Cnet downloads

Download.com offers content in four major categories: software (including Windows, Mac and mobile), music. games. and videos. offered for download via FTP from Download.com's servers or third-party servers. Videos are streams (at present) and music was all free MP3 downloads, or occasionally rights-managed WMAs or streams until it was replaced with last.fm .

The Software section includes over 100,000 freeware. shareware. and try-first downloads. Downloads are often rated and reviewed by editors and contain a summary of the file from the software publisher. Registered users may also write reviews and rate the product.

Downloading all software is free. Some software titles are trial versions; many are freeware and shareware. There is no charge by Download.com to access any content on the site. Software publishers are permitted to distribute their titles for free via CNET's Upload.com site, or for a fee structure that offers enhancements.

In 2004, Download.com Music was launched to replace the defunct MP3.com. One may download music in a variety of genres for free from this area of the site, and the artists range from amateurs to professionals. Artists may upload their information and songs to the site for free. All submissions go through a review process. On March 11, 2009, the music section was replaced with Last.fm .

In July 2005, Download.com Video was launched with streaming video content in a variety of genres (movies and TV, sports, animation, music videos, etc). Download.com plans to offer downloadable videos in future.

In August 2011, Download.com introduced an installation manager for delivering many of the software titles its catalog. The installation manager will offer to install add-ons like browser toolbars and change default homepages before downloading the software the user wanted. Users registered with Download.com can access files either with the Download.com installer or directly via "Download Direct Links".

Direct Download Link at without CNET Installer •

Most computer users would probably agree that the rise in recent years of adware and extras such as toolbars and other options while installing software has become a growing menace. The problem also isn’t just about inadvertently getting this junk installed onto your computer, in some cases such as the Babylon toolbar. it’s also about getting rid of it effectively again. Most people understand the need for developers to make money, but some software installers have become quite devious and all but trick ordinary users into installing their wares.

It was all the more frustrating when download portals started wrapping their software downloads in adware wrappers which means instead of you just downloading the setup installer like before, you download a small executable which offers various adware and junk before downloading the real installer for you. One of the biggest websites to implement this first was CNET and unfortunately several others have followed suit. Even the once respectable SourceForge has started using this method on open source software, which has dismayed users everywhere.

Of course, you can find other websites or the developer’s official website to download the program from if possible, but there’s no denying a website with a vast wealth of resources like CNET is still handy to fall back on every now and then. One good thing is not all software hosted on CNET is bundled with the “CNET Installer” so you’re not going to find it in your way every time you go there. If a software is being bundled with CNET’s installer, you will see a button that says “Download Now CNET Installer Enabled “.

If you move the mouse cursor over “CNET Installer Enabled”, you will get a popup box that explains:

The CNET Download.com Installer is a tiny ad-supported stub installer or “download manager” that helps securely deliver your downloads from Download.com’s servers. We also include offers for carefully screened software that complies with Download.com Software Policies as part of our Installer process.

Click on Download Now, and you’ll get the CNET Installer executable which when run will offer various junk such as toolbars, browser helpers (which change your default homepage or search engine) and other utilities that are rarely of any use. After you get through those windows by accepting or declining whether to install the extras, the installer will download the original setup installer from the CNET servers. The problem is the process is not reversible as there’s no back button, so if you accidentally click accept for one or more adware items, you cannot go backwards and need to close the window from the taskbar or task manager.

You don’t necessarily need to download the CNET Installer though as thankfully there is another option available on every download page where the wrapper is used. If you look just below the green download button, there is a “Direct Download Link” option where you can download the software directly from Download.com without the CNET installer.

If you or somebody uses CNET quite often and would like some protection from downloading the CNET Installer by mistake, there is a way to do this if you use Firefox or Chrome via an extension. Firefox has an add-on called Greasemonkey which allows you to run custom users scripts on web pages, Chrome (and Opera) uses a similar extension called Tampermonkey. To install the CNET Installer blocker:

2. Go to the NoBadWare script page at userscripts.org and click the green Install button at the top right. When prompted click Install in your browser to install the script.

3. Now visit a page on CNET which has the adware Installer enabled on the download button, Nokia PC Suite is one such program that has it.

You should now see instead of a separate direct download link, it says “NoBadWare: CNET Installer link replaced with direct download link”. Clicking the Download Now button will download the real setup installer just like any other software page that doesn’t include the CNET wrapper! You no longer have to worry about checking the links for the presence of the CNET adware installer.

Another option is to use a program to stop someone pressing the wrong button if they download the CNET Installer and run it by mistake. Although this might seem impossible, there was a tool released at the end of 2013 that can help. Unchecky was designed specifically to stop users clicking on the wrong options when installing software that contains adware. It does so by constantly monitoring your system and when it recognises your are launching an installer or in this case running an install wrapper, will uncheck the boxes to automatically install unwanted options or warn you might be trying to install adware.

Download and install Unchecky . then if you run a CNET Installer and accidentally click Accept, the Unchecky tool will attempt to warn you that you are potentially clicking on an option to install adware. This will at least offer a chance to think again before the Accept button registers the press.

The Unchecky program will work on many other setup installers that contain adware as well as other wrappers such as the one from SourceForge. Do be aware that Unchecky is currently still a beta version and is certainly not foolproof, so a degree of care should still be taken with ad supported installers.

If you’re unlucky enough to accidentally install any pieces of adware from the CNET Installer, most of them should be easily uninstalled from Control Panel using Programs and Features or Add and Remove Programs. To help clean up any leftovers, something like AdwCleaner can be used to scan and remove files and registry entries.

Another tool that can help you restore your browser default search engine and homepage while also removing unwanted toolbars the CNET Installer may have inadvertently placed onto your computer is called Auslogics Browser Care .

This free program currently only works on Internet Explorer, Firefox and Chrome but allows you to easily restore the options most adware supported setup installers might leave behind. Simply run the program and then check your start page, search engine and which addons are installed and enabled from within the program’s window. The layout and usage is easy to understand and each browser you have installed is located on a separate tab. Browser Care works on Windows XP up to 8.1.

The CNET Installer - gHacks Tech News

I have to admit that I'm not downloading many files from Cnet's download.com software portal. I usually prefer direct downloads from developer sites. Sometimes however developers link to the downloads on download.com instead of offering the downloads on their sites. This can make sense from a business perspective, but removes some of the controls they have over the user experience.

I also try to use download portals if the developer site does not offer direct downloads, for instance by forcing users to register or fill out a web form before downloads become available.

Today I wanted to download Dr.Web CureIt and the first site that came up in Google Search was Cnet's Download.com.

I never had problems with downloads on Cnet before, but this one got me puzzled at first. Instead of allowing me to download the setup file directly, a 400 Kilobyte web installer was downloaded.

I first thought that the developers of CureIt had provided the installer, turned out I was wrong. Cnet, at least for this download and probably for all downloads on the site, is not offering direct links to those setup files anymore. Instead, a web downloader, called CNET Download.com installer, is provided.

This in itself is problematic as it means that users need to run the download.com installer first to download the setup file of the software that they initially wanted to download. That's additional work for the user.

The real problem here however is that the web installer is pushing the Babylon toolbar. Users who do not pay attention to the download process will install the Babylon Toolbar, make Babylon their default search engine and homepage of their browsers.

Cnet is without doubt generating lots of revenue from the web installer, considering that the toolbar installation options are enabled by default, and that most users click Next Next Next when it comes to installation processes.

The CNET Download.com Installer is clearly adware. It might make sense to use a different download portal in the future, especially if you do not want to download the 400 Kilobyte web installer every time you download a file from the download site. Good alternatives are Softpedia and Major Geeks .

Have you encountered the CNET Download.com Installer? What's your opinion?

Please share this article

CNet - Kaspersky Lab Forum

Hopefully this is the correct forum to post this in.

I just downloaded something from cNet's Download.com and when I went to install was shocked that it popped up with a cNet branded installer that wanted to install some garbage, ad-ware on my system before proceeding to the item I had wanted.

IMHO this is malicious software. It is self stated ad-ware. It will also install unwanted 3rd party ad-ware software on the system. Not only is this terrible for security and privacy, but Windows suffers over time when extra garbage gets installed that takes up system resources.

Kaspersky should be blocking this! I was not at all pleased that it was able to run without even a warning.

I particularly like the deception in their FAQ (see below) about anti-virus software giving a "false positive" on their installer for being "adware or a potentially unwanted application" when THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT IT IS ACCORDING TO THEIR OWN FAQ! I understand why they, of course, don't want it stopped by an anti-virus. But then again I'm quite sure virus, worm and trojan authors don't want their malicious software blocked either. However this is my computer and I pay Kaspersky to help me keep it safe and clean, so I do very much want this garbage blocked and I'd hope Kaspersky's policy on this is to protect its users and not allow bad software onto their systems no matter what name brand is trying to peddle it.

Please have Kaspersky block this and everything like this from any source in the future. Please. A warning that alerted the user of the situation (something like "adware or a potentially unwanted application" would be fine) and defaulted to blocking the software would be ideal.

Below are exerpts from the "CNET Download.com Installer FAQ"

WHAT IS THE CNET DOWNLOAD.COM INSTALLER?

The CNET Download.com Installer is a tiny ad-supported stub installer or “download manager” that helps securely deliver your downloads from Download.com’s servers. Simply follow the instructions in the Download.com Installer to download and install the software on your computer.

WHY AM I SEEING OFFERS FOR ADDITIONAL SOFTWARE DURING THE DOWNLOAD?

The Download.com Installer is supported by offers for additional 3rd-party software. Offers may be shown during your download. All offers provide a method for rejecting the additional software before proceeding with the download. We only show offers for software that is approved for listing on Download.com and has undergone additional screening to ensure compliance with the Download.com Software Policies.

WHY IS MY ANTIVIRUS GIVING A WARNING WHEN I TRY TO DOWNLOAD SOFTWARE USING THE INSTALLER?

Because of the additional software offers included in the Download.com Installer, a small number of security publishers have flagged the Installer as adware or a potentially unwanted application. These flags are a false-positive detection and we are working hard to resolve these issues with the specific vendors who are flagging it.

Cnet Downloads Antivirus

High quality basic protection for PC's used to browse, search, and keep up with friends on social networks. You'll also enjoy worry-free gaming and one of the fastest …

Avast Free Antivirus is a full-featured product, with the same antivirus and anti-spyware scanning engine used in our premium products. Leaner and meaner version 6.0 …

free%20antivirus&searchtype=videos reviews, prices, articles, video, downloads and user forums from CNET.

The bottom line: An aggressive redesign aimed at making its best-known suite more accessible than before, Avira Free Antivirus 12 combines fast scans with above-average protection for a solid security combo.

Watch this video on CNET TV: While AVG has made some important security improvements in its latest major release, including protection against fake antivirus and ransomware, improving performance is the focus of AVG Free 2012.

Как удалить CNET Download App из компьютера

Что такое CNET Download App

Скачать утилиту для удаления CNET Download App

Удалить CNET Download App вручную

Удалить CNET Download App из Google Chrome Информация об угрозе

cbsi.appstore.main.exe

CNET Download App устанавливается на ваш компьютер вместе с бесплатными программами. Этот способ можно назвать "пакетная установка". Бесплатные программы предлагают вам установить дополнительные модули (CNET Download App). Если вы не отклоните предложение установка начнется в фоне. CNET Download App копирует свои файлы на компьютер. Обычно это файл cbsi.appstore.main.exe. Иногда создается ключ автозагрузки с именем CNET Download App и значением cbsi.appstore.main.exe. Вы также сможете найти угрозу в списке процессов с именем cbsi.appstore.main.exe или CNET Download App. также создается папка с названием CNET Download App в папках C:\Program Files\ или C:\ProgramData. После установки CNET Download App начинает показывать реламные баннеры и всплывающую рекламу в браузерах. рекомендуется немедленно удалить CNET Download App.

Скачайте эту продвинутую утилиту для удаления CNET Download App и cbsi.appstore.main.exe (загрузка начнется немедленно):

*SpyHunter был разработан компанией EnigmaSoftware и может удалить CNET Download App автоматически. Протестирован нами на Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8 и Windows 10. Триальная версия SpyHunter предоставляет функцию обнаружения угрозы CNET Download App бесплатно .

Удаляет файлы созданные CNET Download App.

Удаляет ключи реестра созданные CNET Download App.

Активируйте активную защиту для предотвращения заражения.

Решите побочные проблемы с браузерами (реклама, перенаправления).

Удаление гарантировано - если SpyHunter не справляется обратитесь за бесплатной поддержкой.

Тех. поддержка в режиме 24/7 включена в предложение.

Поделитесь если помогло!

Скачайте антивирусные сканер способный удалить CNET Download App и cbsi.appstore.main.exe (загрузка начнется немедленно):

Удаляет файлы созданные CNET Download App.

Удаляет ключи реестра созданные CNET Download App.

Устраняет браузерные проблемы.

"Утилита для удаления тулбаров" поможет избавиться от нежелательных дополнений.

Удаление гарантировано - если Stronghold AntiMalware не справляется обратитесь за бесплатной поддержкой.

Тех. поддержка в режиме 24/7 и 5 часов удаленной поддержки GoToAssist включены в предложение.

Обратитесь в нашу службу технической поддержки с проблемой связанной с CNET Download App. Опишите все обстоятельства заражения CNET Download App и его последствия. Команда предоставит вам варианты решения этой проблемы бесплатно в течении нескольких часов.

Cnet downloads

Author Topic: CNET download.com (Read 2682 times)

« on: February 03, 2008, 05:07:12 PM »

Has someone ever noted how AVG ANTIVIRUS FREE EDITION is always 2nd download (most popular and "known") while AVAST is 5TH (less "known". ) and AVIRA ANTIVIR PERSONAL EDITION CLASSIC is now 15 TH in the top download list at www.download.com. Is there a way to publicize AVAST to change that state of facts. CNET Download Dispatch: Super Sunday?

De. Download Dispatch for Windows (newsletters@download.online.com )

Envoye. 1 fevrier 2008 19:26:28

CNET Download.com

CNET Download.com

Feb. 1, 2007

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Super Bowl downloads

After weeks of hype, Super Bowl Sunday is finally here. Whether you're pulling for Tom Brady and Co. or the G men from New York, this super collection of pigskin paydirt will have you ready for the big game.

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This week on Crossfade TV, the Download Music crew listens to new songs from Brooklyn duo MGMT, hip-hop star Fat Joe, and singer-songwriter Josh Ritter. Our Game of the Week is "Conquer Online," a free MMORPG that weaves adventures around an ancient tale of mystical Kung Fu.

Happy downloading!

Mark Sikes

Mark Sikes

Associate Producer,

CNET Download.com

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