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So they decided to add something that shuts down my PC every time I boot it up. It's $#*!ing stupid how it's still up, scamming people out of $#*! like that.

I can no longer visit their site as there are too many adverts and videos with excessively loud hardcore music blasting in your ears, which you cannot stop! It is such a tragedy as it use to be my favorite site.

CNET used to be a reputable and useful site, providing honest evaluations and safe downloads of software programs. The site is no longer useful or safe... everything comes with tons of malware, bloatware, spyware and adware. CNET now loads rating sites with bogus five-star ratings and google search interference by listing a full page of Cnet links. Their only usefulness is listing several alternate software sources, e.g. video converters, and the smart user will then go to the parent site and avoid the headache of an infected computer. Two thumbs down!

Used these folks for years, I am big believer and user of shareware. But today for the second time I downloaded a file and got a virus. I can find no place on their site to report it or contact them. They are now on my blacklist. Looks like they have been taken over by hackers. Too bad, but beware do not download anything from them. Now I have random audio commercials playing even when there is no browser open. Naturally I am having a lot of difficulty figuring out how to fix this.

In last 6 months, it has basically become only an advertising site so adware & malware is everywhere. I used to use this site with a lot of confidence 5 years ago but it is basically useless now to sort for best downloads for apps, utils, etc.

An awesome website where users can download free software’s of their choice. Good job!

Cnet used to be great, now it's the one place you're guaranteed to download adware/malware and viruses, I wouldn't recommend this site to anyone who doesn't want to reinstall windows.
We need something to warn us about these kinds of sites, how that would work I don't know, but sites like cnet need to be removed one way or another. Sick of these sites being legitimized by ignorant people who don't even know what a boot block is.

User reviews plagerizing user reviews scam...

Comodo geekbuddy flat lined my dell xps... I see the cnet review which shows same bad behaviour and hours of work to repair it... and then cnet plagiarizes this guys review to say how magic and wonderful it is.
So CNET is in bed with comodo. How nice. Guess I wont be looking for advice from cnet or comodo. I don't need your geek buddy... your geek buddy stinks. I am my own geek buddy.

Beware! Used to be great, but is a scam now. I hate them now, downloads has done nothing but secretly install garbage and almost ruin my pcs with crapware they sneak, They need a Class Action against them

STAY AWAY
This site no longer scans for VIRUSES for it's downloads. Many reviews on their downloads from users indicate Viruses found.
My last download was halted by McAfee and resulting in the following virus being detected:
Artemis! DC8F485C2C24 (Trojan)

The site is riddled with viruses and malware.
I wouldn't advise anyone to use this, you'll end up spending hours trying to clean up your computer afterwards

CNET used to be my favorite website. I would stay up all night trying different programs. Sad to see all this malware. Im cleaning out my computer as i write this.

Do NOT go there unless you want malware and headaches. Anyone who gives it even one star has not used that site. Keep away.

I downloaded "Best Bulk Email Software" from Cnet, a soft which has a very high rating. Actually the software is buggy and the mail servers they provide are black listed. Put twice a review on Cnet to mention this. It was never published

They used to be great but now they try to install bloat/spyware on yr computer at the same time you install any of the hosted programs. If you wish to use them then just be very aware of what you are agreeing to during installation. I just tried to install a program downloaded off CNET only to find that it wanted to install 3 other pieces of software at the same time. The bloat/spyware was all about shopping & advertising which luckily I caught before it could infect my system. I would rather pay for software rather than allow this sort of rubbish to infect my computer & then have to pay to get rid of it!
That is the last time I use their website because it is quite sneaky about how they do it.

At one time, I recommended CNET's download.com to anyone looking for software downloads. It was my own first choice until the company broke it's policy of scanning all software downloads for viruses, malware, or adware by installing its own malware and adware. This is what happens when MBAs start taking over and everything has to be monetized, because all those people can read are dollar signs. Obviously, Sean Murphy's fixation on the almighty has blinded him to the fact that he has invited parasites that soon will consume its host. I no longer consider download.com an ethical company and would use it only as a last resort in the event of an emergency.

It now offers spyware with its installation software. This is now officially a dangerous site.

For years I used download.com (now download.cnet.com) to get great products both free and paid. But the seedy underbelly of the internet has latched itself to that once great site while CNET has slept and many of the items you download have viruses or worse!

As of late I tried to download "Macgo Blu-ray Player" from their site and initially my Norton Anti-Virus said it was good. But when I installed it Norton then said that it had to trap a Trojan virus! The worse experience of the year was a trialware version of software that claimed to have many features similar to Microsoft's Viso. What I got was a hijacked computer!

So BIG SHAME on cnet for not doing a better job of policing the software that is being offered through their site. So my one-time review of 5 stars for this site many years ago has been reduced to a "You had better have GREAT defenses on your computer when you install OR ELSE!"

So stay away until CNET fixes their issues.

I never got the Civil War Generals II game. What I did get was a barely working computer that I will probably have to pay someone to fix.

They are lucky I can not physically find them.

Site should be banned, along with several other freeware hawkers. You can bet most anything downloaded with have malware, or worse, so try to avoid. How-To-Geek, explains it all:
http://bit.ly/1A5x1cW

This is part of the CNET site, but only has software downloads. I have downloaded several software programs from it. Most are free trials, where is does something, then you have to buy the software to do what you really need it to do.

The user reviews are ify, so take them with a grain of salt.

There is a lot to like about Cnet downloads. Huge selection, can filter by price (or "free"), and more importantly they check each and every download for viruses or spyware. Thanks Cnet!