4shared

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4shared

I hope I'm in the right forum. I have a question about 4shared. I know a lot of people use it, but I haven't had any luck with it. I've tried twice, even signed up, but both times it crashed my computer. It took the computer guy most of the day to clean out all the bugs that got downloaded. Any tips would be helpful, as some of the kits offered only on 4shared are quite lovely. With your help I may be tempted to try again... but I'll have the computer guy on call just in case.

Google AdBlock Plus and download the one specific to which browser you use. That should clear up the problems on 4shared. It's an add-on that blocks intrusive ads on all websites.

That works except for one caveat - they recently made it that if you have an adblocker installed, which they'll tell you up front that you do, that unless you unblock them you'll have a longer wait to download. And the wait was 15 minutes, Vidia - I'm not kidding! And if you do unblock, you're met with unsavory images (I'm putting that politely). I used to like 4shared, but no more. It's why I created a dropbox account, for when I participate in the occasional blog train....

I have not used 4shared in a long time, but even Facebook has become loaded down with adds. Personal posts tend to get lost.

I don't understand the problems people have with 4shared... I've been lucky I guess. I only have Chrome, a PC, and I use the protection that comes from MicroSoft. I forget the name... I don't think I have any ad-blockers but I do have a pop-up blocker, and I only have to wait 20 seconds, I get up to 3GB download/daily max and 30GB/monthly max (all with a Free account I set up 7-8 years ago). I do get the videos that play like commercials, but I can't see them because they are in the lower right hand corner but no questionable material. I just hit mute on my volume and no worries. I've never had anything download to my computer virus or malware. I am very lucky it sounds like when I listen to everyone else's woes on 4shared. smiley

@Lizanne I haven't recently tried to download anything from 4shared. But, if that's what they've done (making you wait longer to even click download), I can imagine the types of ads on there now. And, yes, "unsavory" is putting it mildly. Those are seriously intrusive ads; a lot of those are filled with malware that will automatically download and install bad things onto your computer.

@Shawna I don't use any outside antivirus software, either; just the one that comes with Windows. I began using AdBlock Plus years ago because I got sick of ads on every website I visited. "No, I do not want to hear or watch that stupid video ad before I watch a news clip!" lol

Thanks so much for the information. I'm glad I'm not the only one having trouble, thought it might just be me because I'm not computer savvy. I think I'll just leave 4shared alone.

I noticed that they have greatly lengthened the time of the wait if you are using an adblocker. This isn't the first time 4shared has pulled this stunt. When they did it a few years ago, I started using downloader software that would keep checking and download when the time was up. I don't remember now what it was as I haven't used it in several years. Given enough complaints, 4shared will probably set it back again. They wind up losing too many customers and of course, money.

I have an ad blocker on Google Chrome and just downloaded something from 4shared, and waited only 20 seconds.
Because there are other sites to store stuff (copy, dropbox, mediafire) I've stopped using 4shared to upload stuff to.
The only reason I used it to day was to see if it would apply the long download time, it didn't.
In the past if I downloaded a lot of stuff in a short amount of time (i.e. blogtrain) it would make the times to wait longer and longer, and if you waited too long to download, it would restart the clock. I think there are more user friendly places around...

User friendly, that's definately what I need. I'm not very computer savvy, so simple is the way to go.

Update: I had to use 4shared earlier to download Soro's portion of the Feb blog train. I had to wait the "normal" 20 seconds.

Shawna and I only use Windows anti-virus/malware. Because of that, I'm wondering if you gals' anti-virus/malware software is furthering your wait time by additionally blocking something else on the site. I do get a pop-up, but it's a 4shared pop-up, not an advertisement. Does anyone else get that? I didn't notice what it was exactly. I thought it would be to login, but since it wasn't I quickly X'd out of it. LOL It looked vaguely like a list of files.

Rachel, I had problems galore when trying to download things from those using 4shared (viruses!). I tried everything. Four to five browsers on TWO different computers (Windows 7, Mac). I found something that bypassed the problem. The link to my thread is below and hope it helps!

4Shared Solution

and a link to the generator: Link Generator

-Lisa

I downloaded something yesterday and only had the 20 second wait. And I had turned adblock back on for 4shared. Still, I'm going to quit using 4shared for files. I joined Copy (thanks to the one who mentioned it somewhere) and will use that plus Mediafire and Google+ until/unless I purchase space.

Maybe they got complaints again & so turned off the long wait? I just know it was like that several days ago (when I last posted in this thread) & I was so frustrated. I use the Adblock Plus & Ghostery plugins in my browser, and I hated what I was getting met with if I temporarily disabled them to download, not to mention the long wait.

I'd imagine they did get many complaints. Who wants to see that nonsense you described, Lizanne? Ghostery wouldn't cause a longer wait time. Which anti-virus/malware program are you running?

Since I completely understand people's hesitation and refusal to download from the site, I won't use 4shared to upload any files, but I'll still download from there if I have to ... unless it turns out to be some outrageous wait time like 15 minutes. lol

I had a few scrappers voice complaints about my files being hosted on 4Shared, so I dumped them. 10+ years ago, they used to actually be pretty respectable, but they've REALLY gone downhill from there (my hubby and I used to host files for our World of Warcraft guild all those years ago, lol). The final nails in the coffin for 4Shared were that I could NOT access it while connecting through my local library's wifi AND a scrapper couldn't access it in another country. So, I offer my downloads now from Google Drive.

And as a side note - I REALLY suggest that those of you who are just using Windows' defender alone AT LEAST download the free version of AVG. And if any of you have XP, I cannot stress enough the importance of having a virus scanning software - because XP is no longer supported by Microsoft and therefore any security risks will NOT be patched! Also, Ad Blocker/Ad Blocker Plus is a GREAT tool to have to prevent malware in the first place, and Privacy Badger is great for controlling cookies and scripts on websites and limiting/regulating how YOUR information is being accessed and used!! The internet, by and large, is NOT a nice place, even if there are a few nice sites (like this one). smiley (I just want y'all to be safe.)

i have to read up on free online space nowadays! My 4shared account is very old and i don't know how the others work.
I have no problems with 4shared, never had. But those adds, seriously, not good!

I use Chrome on a Windows XP desktop, and the built-in Internet Explorer on a Microsoft Surface tablet running Windows 8.1 - and I don't have problems downloading from 4shared with either of them. (I just have to wait the 20 seconds). The Surface has its own security software built-in, but I use Bullguard for my anti-virus/security on the XP, and also Spybot & Malwarebytes on the XP as well.

However, I have noticed that 4shared has a lot more things popping up on the screen than they used to - but I have learned to just ignore them, and only click on the correct download button. Incidentally, Mollie Coonce posted "somewhere" (not sure where, sorry!) a very clear tutorial on how to use 4shared, with screen shots to illustrate. (I'll have to see if I can find it again.)

Also, when I post my freebies, I upload them to 3 sites: Copy.com, Dropbox & Google Drive, mainly due to the simplicity and clarity of their download pages. They're the ones I prefer to download from, so that's why I use them.

Hopefully, this post might help somebody, somewhere!

@Vidia: I'm pretty sure it's not my antivirus/malware program (paid subscription w/Panda) because the wait time issue would go away when I'd disable those plugins & refresh my page. Unfortunately, though I'm met with those unsavory images afterward. If 4shared has changed that again, I'm happy, though I'm still not fond of them because of all the issues they have on & off and won't host files on there anymore.

I don't know how accurate it is any more (because 4Shared changes a LOT), but thanks for reminding me, Robyn! Here is the forum my little instructions got posted in, a few posts down.

@Mollie Windows Defender on Win8 is just as good as AVG (and whichever other anti-virus/malware); there isn't a difference between the two, as far as protection is concerned--MS finally upped their game. I ran AVG after I gave up paying for ZoneAlarm every year. That was when XP was still the OS to use. Also, no one should be running an OS if there is no support or updates for it ... well, at least don't have it hooked up to the internet. XP is now like Win3: full of holes.

@Lizanne It's weird we're having different experiences using the same add-on. lol

@Everyone Unless you're purposefully going to bad sites, there really isn't anything to worry about. Your computer isn't going to download hundreds of viruses or bad ActiveX controls unless you go onto sites for pornography, cracks, etc. ... you know, bad sites. Nothing will happen on sites such as this one, FB, local grocery store, Netflix, any retail store, coupon sites, your bank's site, UPS, and so on.

@ Vidia - considering that Windows Defender doesn't scan websites or provide any malware/spyware protection, AVG is better. AVG scans websites, provides malware/spyware protection, and lets you shred files. Windows Defender is probably easier to obtain, install, and set up - because it already comes with the system, but that's about the only leg up on AVG. It should not be used alone, though.

I would agree that you are more than likely not going to get viruses if you don't go to "bad" sites, but that does NOT make you immune (just like Macs are NOT "immune" to viruses). What you will most likely run into is malware/spyware. And that can be downloaded onto your computer without your permission - through drive-by downloads, pop-ups, ads, etc. Viruses can also be in those, too, but they're less likely.

Simply going to places like 4Shared is enough to get infected with malware/spyware and possibly even viruses, if you aren't properly protected. (I WOULD consider 4Shared to potentially be one of those "bad" sites.) Also, since we are in the habit of downloading files from other people's computers, there is ALWAYS the possibility of becoming infected on accident through those files, especially if the person you are downloading from is inexperienced. And I have even heard of files becoming infected on file sharing sites simply from being stored on an infected server.
So, yes, you probably won't get and viruses if you stay away from "bad" sites - but, as I hope I have illustrated, that is actually becoming a harder thing to determine, and one should not use that as an excuse to NOT be properly protected. smiley

@Vidia: Yeah, that is weird. But maybe our settings are different? Have you gone into it's options? That could explain some of it anyhow...

@Mollie: I hear ya! I've gotten in the habit of scanning files (with Panda) before I'll even consider unzipping them. Better to be safe than sorry! smiley

@Mollie Win8 Defender does indeed block viruses and malware. It didn't for XP, Vista and Win7, though; it was just a scanner. For Win8 it blocks and scans. AdBlock Plus blocks nasty, intrusive pop-ups and ActiveX. So, as long as you're running both, a computer should be fine. Even with Norton and Mcafee, along with other top anti-virus/malware programs, they don't block everything--no program is 100% effective because viruses and malware change every day (that's why the programs constantly update)

Don't get me wrong, I totally get what you're saying and I, too, used to believe I needed massive protection. However, people overload on anti-virus/malware programs when it isn't necessary (unless you're downloading cracked programs or going to bad sites) for what an overwhelming majority of people do on their computer. Also, many of those programs bog down your computer because they're huge resource hogs. Even AVG is a resource hog, though it wasn't for the first couple of years it was available, but now it's loaded just like the others. People have been turning away from it because of that. The thing is, these programs are a billion-dollar business. So, yep, they will put it out there that you need this and need that when, in fact, you don't.

Regular files don't get infected; it's the Windows registry files that get infected, or rather viruses replace Windows registry files. Speaking of the registry ... If they're really nasty, no anti-virus/malware program can remove them; you need to do it yourself via regedit. Not that I recommend anyone mess with the registry, not even rootkit removers, unless you're experienced and know what to look for. One wrong deletion and you'll end up having to reformat your hard drive because it won't boot up.

MACs were never immune to viruses; those computers weren't popular until recently, so no one wrote viruses for them back then, though now they do. Linux is probably the safest OS on the market.

The ads on 4shared won't download anything to your computer unless you click on them and are redirected off of 4shared. That's where ActiveX Controls, which are loaded with viruses, come into play.

None of my computers, since the early 80s, have ever been infected with the one exception being in 2007, thanks to my idiot-of-an-ex-boyfriend. LOL I still remember how many viruses ended up on that computer (I used Norton at the time) because of his idiocy: 879. That was SUPER fun! smiley It took me 12 hours just to boot up in safe mode, and then another 62 hours to fix it. LOL

If it makes you, and others, feel safe, then that's good thing for you all. Myself, I feel completely safe with Win8's Defender and ABP.

@Lizanne No, I haven't touched ABP's options, or added anything to it. Just the standard install. I know there are add-ons, but I've never looked at any of them.

I just don't think it's wise to minimalize the dangers on the internet, especially when we are in the habit of opening up our computers to outside files and dodgey file hosting sites. I'm not advocating having a TON of virus scanner programs (that would be just as bad because they would get in each other's way), but I do not think Windows Defender alone is enough, and it certainly doesn't hurt to pair it with AVG - it's not like I am trying to sell something that costs anything, or something that eats up a ton of resources on the computer (I have a middle-of-the-road computer and I don't notice any resource problems from AVG - from Photoshop? Yes, but not AVG).

It's not the most ideal situation, but not everyone here is running Windows 8 or has computers capable of running 8. I know that there ARE some ladies who DO still have XP, and don't have the available funds to upgrade at this time, which is why I mentioned XP. Ideally, yes, they shouldn't be running XP at all - but I understand the money constraints and therefore, I suggest that they have AT LEAST a free antivirus software running. And while I am happy to hear that Windows Defender has improved for Windows 8 (that's fantastic news), those who have 7 or Vista should still have something to supplement the holes in the coverage, and not everyone realizes the threat that malware/spyware presents.

If you want to be cavalier in the way you interact with the internet because you think you'll be fine, then by all means, that's your choice. More experienced computer users are able to discern "safe" (safER) sites, and that DOES prevent a lot of issues. BUT, there are a LOT of inexperienced computer users on this site - especially inexperienced internet users. We all come from different walks and different proficiencies around here and I just don't think it's responsible to promote your cavalier outlook to just everybody. You probably can navigate 4Shared without clicking on the ads, but not everyone can - and there HAVE been users on here who have had virus/malware problems because of interacting with 4Shared.

(And I know that Macs were never immune - but I get that argument SO many times. lol)

And I stand by my disagreement that 4Shared, FB, coupon sites, etc are NOT "safe" sites - while they are not "bad" to the degree of pornography sites, crack sites, torrent sites, etc, (though some of those, depending on the community they service, are actually pretty devoid of viruses/malware) they ARE dodgey and have been known to harbor malware/spyware in their 3rd-party ads. If one has something like AdBlock installed, then much of that IS indeed avoided. My point is that on here, where there are all levels of computer literacy, the risks shouldn't be minimalized - we should call a spade a spade, and go from there, promoting responsible internet usage for all skill levels. smiley

I've read through a few of the posts, but it boggles my mind the issues that individuals have with 4Shared and MediaFire. I've never picked up a virus or anything like that through either site. I actually have a pay account through MediaFire and could NOT be happier.

One thing I can say is that people get too 'click happy', as in not paying enough attention when downloading from these sites. They are designed to be tricky, so as long as you read all information and closely look at links and buttons, there is no issue. Some of the links are bogus and intended to lure individuals into spyware and viruses, but they're not COMPLETELY bad.

I would give almost anything to look like the heavier model