can trial &/or freeware games ever be downloaded safely???

hi!.....every time i try to download video games,either trial versions or freeware games,my husband bitches at me that they import spyware and screw up the computer. every single one will screw up my pc? are there any games that can be downloaded? how can you tell what is safe? how about playing games online? he says no to those too. i wonder if this is all true,or if it simply pisses him off to see me enjoy something! :H
please help...

 

Sounds like a VERY "Controlling" guy!
Playing games online, CAN be safe. It's the ONLINE CASINO'S you have to watch out for. Foer example: Over on MY forums, I have a bunch of online games. You DO need a certain Software to play them, but IT was made by a major software company. You MAY already have it. Shockwave? Flash?
SOME can contain spyware or even virus's.
Have you got an anti-virus software? There are several good FREE, Anti-Spyware programs too.

 

It could be done safely but keep in mind to check your defenses before going online keep your system up to date with the latest patches updates and stuff try to use an alternative webbrowser like opera or firefox, scan for spyware regularly good scanners are spybot, bazooka scanner, adaware se personal
The demo games are nice even though they have limmited functionality but ok.
Just scan everything you download before opening it.... I think

 

well, that all depends. new demos from major companies are usually alright, but those little 'freebies' and small stuff, usually come bundled with some not so pleasant stuff.

just be sure your counter-measures are in place

ie, antivirus, spybot and adaware, zonealarm

 

i do have all of the spyware etc....bear with me guys,cuz i'm not educated about how to run the protection services on my pc.(i can figure it out easily tho..i am good at that!) ..controlfreakhubby does all that. do the programs automatically get rid of the bad stuff or do you have to go out there and manually run them? hubby (C.F.) has several spyware programs out there. also,is there any way to tell before downloading the games if they should be safe or not?
thanks for the advice!!

 

If configured correctly your firewall and antivirus software should be able to detect an intrussion attempt(break in,infection) automaticly.
e.g. always set your av to automatic detection same for your firewall set a password for your protectionsoftware consisting of( e.g :1@%^alkd,//?) letters characters and numerals...
The reason for extra testing e.g once a week or quick tests after you stop surfing the net is so that you could head pests and insects of at the pass and destroy them.
For online games just watch the places you surf to some websites are not so trustworthy bells should go of ringing when for example your firewall or your av go crazy >>> av there is a virus on your computer ***toolbar <<< if configured correctly your av will quarantine or delete it.
I hope this is o.k. and peace to you all and perpetual sunlight.

 

He's not controlling you, what he's saying makes perfect sense. Of course, not every game you download from the internet will contain spyware, but determining which ones are trustworthy usually requires a bit of intuition which novice computer users rarely have.

Note that she's not talking about playing flash, java or shockwave games online (for which all you need is a simple plugin, completly safe) but downloading executable games. Placing spyware in some freeware game is a very common practice these days. I get summoned to somebody's house nearly every week to clean up spyware or viruses they got from various online games.

 

so true. it's just sort of a feeling. can't really explain it, sort of tech geek oneness with the universe. somehow, we just know.

BUT, for the rest of you! Spybot S&D, and Adaware, you run about once a week, and they'll give you a list of what they find, and you can have them delete all the offending things.