Free Software:- Don't search the internet and download free software (pirated), illegal items, or free pornographic material.

Almost all free or illegal stuff on the internet comes with hidden problems (Trojan Horses) which will cost you a lot more in the long run than if you just pay for the stuff you are trying to get for free!

If you consider the saying "Cheap is expensive!" then on the internet the saying is "Free (illegal) is dangerously expensive!" Consider the price of losing all of your personal data (photos, documents, emails) or business data (client records, emails, documents) as compared to the cost of purchasing what you are tring to get for free... it is definitely not worth it! Also be very careful what your local IT fundi, or even reputable IT support companies, install on your PC and then charge you for it. They may install a pirated version of software and charge you a fraction of the cost, but you can be sure they won't be around when the same installation causes you to lose your data or worse still, allow a hacker to get access to your Bank details or Credit card details stored on your PC.

The Internet is not all doom and gloom, however, and ther are plenty of free programs out there that are both safe and very useful. You can normally tell what is safe, as it won't offer you a free version of something you know you have to pay for, like accounting software (Quickbooks is very commonly pirated), Operating Systems (Windows XP is also very frequently pirated), Microsoft Office is also commonly pirated, infact so much so, many people don't realise you have to pay for it! Most companies will also offer a trial version of their software, so if you want, download that and try it out, it will be safe, and if it suits your needs or is what you want, pay to upgrade it and get the full, licened version. Never, ever install a pirated version just to try it out!