Internet surfers have been downloading free music for a long time. The ability to easily and quickly transfer music from the web to your PC amazes most people. There are those who still do not know how to do it, where to get it, or better yet where to get it for free.

There are several Peer-to-Peer programs available on the net that will allow you to browse other users systems for your favorite songs for free. There seems to be an endless supply of music as you search by song title, band, or artist name within the P2P network.

It would be a long list to name all the popular P2P programs but one of the more popular programs would be Lime Wire. Users on the P2P network share their own files with each other by allowing certain folders to be viewed and the contents downloaded within that folder.

Any folder that is viewable will have downloadable contents inside that other users can search for and transfer to their own computers. The number of hits you receive when searching will depend on the amount of people that are logged on at one time.

You can change settings in the program to not allow users to see any of your files or folders. There are users who will terminate a transfer from a user without any shared files, so keep this in mind when changing any settings.

A shared folder should only contain files and programs that you are willing to share with other users.

You should also familiarize yourself with the file sizes and extensions of the popular music files. You want to ensure you do not download a virus by downloading an executable file instead of a music file. It is common for people to create a virus named as a popular song that actually contains a virus or other malware program, just check the file size and extension and you should be fine.

You do need to have an antivirus program installed onto your computer so that you can scan any files you have downloaded for viruses or other malware before you open them. A virus can destroy your information as well as render your computer unusable.

The downloaded music can be saved in any way you see fit in any folder you have created. The music can be stored on your computer, burnt to a CD, or even transferred to your cell phone or iPod to listen to it away from the computer.

You should read and understand the piracy laws before you begin downloading any files from the internet. Piracy laws are explained in most peer-to-peer programs under a specific section.

Use the best judgment when you are downloading, it is after all from unknown members on the site. A good antivirus program is the only way to determine that a file is safe. Make sure you are protected against malware or other threats with antivirus software. You can check files user ratings and also see how many times it has been downloaded. Files with higher numbers are generally safer.