Free Downloads Troubleshooting

Reader Question:
“Hi Wally, I am having problems with Free Downloads and wondering how to fix it?“ - Jesus W., New Zealand

Before addressing any computer issue, I always recommend scanning and repairing any underlying problems affecting your PC health and performance:

Step 1 : Download PC Repair & Optimizer Tool (WinThruster for Win 10, 8, 7, Vista, XP and 2000 – Microsoft Gold Certified).
Step 2 : Click “Start Scan” to find Windows registry issues that could be causing PC problems.
Step 3 : Click “Repair All” to fix all issues.

Setting up weekly (or daily) automatic scans will help prevent system problems and keep your PC running fast and trouble-free.

Wally’s Answer:

Overview of Free Downloads

Free downloads are offered by retailers, software creators, and regular Internet users for various reasons. Retailers of items like e-books offer free downloads of books that are no longer under copyright, as well as those that are distributed by the authors under a free or Creative Commons license.

Software creators and distributors will offer free downloads of some of their software, often in an effort to encourage consumers to purchase full, paid versions of the software. Some Internet users set up entire sites focused primarily or only on free downloads of various items, whether it is software, coupons, or some other item that is being offered for free. These sites use free downloads as a draw; they hope to make money through displays of advertisements.

One of the best ways to identify a site that offers free downloads is to enter the item being sought into a search engine and adding the word “free” to the search. This will return sites that may offer free downloads of the item in question, or perhaps free alternatives to a specific type of software or program.

What Problems are Associated with Free Downloads?

Free downloads are popular because they are “free”, but ironically, sometimes come at a heavy cost in the form of malicious software that comes along with them. Some sites that feature free downloads will guarantee that everything downloaded from their site is tested for and free of spyware, malware, and viruses. Not all sites that have free downloads have the ability to do this, however, so caution is always advised.

Most software makers and distributors, as well as those of other free downloads, do not attempt to place malicious programs on your computer, but in some rare cases, this is the case. A good firewall and antivirus program can often catch these malicious elements before they are downloaded.

Some software featured on sites that provide free downloads is often only a trial version of the software and requires that the user purchase the full version to realize the full benefits of the software. Most free trial software will stop working after a certain period of time, a number of uses, or some other usage factor unless the software is paid for.

A good practice when seeking free downloads is to only download from well-known download sites, or software vendors who are reputable and trustworthy.

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Is Your PC Healthy?

I always recommend to my readers to regularly use a trusted registry cleaner and optimizer such as WinThruster or CCleaner. Many problems that you encounter can be attributed to a corrupt and bloated registry.

Happy Computing!

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About the Author

Wally PhillipsWindows Wally is a helpful guy. It’s just in his nature. It’s why he started a blog in the first place. He heard over and over how hard it was to find simple, plain-English solutions to Windows troubleshooting problems on the Internet. Enter: Windows Wally. Ask away, and he will answer.