Download Windows XP themes for your computer. A good idea?

Everybody likes free stuff. That’s why the internet is crowded with free download sites. The owners of the sites see the huge opportunity that the freebie-seekers represent.

However, there’s no such thing as a free meal. Read on and find out why:

  • These sites offer stuff for free
  • It’s important to understand which sites you can trust and which you can’t
  • These sites are often NOT as free as they claim to be
  • Free downloads can get you in trouble

First of all, most owners of the sites where you can download Windows XP themes for free want to make money. How do they do that when they give stuff away for free?

Well, often times when you embark on a free download, you are offered to install little, “nice-to-have” programs, like for instance a weather forecaster for your system tray. While it might be fun to have this kind of information on your computer desktop, the side-effects of these freebies are often not so funny.

Have you ever wondered why so many computers gradually slow down over time, why you see so many pop-ups when surfing the internet, or why many computer users are bombarded with spam email messages?

One of the reasons is that, when you install a so-called “free utility”, along with it comes some kind of advertising mechanism. You install the program on your computer, thus giving it permission to install executable files and maybe even changing Windows system files. Often times small advertising programs are installed along the way.

Not only does that result in unexpected popups and ads to appear, but also it “eats” your computer processing power. These little spyware programs need part of your computer’s processor and system memory capacity, thus slowing down your other programs.

Should you never download Windows XP themes?

Maybe you are really tired of your computer having the same look and feel as every other computer. Maybe you want to give your Windows its own unique style.

Not all Windows XP free themes are dangerous

There are some sources on the net where you can find downloads you can trust. Did you know that Microsoft has its own collection of Windows XP desktop enhancements? If you want to personalize your computer, these are perfectly safe to use.

It would be impossible to publish a complete list of sites where you can safely download Windows XP themes, because there simply are too many and new ones come and go every day.

If you still want to download third party themes or desktop enhancements, make sure to look for solutions that don’t change any system dll’s. When you are offered to install additional free utilities, run the other way!

Download Windows XP themes from the Microsoft website

More Windows XP tips and tricks