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File sharing program came to worldwide prominance with the
release of Napster in 1999 by Shawn Fanning. Napster allowed people to share mp3
music files over the Internet. Since then a host of other file sharing programs
have been released which allow users to exchange not only mp3 music files but
images, movies and any other data files. Napster was quite a small program that
only allowed users to download mp3 files, with later programs such as audiogalaxy
and kazaa allowing users e to exchange different types of files. These files includes
images, movie files (mpeg, avi), software files and much more. One of the
major problem users have experienced with file sharing programs has been adware/spyware.
Some of the most notable file sharing companies have secretly installed adware/spyware
programs with the installation of the main file sharing program. Viruses are another
problem area, with many downloaded files including them. Luckily many file sharing
programs are now stating they include no adware/spyware, and have facilities so
you can scan every downloaded file for viruses. Next was the crackdown on
file sharing by record companies and the 'Recording Industry Association of America.
They cited that downloading and uploading copyrighted materials without permission,
violated international copyright infringement laws.Many users especially in the
US have suffered fines or have settled out of court for fines over $2000. This
has led to the release of programs like peerguardian
which aim to stop organizations and individuals from collecting data about users
without consent. Below is a list of some of the most popular file sharing
programs available at the moment, because there is an ever increasing amount of
these, i've only listed the most popular,
Napster Address
of the Napster web site, you can download the program here - http://www.napster.co.uk ----------------------------------------- What
users have said. User rating - 
- I still remember using this program nearly 10 years ago while at college. It
was the first file sharing program ever created, but was shut down because it
broke the copyright laws. It got re-released but there is a charge per downloade
like itunes i believe. By User - wyz
BitTorrent This
program works slightly different to conventional file sharing programs. It allows
users to use third party websites and locations to obtain the address of files
'called torrents' which contain all the download information. You easily find
these sites by searching for 'torrents' in Google. Address of the BitTorrent
web site, you can download the program - http://www.bittorrent.com/ ----------------------------------------- What
users have said. No comments yet
Kazaa
Address of the Kazaa web site, you can download Kazaa here - http://www.kazaa.com/
Kazaa has had problems with viruses in the past, but includes a good help
file section to help you avoid being infected. Kazaa has become one of the most
popular file sharing programs since Napster was closed down and allows users to
share audio, video, images, documents and software files. ----------------------------------------- What
users have said about Kazaa, User rating - 
- This is the second year I have paid for Kazaa Plus and for the first time I
wish I hadn't. I have downloaded multiple songs but haven't been able to hear
the majority of the songs for whatever reason. I have downloaded the newest Window
Media Player; QuickTime, etc. and still cannot hear the songs. I am very disappointed
and am considering cancelling my subscription. I would suggest to anyone considering
purchase the Plus edition that they first download the free edition to see if
they have the same problem. By User - jennifer -------------------------
User rating -  - Can't hear
any songs that were downloaded. I gave away $30. All I get is the run a round
from what they call customer support. Big Scam!! By User - Brian ------------------------
User rating - - A dangerous
program to download, it fills your computer with spyware files which caused me
all sorts of problems with viruses. download it if you want to ruin your computer
performance and loose your privacy By User - Mad Marl (18/08/05) --------------------------
User rating - - I am very
much disappointed with the rate of virus infection l get each time l visit kazaa.
it has slowed down my computer,and even the Trojan horse virus l got is causing
nightmares to my computer. By User - Mayinj
Limewire
Address of the Limewire web site, you can download Limewire here - http://www.limewire.com/ Limewire
is one of the many of file sharing programs that uses the Gnutella protocols.
Limewire is however one of the most professional of these programs and have a
very professional and informative web site about their product. You can also purchase
a wide range of Limewire merchandise at their homepage, due to the popularity
of the Limewire logo which is a cool slice of lime. ----------------------------------------- What
users have said about Limewire,
User rating - 
- This is the best file sharing program i've used so far. I had Kazaa lite ++,
and seriously it sucked,, the downloads take ages to finish (or even begin). Limewire
pro might take a while for full movies but at least it doesn't include viruses
and adwares.
By User - WillPG -----------------------------------
User rating - - Greatest
selection very convinient and very efficient website.
By User
- heyji ----------------------------------- User rating -
- I think Limewire is great you can download songs fast and easy and there is
so much to choose from if you want a song you can garentee it's there.
By
User - n/a ----------------------------------- User rating
- - limewire is the best. I can't
i have tried kazza, Imeshand much more software's but the problem was that i can't
get a download without geting a virus in my computer, but limewire it has changed
my life
By User - maey -----------------------------------
User rating - - I think
limewire is the best but i am still not happy with the download speed some people
like me don't have unlimited internet so the downloads becomes slow when downloading.
If you can keep it fast even if the internet is slow that will be the best software
in the world, and trust me it will make you's alot of buisnes because i've worked
in buisnes in about 20 years so you can say i'm a profestional at these staugh.
lime wire
By User - David -----------------------------------
User rating - - Installed
Limewire yesterday and am very pleased with its ease of use. It seems to have
wider search capabilities than kazaa.
By User - Didits -----------------------------------
User rating - - I'm
a software programer and iv been using limewire for a few months now, iv experimented
with most of the mainstream p2p programs kazza/grokster/shareaza/nabster/winmx
ect and limewire pro is by far the best, firstly the download speeds are excelent
for both 56k and cable/dsl connections, the network is huge and the GUI is simple
yet slick. The only criticism i would have is the free version has adware so DONT
use it, get PRO version. If your a hardcore downloader use bitorrent networks
as appose to p2p, there far far faster and far larger source for movies/prog/wares.
Azureus is the best bitorrent client but its quite complex, not for the newbie.
By User - oisin ----------------------------------- User
rating -  - I've been using this
software and it is very good.. BUT there are inappropiate movies (XXX) that pop
up when you are searching something else the pop up evertime.. this software should
get rid of this on the basic limewire and if you REALLY want that perverted crap
you should be able to get a specific one for that. Seperate them so normal ppl
don't have to read those disgusting titles when all they want is to search for
an innocent disney movie!!
By User - Marsha -----------------------------------
User rating - - I'm new
to file sharing. I used shareaza for a while but got frustrated with the download
speeds (5kb/s). I now use limewire pro and can download at 1.2Mb/s thats as fast
as my connection will go.
By User - Chris -----------------------------------
User rating - - I have
the free version of limewire, its fast if you download from the right users. Its
very user friendly, and the options menu has a whole lot to offer. I had Limewire
pro cracked on my old computer, and it was alot more capable of finding whatever
it was i needed. And Marsha, Get used to finding porn on limewire unless you configure
the options to not return bogus content. Limewire did a very nice job of making
this program for everybody, its just a matter of customizing it yourself.
By User - Get those doobs yo -----------------------------------
User rating - - I was originally
using Limewire Basic but then upgraded to Limewire Pro. The speeds i got on basic
varied from 5 Kb/sto 17 KB/s. On pro the max i have had is 50KB/s. Chris, how
do you get speeds like 1.2mb/s?
By User - n/a -----------------------------------
User rating - - Have
just started downloading. Limewire suites me, have used Azureus but unable to
crack on to any current movies. I do not believe in ,a free lunch, so how can
i be so lucky to win anything by visiting a site? WATCH OUT!!! Even dying ain't
free, nor is having your computer de buged. I use McAfee site advisor{ IT IS FREE
} and has saved my butt many times. Just as AVG has. That right, it is also free.
We will keep looking for more file sharers, so lets keep us all advised. Safety
in numbers like [Aliens].
By User - Jon The carnival is over
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User rating -
- I agree with what everyone else has been saying about this program...
Limewire is HANDS DOWN the best file sharing program around... I
tried Kazaa and after ruining 2 PC's and a laptop I realized I needed
to change sources... and then I found Limewire... ever since then
I've been downloading all types of files with no problem... expect
for the Porn that comes up with every search and the files that
always play that Bill Clinton skit... there is only one problem
I can't get it to work anymore for some reason... it won't connect
past the first bar... at first I thought it was my firewall so I
turned it off, and it still wouldn't connect... any tips?
By User - Venom
Bearshare Visit Bearshare Home Page
- http://www.bearshare.com/
Search for and share all kinds of files over the Gnutella network. Allows you
to automatic resume downloads, assures the completion of all requested downloads.
This program works with MP3, MPEG, AVI, ASF, MOV, JPEG, GIF, OGG files. The Bearshare
download includes adware. ----------------------------------------- What
users have said about Bearshare User rating -
- Bearshare sucks really bad because it is loaded with Spyware and Ad Aware. Everytime
that you download a file you will either end up with a Trojan or some other stuff.
This will allow other people to enter your computer and mess it up to the point
where you will have no other choice but to reformat. I personally used Ares Full
Edition at www.areslite.com and everyday i run a spyware and virus scan to prevent
this type of things from happening. By User - Michael -----------------------------------
User rating - - I also
had problems with adware being downloaded... now bearshare is erased from my system!
By User - Justin ----------------------------------- User
rating - - I used this site a
couple of times. Downloads music with no problem. But then I ran my spyware and
anti virus programmes, and it was full of infections and trojans. have never used
it again.
By User - taffboy -----------------------------------
User rating - - I have
used bearshare for about 6 months today i had to reformat my computer, thank u
bearshare.
By User - n/a -----------------------------------
User rating - - it was
ok until i put spyware on that it messed up my computer, had to reformat.
By User - becky ----------------------------------- User
rating - - It worked really well
for ages and then one day one of the green lights went red and unabled me to download
music. if anyone knows how to get this to work please tell me or if anyone knows
any good music downloaders please tell me . Thanks :D:D
By User
- Sara ----------------------------------- User rating -
- The sad thing is that I downloaded it when it said that it was completely free
of spyware. It was misleading b/c what it meant was that the pro version was,
not the free version. I didn't have to reformat though.
By User
- Travis ----------------------------------- User rating -
- Same problem as Sara's... no connecivity after 2 months of excellent connection/download???
WTF?
By User - Cale -----------------------------------
User rating - - good to start
wiv then after few month certain programmes wouldent open if they did they would
close. problem was free version bearshare 1 word now for get it. use Aeris winmx
instead far better. i was all day clearing it out of regestry everywhere this
programme bearshare is hopless im glad i dident have 2 reformat. but u think the
makers of this software would iron out any problems to begin with like.
By
User - Paul ----------------------------------- User rating
- - ive used bearshare for years
and i haven't had a single problem along those line... a few minor spy ware that
could have come from anywhere but thats it, i don't know what the heck you people
are downloading but you sure know how to mess your computers up.
By
User - Adam
----------------------------------- User rating
- - Ive had bearshare for 4 months
now and i haven't had any problems. Iagree with adam, i've had problems with my
computer in the past but no major viuses. I've reformated my computer quite a
few times, but never since dwnloaded bearshare, does anyone know anything about
the whole bearshare people tracking users of free version down and charging them.
I'm quite worried of keeping bearshare. But i think so far its the best free download
service i've used.
By User - Teesh
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User rating - - I've just
recently downloaded BearShare, having been using Limewire previously. The Download
and Upload Speeds are really good, but have found at least 13 adware / spyware
or virus's using Norton and Ad-Aware. So be warned when using BearShare to contantly
search on your PC for crap!
By User - Adam
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User rating - - Dudes
and Dudets, If you are going to do the download thing i recommend spysweeper by
webroot. I have filled my hard drive full of wonderful documentaries, and simpsons
and never have had to reformat. Yes there is adware but spysweeper will prevent
it from causing any problems and leave you enjoy the web as it was meant to be.
Talk to your local geek about spysweeper, get it at wally world for about 30 bones
and it comes with a one subscription.
Thanks for reading, i was once like
all of you.
P.S. just so you all know and dont waste your time morphues
sucks, winmx sucks, ares sucks. if you spend the 30 youll thank me
By
User - bolt logan
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rating - - i've had bearshare
for 2 months now and it was brilliant at the beginning. Now for some reason, when
i search for something no results come up. I've tried modifying my firewall and
the search options in bearshare but nothing has helped. I've had this problem
in the past but all i did was to uninstall and then install it again and it works
fine however this time nothing works. PLEASE HELP !!!!
By User
- adnan
----------------------------------- User rating -
- I have been using Bearshare version 4.6.0 for a couple of years and it has been
great. All of a sudden, I try to open Bearshare and my computer freezes up. After
rebooting several times, the same thing happens. I removed bearshare from my computer,
and I tried to reinstall bearshare ver 4.6.0 (which I saved), but the installation
freezes up. Anybody have any ideas what to do. I really don\'t want to install
the newer version because of spyware, adware etc. Thanks.
By User
- Rich ----------------------------------- User rating -
- i have been using bearshare ages and never had any problems. you are all probably
the sort of thick people that see "you have won an iPod! click here!"
and go and click on it. then you wonder why your computer is messed up! DERR!!
grow up! do you seriously think you win an iPod just by going on a website?? stop
blaming bearshare just because you don't know how to use a computer properly!
By User - og ----------------------------------- User
rating - - Well i have to say
that bearshare is realy fast on both up/downloads, but let me tell you how i got
here first. i bought a new dell pc with P4 3GHz HT cpu & 2GHz ram. first i
had kazza lite revolutions, i downloaded more than 100G of mixed files never had
a major problem wich forced me to format my HD's till i got bearshare 4xx. first
it worked for couple minutes then it stopped, the computer froze. i tried everything
i can think of from reinstalling, reformat the hard disk, changing the bandwidth
on the connection, getting the latest version, upgrading to PRO,using MCAFEE AFTI-VIRUS
& PERSONAL FIREWALL 2005 version, to checking my hardware for possible errors.simly
all that didn't work i still have the same problem; on the other hand, i found
a way to work around the problem but it don\'t work sometimes. i get just one
or two downloads at a time.
By User - nu -----------------------------------
User rating - - I have
been using bearshare ages and never had any problems. You are all probably the
sort of thick people that see "you have won an iPod! click here!" and
go and click on it. Then you wonder why your computer is messed up! DERR!! grow
up! do you seriously think you win an iPod just by going on a website?? stop blaming
bearshare just because you don't know how to use a computer properly! Response
: I know how to use a computer properly, and as such I do not use bearshare. There
are many other peer to peer programs out there which are less diluted with viruses,
spyware and focus on what you want - downloading completely legal *WINK WINK*
files without having to worry about it being a virus. Not to mention the speeds
on many of these services exceed "bearshare" many times. I would
personally suggest going for a flavour of Bit-Torrent, such as Azureus. You can
download a *COMPLETELY LEGAL WINK WINK WINK* feature length movie in around 30
minutes in some cases - Try to get that speed with "Bearshare".
By User - Binary ----------------------------------- User
rating - - Well, ive only had
bearshare for a couple of days. But, its a love/hate kind of thing. I love it
because files download fast and i can find bands on there that i could never find
anywhere else. BUT, Im having COUNTLESS problems with it. First I had over 70
files of spyware on my computer after installing it (mostly because of that whenU
bull), luckily i was able to remove those. Now, everytime i run bearshare, it
will run fine for 5 minutes or so then force my computer to randomly restart without
any warning, and thats anoying as hell. Im trying to resolve the problem right
now and hopefull i will be able to because for that five minutes the program is
working it seems great. By User - flood -----------------------------------
User rating - - I've been
using Bearshare for years. No other P2P program is as good as bearshare. That's
why so many people use it and one can find almost anything with it. That's also
why people try to spread around spyware & viruses with it. You just have to
use a good antivirus and a good antispyware programs. Also, just ignore files
with 700-800k size. I get a lot of warnings but never get into trouble as Avant
AV (with 7 shields)and MS (webroot) AntiSpyware keep my PC clean. If you find
any other cleaner P2P programs, you can be sure that they are slow or can't find
much or doesn't have many useful features so not many people use them with the
result that spammers do't bother to work on them to spread malware. By
User - AMD-Geek ----------------------------------- User rating
- - Anyone touting Bearshare should
have their head(s) examined. The software creates one big security breach. And,
you WILL have to deal with "back door" viruses and spyware! Those of
you who are in denial, and are currently running this piece of crap, better do
a spyware/virus scan with a COMPETENT anti-virus spyware program. Spybot is the
most popular free anti spyware software. Download it, and run a system scan. If
you're running Bearshare, it will identify Bearshare as one big piece of spyware,
with good cause. Also, he Bearshare network has 1/100th the file selection of
ed2K. The only people peddling Bearshare are the people who are peddling$$ it.
EMuleXTreme is the best free program (with the connection obfuscation box ticked,
if you're using servers). Most people use this software on KAD only. And, don't
share a lot of files.
By User - John Sinclair
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User rating -
- i too had to reformat due to viruses and trojans adware and spyware.i
am an internet phd professor and would seriously avoid bearshare.
By User - steve
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User rating -
- All you "spyware victims" are doing it to yourselves.
Bearshare is SPYWARE-FREE!
If you can't use a computer correctly, stay away from it, instead
of blaming others for your shortcomings.
Nobody forced you into clicking on "Britney Spears.EXE"
when you can choose to click on "Britney Spears.MP3".
Get a life.
By User - anger
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