am i right to be concerned about downloading?

Question

i recently downloaded a file from a trusted site,which i thought would be ok to download,but it actually had a virus in its code
i am now very weary about downloading any file,what makes me even more concerned is that i scaned the computer with avg as avast crashed mid scan due to the infection,and after the scan it came back with no problems
2 minutes later my monitor went to sleep,and a restart was required,this was happening every few hours and as it wasnt hardware related it must of been the virus
should i still be concerned about downloading
note:the game i downloaded was "sonic riders"
cheers

Answer 1

right click on the desktop and just check your setting incase it they changed maybe the monitor is on turn of every 2 minutes etc .
delete the game if u haven't already done so .
run virus scan again just to be sure

Answer 2

Go to PC Pitstop.com and download Spyware Doctor. It will do a free scan and show the results. It will delete most of the bugs except the more serious ones....you have to pay to get rid of them!. However, it does work and you will be free of the viruses that the others couldnt get rid of. I know from personal experience. I thought it was con at first and wasted time trying others first. Its only downside is that when you let it run in the background, it slows everything up. You would be better to get it, use it, and then uninstall it. Then, when you need it again, download it once more, put your original serial number in (from first installation)and it will start again.

Answer 3

You should always be concerned with downloading, even if you're downloading from trusted sites. Always, I repeat, always run a virus scan of the file immediately after you download it. Don't click on the downloaded file until you've run a virus scan.

Chuck
http://www.ebusinesswiz.com

Answer 4

You would be stupid not to be wary of downloads. Free is not free if it comes with viruses.

May I suggest you rerun your antivirus program in safe mode. If you are not familiar with it:

Turn your PC on or Restart. As soon as you see the black and white screen, press and hold the F8 key. Continue holding until you see a black and white menu. Safe Mode is F3 or F5.

Click Start, Programs, run your AV program, install, uninstall, whatever.

When it is finished, Restart.

You will probably find your icons messed up. No biggee. Drag them back into place.

Have you downloaded the ad-aware program. It is free and widely used. It can be used along with your AV program.

Download Ad-Aware

http://search.yahoo.com/search?ei=utf-8&fr=slv8-fp&p=download%20ad-aware

Answer 5

You were probably just unlucky this time. There are plenty of viruses out there but overall most stuff is safe.