Free Screensavers|The Best All in One Place…
Nov
29
Filed Under (Free Screensavers) by
Ken Kollenberg asked:
There are many websites that give away premium screensavers absolutely ‘free’. But beware: while the screensavers may not cost you any money, they may cost you your sanity!
Indeed, most ‘free’ screensaver programs on the internet are bundled with annoying adware and toolbar software that are installed with the screensaver. While this additional software is not necessarily unsafe, it can become quite annoying: you may notice popups and other shady advertisements while using your computer.
For example, I once downloaded a ‘free’ screensaver from Freeze.com. Upon completing screensaver installation, I noticed that my homepage in Internet Explorer had been changed, toolbars were added to the interface and other unwanted software had been installed: Weatherbug, Winferno Registry Cleaner, Smartshopper and who knows what else. Other companies whose products I have tested also present popup advertisments based on my web surfing behavior.
To avoid getting undesirable software bundled with screensaver programs, thoroughly read the terms and conditions of use which are usually presented before installation of the software. Take special note of any fine print!
It is also a good idea to type the company or domain name of the screensaver site into any search engine such as Yahoo or Google. If a website offering the free content has annoying or dangerous software bundled with their product, you should see this information within the top 20 results.
Finally, always rely on common sense when downloading any software programs online. If you find a free, high quality software product that seems too good to be true, then perhaps it is.
CLAIR
There are many websites that give away premium screensavers absolutely ‘free’. But beware: while the screensavers may not cost you any money, they may cost you your sanity!
Indeed, most ‘free’ screensaver programs on the internet are bundled with annoying adware and toolbar software that are installed with the screensaver. While this additional software is not necessarily unsafe, it can become quite annoying: you may notice popups and other shady advertisements while using your computer.
For example, I once downloaded a ‘free’ screensaver from Freeze.com. Upon completing screensaver installation, I noticed that my homepage in Internet Explorer had been changed, toolbars were added to the interface and other unwanted software had been installed: Weatherbug, Winferno Registry Cleaner, Smartshopper and who knows what else. Other companies whose products I have tested also present popup advertisments based on my web surfing behavior.
To avoid getting undesirable software bundled with screensaver programs, thoroughly read the terms and conditions of use which are usually presented before installation of the software. Take special note of any fine print!
It is also a good idea to type the company or domain name of the screensaver site into any search engine such as Yahoo or Google. If a website offering the free content has annoying or dangerous software bundled with their product, you should see this information within the top 20 results.
Finally, always rely on common sense when downloading any software programs online. If you find a free, high quality software product that seems too good to be true, then perhaps it is.
CLAIR
