How to Download and Install Free Software Without Getting Any Adware

Adding new features to your computer involves installing software that can either be purchased or downloaded for free. If you’ve been using a Windows machine for quite a long time then you are surely familiar with all the steps and processes that are involved in doing these things. Windows is so popular that there are millions of software that you can  instantly install to it coming from different sources around the Internet.

However, in most cases especially when it’s a free software that you’re going to install, the developers of it have actually added some other stuff that you actually don’t want to be loaded into your computer aside from the software itself that you downloaded.

These additional software are called adware and bloatware and there are often two or three of them embedded in the install/setup file of a free software. You can also get these nuisance software during the installation process and it really wastes time only to find out that the reason why it took so long is because there were some other stuff that were installed without you being aware of it.

This is sadly the big reality when you install free software. It is like going into your favorite restaurant and being given more food than what you have actually ordered. In this tutorial, we’ll be teaching you how to avoid these nuisance software and prevent them from ever installing into your computer.

Spotting Adware During the Installation Process

As we have mentioned earlier, some adware are actually embedded in a software’s install file and they actually disguise as something that’s part of the install process requiring you to click “Accept” or check a small box that is supposed to be checked in order to proceed to the next step. This is the reason why you really need to read what each step says so you can avoid installing adware unsuspectingly.

For instance, in installing a free torrent client like “utorrent”, you will first need to download the setup file from the developer’s website and it doesn’t take too long. The setup file can also be downloaded from other websites but we recommend that you get it from the developer’s website to avoid additional bloatwares even just from the downloading process alone.

Once the setup file get’s downloaded completely, you will need to open it and in the installation process, be sure to read everything and watch out for any step that is offering something which is not related to “utorrent”. Developers actually make adware obvious to people who are keen on reading each step during the installation process but since most people just keeps on hitting “Next” until they reach the screen that shows the bar which indicates the progress of the overall installation process, these adware easily gets loaded into any machine of unsuspecting users.

The screenshot below shows one step in the installation process of “utorrent” where it actually states what the small check box is for but if you are not keen to reading the step, you’ll surely hit the “Next” button thinking that it is just part of the installation process for the software but as you can see, it is actually for an additional offer for “3-Track EP” and in order to skip it from being loaded into your computer, you will simply need to remove the check mark inside the small box which says “Yes, I’d love to check out this download!” as highlighted below before hitting the “Next” button that is found at the bottom-right portion of the utorrent setup Window.

In other cases, there is more than one adware that is included with a free software’s setup file and the same is true with utorrent. For instance, after removing the check mark from the small check box and hitting the “Next” button on the setup screen that we’ve shown above, the next step is another adware and instead of showing a small check box, there’s an “I accept” and “I do not accept” options which you can mark. If you see this same thing in a certain step during a software’s installation process then be sure to mark the “I do not accept” option before finally hitting the “Next” or “Finish” button.

The key is just to be keen with what each step of the setup process really says before clicking on the “Next” button. Just proceeding through every step as if you’re installing a purchased software when in fact it’s just a free one would surely install a lot of these adware and other forms of bloatware into your computer and often times, what they actually do isn’t good at all.

Harmful Effects of Adware and Bloatware

Though not all of the adware and bloatware that exists at present have harmful effects on your computer, most of them still do and so it is important that you avoid them at all cost. Here are some of the negative effects that adware and bloatware can actually impose on your computer once they are installed

• Takes Up Precious Disk Space- If you’re fond of installing freeware into your computer and you’re not aware that there are actually adware and other forms of bloatware which are also installed when you get it loaded into your computer then you are unsuspectingly installing a lot of software which then uses up some precious disk space. Most of these adware and bloatwares are actually useless so be sure not to install them every time you install a new freeware into your computer.
• Tracks Your Activities- Most adware actually contain bots and other components that are capable of tracking your online activities. The information that it collects are then fed to companies and other online advertising businesses so they can know something about your purchase preferences simply by looking into the data of your searches and other related online activities. These forms of data are precious to them since it allows the easy identification of the advertisements that they would show on your screen whenever you are surfing the web.
• Can be a Source of Viruses and Malware- In worst cases, adware and bloatwares can also contain malware and other forms of viruses that can harm your computer as a whole. These tiny devils are found all over the Internet and they can attach themselves to freeware or even to emails which is why you need to be wary of them.

There are also adware that are actually useful but there are only a few of them in existence at presence so we would really recommend that you just avoid them so you can be spared from any problem that can put all of your files and other data saved in your computer to some serious risk. Avoid adware and bloatware at all cost and your machine would surely perform at its best every time. Remember, prevention is always better than cure and in the case of adware and bloatware, the cost of avoiding them is often easier than treating their effects so always beware of them when you’re installing some free software into your computer.