A lot of my friends have limewire and tell me how great it is. THe only problem is, I don't want to download a song and then find out that I have a virus. Can you get viruses easily from limewire or if I have Mcafe will it be ok? Basically, I want to know, if I use limewire, will it screw up my computer?
[ Answer this question ] Want to answer more questions in the Technology category? Maybe give some free advice about: Advicenators? areyouexperienced answered Wednesday July 26 2006, 1:10 am: Make sure to download Limewire from the official website limewire.com - If you choose another site to download the limewire program you risk getting malware bundled in with the good stuff. You can choose to pay for the PRO version or get the free version. Neither version is a malware risk, the PRO version just offers more features than the free one. I have the free version myself and I don't think the PRO version justifies the cost. After you install the limewire program on your computer is when you have to be aware of the risks that can result from sharing files with virtually ANYONE on the entire network. Make sure you read the set-up portion of the installation so you can choose which files/folders you'll end up sharing with other peers. If you're not careful you may share more files than you intend to. I recommend you share only the SHARED folder that limewire creates and keep only the files you want to share in this folder alone. This prevents the program from accessing any other information on your computer. THE FILES YOU DOWNLOAD WILL DETERMINE THE RISK OF INFECTION. In the first place, music files such as mp3 do not contain risk of infection, however some music files require you to download a license to open the file. I avoid any and all music files that require a license because this can actually download the very malware we're all trying to avoid in the first place. That said, I never ever ever infected my computer from mp3 files even after more than 5000 downloads!!! Other music file types that Microsoft has introduced such as wma have been said to be possible sources for malware. I'm not a software analyst but I know mp3 type files are the safe bet since they comprise almost 99 percent of music files on the network. That said, I only download mp3 type files that require no license. If you follow these few guidelines you'll be safe. If you don't believe me then you can take the extra step to scan EVERY mp3 you download with any anti-virus program BEFORE you open the file. I'd be willing to bet that you'll never get a virus anyway, but this may help you feel a little safer if you choose to do so. As I said, 99 percent of all file sharing is for music in the mp3 format and is harmless. The other one percent of files on the network are prone to infection if you download them and don't use caution and common sense. Nine out of ten files that are infected will be program files like exe. Sometimes files are compressed into zip format which do not reveal the actual contents of the files once they're unzipped and revealed. Therefore when you choose the download these types you should scan EVERY SINGLE file of this type with your anti-virus program before you install the file on your computer. I use the free version of AVG and I am able to scan even the zipped up files before I unzip them. You can even re-scan the unzipped files prior to installation if you want. If your anti-virus detects any malware, you can delete the file before you install anything you wouldn't want on your computer. Take a moment to look at the size of the file and ask yourself this question. Does the file size look too small to be a legitimate program? Although some legitimate files are very small, most games, programs and the like will be at least several megabytes and can be as large as the largest legitimate files already on your computer. If this type of file is relativly small, there's little chance a bonna-fied program exists. For example, one of the WORST files on any p2p network is the notorious 851.7KB file that actually names itself after the file you search for by name. It is a polymorphic design which means it renames itself and makes trying to find and delete a NIGHTMARE to say the least. If you accidentaly download this type of file it has to be installed before it can do any harm to your computer. So always make damn sure to scan it with your anti-virus program prior to installing, you should be notified if the file is infected and can be sent to the trash easy peasy. Some computer savy individuals suggest to avoid p2p programs all together. With careful examination prior to download and making sure to scan first before launch, I've managed to remain virus-free for several years now. I do know one person that infected their computer with a bogus file and they didn't react quickly to remove it. Potential disaster exists such as having the infected computer taken over by a malicious operator who can then even upload malware at will without the local operators knowledge. Key loggers can track and reveal every single keystroke and who knows what the potential for damage exists. Login names, passwords, personal information and the like can be easily revealed and exploited. If you're using a windows platform you should be even more careful because hackers and malware distributors target Microsoft products because nine out of ten nodes on the network are windows based. Maybe I'm gatting a little long in the tooth with all this info so I'll leave you with this last bit. As far as limewire is concerned, you should be able to take advantage of p2p file sharing and remain risk free for the most part. Browse the internet and read other posts concerning the risks you take. Several years ago another friend downloaded a Kazaa package that later reveal over 3870 various forms of malware. This eventually destroyed the operating system to the point of uselessness. Although I suggest it is possible to remain virus free while using limewire, I take no responsibility of the consequences. If you do experience any problems you can e-mail me and describe the details. Chances are that I've already experienced these nags and can suggest a potential fix for you. I'm not associated with any profit motivated intensions, I just familiar enough with limewire to know the program itself is safe to use. What you choose to download is your risk and your business. Good luck!!!!!!!!!! [ areyouexperienced's advice column | Ask areyouexperienced A Question ]
mayonnaise answered Wednesday July 12 2006, 10:54 pm: i HAVE LiMEWiRE AND D0N'T GET ME WR0NGE, i L0VE iT. iT KiNDA MESSED UP MY B0YFRiENDS C0MPUTER TH0. i D0WNL0ADED THE SiMS 0N iT AND it APPARENTLY D0WNL0ADED A ViRUS WiTH iT. ALS0, A L0T 0F MY FRiENDS SAY THEY HAVE G0TTEN A ViRUS FR0M iT. [ mayonnaise's advice column | Ask mayonnaise A Question ]
jacksizzle answered Wednesday July 12 2006, 4:00 pm: limewires da shit it doesnt contract anything. but for the love of god dont get bearshare that attracts virus like a little boy attracts rapists. [ jacksizzle's advice column | Ask jacksizzle A Question ]
DangerWench answered Wednesday July 12 2006, 12:23 pm: ...
Just be careful what you download, and use common sense. If you find a tempting game that's supposed to be 4 CDs in size, and it's a 180k executable file, most likely it's a virus.
So #1, you shouldn't download copyrighted material, as, aside from the legal ramification, most viruses are probably masked as tempting commodities, which are copyrighted.
And #2, run a virus scan on anything you download before you run it. That should help a lot. And run your virus scanner often to make sure you didn't miss anything. [ DangerWench's advice column | Ask DangerWench A Question ]
Alli answered Wednesday July 12 2006, 11:37 am: No it will not because I have mcafee and limewire and nothing i wrong with my computer.
thelaura answered Wednesday July 12 2006, 10:29 am: You can get viruses from limewire, because it happened to my friend. But I have it and I've never had any trouble. Just be wary.. and since you have virus software, take advantage of it and make sure you scan your computer if you're worried :) [ thelaura's advice column | Ask thelaura A Question ]
eazyjr.9239 answered Wednesday July 12 2006, 8:58 am: limewire will not affect your computer i kno this cause i have limewire. But if u download a program on limewire there a 50% chance you might get a virus. But if you download a song, no theres no virus containing on the songs...Good Luck!~Eazy [ eazyjr.9239's advice column | Ask eazyjr.9239 A Question ]
tones17 answered Wednesday July 12 2006, 7:17 am: The answer to this eternal dilemma is no.
Basically jus watch out for anything thats dodgy or sounds to good. If youve got an anti virus like the one you stated you should hav no problems/worries about virus infection its one of the best there is.
Hope i helped
Anthony [ tones17's advice column | Ask tones17 A Question ]
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