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General discussion

Having Problems in downloading

May 10, 2010 2:53AM PDT

I am running a 32-bi windows xp pro.From some days,i am unable to download any software from download.com.When i click on the download link,after some time,it either says 'Cannot find server at software-files-i.cnet.com' or 'Connection Timed out.The server at software-files--i.cnet.com is taking too long to respond'.I tried on both firefox as well as on internet explorer 8. .This is only happening with this site;i am able to download from other sites.

Please help!!

Discussion is locked

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Initial thoughts...
May 10, 2010 4:55AM PDT

pappumaster,

CNET Downloads is not currently experiencing a significant outage, but such issues can be caused by a number of factors, including:

1.) Your internet connection. Depending on its speed, location of origin, etc, your browser and/or the website may give up before the connection is made. Use speedtest.net or a similar service to gauge your internet connection's performance.

2.) Your security software. Sometimes the protection mistakenly flags legitimate websites/content as dangerous and blocks them without warning. If your security software offers website and/or download protection, add the site to the whitelist or try momentarily disabling the protection.

3.) Your HOSTS file. If you use a custom HOSTS file, it could contain a rule that tells your browse the website and download are located on your computer or a random third party. If you didn't explicitly customize/replace your HOSTS file, you can usually safely ignore this one.

4.) Your download manager. If you use a third-party download manager, it could be malfunctioning. Try letting the browser manage the download instead as some have known faults while downloading content from CNET.

Try the above and let us know if the problem persists.

Regards,
John

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Still Having Trouble In Downloading From download.com!!!!
May 10, 2010 7:44PM PDT

John,

I tested my internet connection's speed on speedtest.net and got a result of 0.4 mbps,which,i think is not the problem as earlier i was easily able to download from download.com with the same connection.
Further,i switched off my Windows Firewall as well as my antivirus(Microsoft Security Essentials) and also disabled my download manager(Download Accelerator Plus),and then tried again , but all was in vain. Still, when i click on the final download link,the 'Thank You page' appears and after some time, it says 'server not found' in mozilla firefox, and in IE8,it says - 'Oops!Internet Explorer could not find software-files-i.cnet.com'.I have also added download.cnet.com as well as software-files-i.cnet.com in the 'Exceptions' list under the security tab .

Please help!!!

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HAVING TROUBLE IN DOWNLOADING
May 10, 2010 11:59PM PDT

John,

I recently used a software called 'xp tcp/ip fix' that's avalilable on your site also.I used that program,restarted my computer and then tried to download.This time the browser showed a different error-'The Connection Was Reset. The connection to the server was reset while the page was loading.'This time also ,i am having problem with this site only.
I need you tell one more thing that before all this happened, i had found multiple viruses in my PC because of which i decided to restore a backup which i had earlier made using 'Macrium Reflect'.But when i restarted my computer after having restored,i was unable to connect to the internet at all.But then in IE8,i clicked on 'Tools-Diagnose connection problems'.It said that it had found a problem in one of my Layered Service Providers(LSP)AND asked if i wanted to remove it.I clicked on 'Yes' and then my connection was restored.If i am not wrong ,then it is after that,i am having problem in downloading from download.com.Is it really because of that? Or can you suggest some other Software to deal with this problem?

I really need your help!!

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NOW ABLE TO DOWNLOAD!!
May 11, 2010 11:49AM PDT

John,

I decided to again restore that backup and this time,instead removing that LSP with IE8,i repaired it using 'LSP-Fix', and now i am able to download from your site.

But anyway...
Thank You for your time and efffort.

Happy

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Not able to download
May 29, 2010 2:49AM PDT

I also had this problem. Only with MS Explorer 8. Not Firefox. After spending hours...days... fiddling around with my computer including uninstalling security software, changing setting...et, I downloaded Firefox & all is well. Even after reinstalling security software and going back to all of my original settings.

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Links to software-files-I.com hijacked?
Jul 12, 2011 3:10AM PDT

Tried to download TeamvVewer using the download button on http://www.cnet.com/1770-5_1-0.html?query=teamviewer&tag=srch. My antivirus, ESET NOD32 Denied access to the page saying that is on the list of websites with potentillay dangerous content. A google search on software-files-I.com reveals variations of the malicious site:

Http Software Files L.cnet.com S Software 11 45 77 87 Alienarena7 ...www.cracks.cx/cracks-http-software-files-l.cnet.com-s-software-11-... - CachedCracks, Keygens and serials for Http Software Files L.cnet.com S Software 11 45 77 87 Alienarena7 45 Win20100721.exe E 1280267730 H. Hot Downloads ...

CNet should check and then remove this reference.

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Not the same website...
Jul 17, 2011 8:37AM PDT

In short, the alert you received from NOD32 regarding the Download Now link on CNET was a false alarm, and the references you found in a Google search are not related to CNET in any way.

Specifically, the download from CNET comes from http://software-files-l.cnet.com. That is a subdomain of cnet.com. The website you looked up is "software-files-I.com" which looks similar but notably lacks the "cnet.com" - it is an entirely different and unrelated website. Finally, the other website you referenced is "www.cracks.cx". They included "software-files-I.cnet.com" as part of a folder name in one of their URLs, but that does not mean they are affiliated with CNET - in fact, they are completely unrelated.

You can contact ESET for confirmation and to alert them of the false-positive, but there is nothing that CNET can do as neither website is related to CNET, and the website CNET uses to host downloads has not been hijacked or compromised in any way.

Regards,
John