity" bar, drag the slider to the right with your mouse, toward the word "Strict." This will filter out most bad and potentially harmful search results, as members of the FrostWire community regularly mark suspicious and potentially harmful files as "Junk" by right clicking them and selecting "Mark as Junk."

4. Click the "Keywords" tab in the left column and select the boxes that read "Ignore Adult Content" and "Ignore .htm/.html Files."

5. Click "Advanced" in the left column and then select "Firewall" from the expanded list. In the "Router Configuration" section of your window, select "Use UPnP." Click "Apply in the lower right corner of your window to save all of your changes.

6. Ignore all files in your search results containing the extension ".exe." Viruses are commonly spread through these types of files, so avoid them at all costs. Also avoid any files with unfamiliar extensions, and stick with formats that you know well, such as MP3, WAV, JPG and TXT.

7. Search for files using the "Creative Commons" filter. In your "Search" window, click the "License Type" box and select "Creative Commons." This will protect you from most illegal copyrighted material, further reducing the likelihood of potentially malicious files.

References

• FrostWire: How Does the Junk Button Work?
• FrostWire: How Can I Prevent My Children from Seeing Adult Content in the Search Results?
• Creative Commons: FrostWire's Creative Commons Focus

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish
• FrostWire