Can't play downloads when finished.

[avarner2]

When I have finished downloading, or even in the preview mode, I will get a message on the screen to play with windows media player, codec... then it directs me to a internet site for that codec.... then in order to proceed, I am supposed to sign up to some offers..... crap.... So many movies have that on them that it is awful to download. How do I bypass that and get a decent download, if possible?

[Lucy26]

Hi avarner2, welcome to the forum, but please make your post in the right sub-forum, your question has nothing to do with forum suggestion.

*Topic moved*

[The UnUsual Suspect]

You have downloaded what is referred to as a malicious download. This is a Trojan horse program, and you should delete the entire download immediately.

If you did attempt to install this "so-called" codec, then it would be a good idea to run some scans with one of the major anti-virus programs as well as some anit-spyware programs. There are several free programs like Spybot Search and Destroy, and Ad-Aware, but there are also many fake anti spyware programs that are also Trojans, so you need to be careful where you get them.

Cnet's "downloads.com" is a pretty good source for free software and should have both the programs I mentioned.

Also, in the future, read comments on torrents before downloading. The internet is full of scams and bad downloads as you have come across, and there is no way to stop them. You might also want to look for a torrent site that is better moderated then the one your using. Some remove malicious downloads quickly, while others seem to not care what is posted on their sites.

[kluelos]

You should also go back to the site where you downloaded this torrent, and add your comment to it, in order to warn others off of the torrent. It's important to always read the comments first, and when you find junk, to leave comments yourself.

It's a lot like EBay in pointing out dishonest sellers.

It's a good idea, if you can, to notice the name of the person who uploaded that torrent, because it's probable that all of their torrents are the same way and you'll want to skip over them.