Safe Freeware?

Not sure whether or not to post this here or in software, so here it is for now. Please move if you like.

When searching for freeware, how can you tell (or can you?) if it's a safe site or not to download things from? I'm pretty good at searching for things and finding them, but I don't always know if it's a good and safe site or not.

Any tips, suggestions?

Thanks in advance!

If it's for anti-virus type apps, then this site lists all of the nasty ones: http://spywarewarrior.com/rogue_anti-spyware.htm

And if you mean general freeware too, i usually just go to sites i know.

www.tucows.com

www.download.com

www.snapfiles.com

Apart from those (off the top of my head) i'd usually google any suspicious apps, and see if i can A: Find a review, and B: Find out if it has caused problems on a system either by accident or maliciously.


Liam

If it's connected to AOL in anyway avoid it, it will be full of adware and spyware.

I trust Nonags.....haven't been burned yet..... ;)

http://www.nonags.com/nonags/

GetaGrrrip--Before I install any freeware, I scan the installation or setup file with my antivirus.

I hadn't thought about googling them to see if they were good or evil, so thanks for that suggestion. I know some that are good, but I was looking for something the other day, and since I didn't recognize them, I opted not to download from them.
If it's anything connected with AOL, I avoid it like the plague - as far as I'm concerned, AOL is a virus.
Will see if any of the sites recommended have what I'm looking for.
Okay, how do you scan an installation or setup file? :o
Thanks! :D

Ther should be an option in the right-click menu to scan a file. What AV are you using?


Liam

Trend Micro's PC-cillin

AFAIK you can drag files into the program window(Having never used it i'm not sure what sections) to scan individual files.


Liam

I'll give it a try.
Thanks again :)

GetaGrrrip....MajorGeeks is a trusted site. They have all manner of good software....some are freeware.

http://www.majorgeeks.com/

If I'm in the slightest doubt about any software I install it in virtual machine with up to date AV installed. That way, if it does turn out to be dodgy software it is totally sandboxed from the host OS and cannot do any harm. Then once it is checked out you just delete the changes made to the VM. The only disadvantage is that you need a separate copy of Windows, but you can always use an older version, such as Win2000, if you have it lying around.

At least Virtual PC itself is now free:

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/virtualpc/default.mspx

https://discussions.virtualdr.com/im.../2011/06/3.gif
Poppy beat me to it. MG is good; if a program passes their criteria, I'd bet my wife's paycheck that it's safe.

Hi Getagrrrip,
Most freeware site developers are good folk, and their prgrams are clean. I have downloaded over 400 programs and only one had a virus (identified by my Av while it was in my download folder, and it wasn't put there by the developer - I figured it out beforehand because the size of the download was greater than that shown by the developer. No problem.
Chas

Wow, thanks for all the good advice and suggestions! You guys are great.

:D