In the past I have recommended programs that duplicate functions that can be accomplished via features built into Windows and the Mac OS.įor example, in the August 2010 post titled ' Quick fixes for five Windows 7 shortcomings,' I recommended the free Close All Windows utility from NTWind Software. When it comes to knee-jerk downloads, I admit to being part of the problem. Solve the problem using the software you already have To make sure that you're clicking the link that downloads the program you're after, hover your mouse over the link and look at the link information shown in the status bar at the bottom of the browser window. Without the ad-blocking extension, several 'Download' buttons are shown on the page, but only the solid-green one on the far left will get you the app you actually intend to install. With the AdBlock Plus add-on enabled, there's only one 'Download Now' button visible on 's Malwarebytes Anti-Malware page. Below are screenshots of the page for Malwarebytes Anti-Malware with and without AdBlock Plus enabled. The free AdBlock Plus add-on (available in a Firefox version and a Google Chrome version) removes ads from these and other Web pages. Kujawa points out that many people attempting to download Malwarebytes' free Anti-Malware antivirus program on CNET's own end up with a utility I'd never heard of before: ARO 2012, which describes itself as a Windows Registry cleaner. In an October 19 post, Kujawa examined the trend of malware authors disguising their payloads as ads that trick site visitors into clicking on them rather than a legitimate download link by displaying some variation of 'Download Now' prominently in the ad.Īnd would-be downloaders are confused not just by malware disseminators, unfortunately. And as Adam Kujawa points out on his Malwarebytes Unpacked blog, you might not even download the program you intended. More importantly, each time you download a program you're taking a chance that some potentially damaging code has come along for the ride. Every program you install on your PC affects the computer's performance and stability, whether you use the app regularly, rarely, or not at all.

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