This incarnation of the CNET downloader goes on to download and install software on your PC without a direct warning (except for what appear to users to be “banners ads”) and with no “OPT OUT” choices. I got 4 pieces of extra software, only one had an “opt out”, and the ones I had no choice about getting contained two virus programs. What you do not know is that they intend on putting that software on your machine without asking you. Have you encountered the CNET Installer? What's your opinion?įAR worse than that – the CNET download tool now also (it seems so innocent when you see it happening) sending (what look like) advertisements during the file transfer as you wait for your file. Good alternatives are Softpedia and Major Geeks. 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. 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.Ĭnet 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 real problem here however is that the web installer is pushing the Babylon toolbar. This in itself is problematic as it means that users need to run the installer first to download the setup file of the software that they initially wanted to download. Instead, a web downloader, called CNET installer, is provided. Cnet, at least for this download and probably for all downloads on the site, is not offering direct links to those setup files anymore. I first thought that the developers of CureIt had provided the installer, turned out I was wrong.

Instead of allowing me to download the setup file directly, a 400 Kilobyte web installer was downloaded.

I never had problems with downloads on Cnet before, but this one got me puzzled at first. Today I wanted to download Dr.Web CureIt and the first site that came up in Google Search was Cnet's. 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.

Cnet download ccleaner