Downloading, the Right Way (Page 2)
CPU-Z is another favorite program of mine that I download and install after building or upgrading a PC. Written by CPUID, it shows you information about your computer, RAM, processor, and memory. In my browser's search bar I type in CPU-Z and get the following:
Again, the first link seems to be the incorrect one, as a company like "download-4-free" would not make such a program, yet the second link starting with "www.cpuid.com" would seem more legitimate. This begs the question, "How do you know what company makes what, or which links are legit?" With CPU-Z, it was from looking up information years ago, such as "Best free PC utilities", information found in Maximum PC, or simply word-of-mouth. These days you cant turn on your computer for a week without being hounded by an update to Adobe Acrobat Reader or Adobe Flash, so most users would be aware that Acrobat and Flash are made by Adobe.
Side note: I prefer Sumatra PDF reader, as it is small in size, reads PDF documents the same way, and doesn't require a software update every hour like Acrobat. Download it here.
First, let's go to the first link, which may or may not be the wrong one:
Side note: I prefer Sumatra PDF reader, as it is small in size, reads PDF documents the same way, and doesn't require a software update every hour like Acrobat. Download it here.
First, let's go to the first link, which may or may not be the wrong one:
Seems legit at first. Scrolling down, I see extra information which is the other boon of downloading; the addition of browser bars:
These add-on search bars do nothing but take up space, extra memory, and redirect you from your favorite search engines. There's absolutely no need to install any of these additional bars in your browser because each browser has a search box to the upper right. In the example above, one of the quick links is CNN.com What reasoning would you have of clicking on the link for CNN.com, as opposed to typing in cnn.com in your browser, bookmarking the site, then clicking and selecting the link the next time you want to visit it? Additionally, all browsers allow you to search for anything right in the search bar, so typing "What is Bioshock" in the address bar (URL) or the search field will yield the exact same results.
The fine print explains that you have the option to install the search bar or skip the search bar installation, but other programs are sneaky and don't give you that option at all. In addition, When in doubt, opt-out.
When I click on the big green button "Free Download", a get a pop-up of the following:
The fine print explains that you have the option to install the search bar or skip the search bar installation, but other programs are sneaky and don't give you that option at all. In addition, When in doubt, opt-out.
When I click on the big green button "Free Download", a get a pop-up of the following:
I'm not sure of what the code after the underscore represents; the "TSV29XCX9.exe". Ill leave that alone for now (but will test it later), go back to the Google search results page, and click on the actual CPU-Z link; "http://www.cpuid.com/softwares/cpu-z.html".
Right off the bat I'm counting nine locations to download CPU-Z, or what I think is the right program. Let me count them in the following diagram:
1 - While the CPUID logo is in the banner, it's a bit confusing as to whether the "Start Download" graphic next to it is for CPU-Z or something else. Reading further to the right, it's for Regclean Pro.
2 - There's a link right in the banner for cpuz.joydownload.com, and at the upper left it shows "advertisement". Why would I click there if I'm already at the main page for the program?
3 - Download for the latest release. THIS is the correct section to download the program.
4 - This is a different version for those who don't want the installer included. (avoid this unless you enjoy tinkering with things and you know what you are doing).
5,6,7 - These are customized versions of the CPU-Z, usually a different look to them. THE ROG version (Republic of Gamers) is one such example. The normal CPU-Z is to the left, while the Republic of Gamers version is to the right:
2 - There's a link right in the banner for cpuz.joydownload.com, and at the upper left it shows "advertisement". Why would I click there if I'm already at the main page for the program?
3 - Download for the latest release. THIS is the correct section to download the program.
4 - This is a different version for those who don't want the installer included. (avoid this unless you enjoy tinkering with things and you know what you are doing).
5,6,7 - These are customized versions of the CPU-Z, usually a different look to them. THE ROG version (Republic of Gamers) is one such example. The normal CPU-Z is to the left, while the Republic of Gamers version is to the right:
8 - This version is for Android devices. Clicking the link takes the user to the Google Play store to download this version.
9 - Similar to the top banner, this is another advertisement to download the same program from CNet's download.com website. No need to do this since we're already at the manufacturer's website.
Just to see what would happen, I went to the wrong website, downloaded the installer, and launched it. I then saw the following:
9 - Similar to the top banner, this is another advertisement to download the same program from CNet's download.com website. No need to do this since we're already at the manufacturer's website.
Just to see what would happen, I went to the wrong website, downloaded the installer, and launched it. I then saw the following:
"Setup.exe" is a common file name, but the publisher is CPUID and not Perion Network Ltd. Upon installation, I could either choose to install various utilities or skip over them. I skipped over them one screen at a time, installed the main CPU-Z program, and nothing changed so far, (nothing noticeable, at least). The next step was to check the list of installed programs from the Control Panel, which is a solid (but not fool-proof) method of seeing anything that was changed. You can see this list by going to Start --> Control Panel --> Programs and Features:
Going through the list (even the other page that isn't displayed), I'm aware of what all I have installed and what I know are "safe" programs. Things such as the ESN Sonar may seem out-of-place, but a quick Google search reveals this as a piece to the game Battlefield 3. The search results show web sites such as www.shouldiremoveit.com which explains some of the applications, processes, and services that are foreign to PC users. Another favorable website is www.bleepingcomputer.com, which details some of the more common annoying spyware, malware, and the like; and how to remove it from your computer. What about the things that are difficult to remove? That's when you can open up the System Configuration...