The Download Blog

If you missed out on Ashampoo's special deal last week, here is your second chance! In celebration of their 10th year Anniversary, Ashampoo is offering CNET users an exclusive deal on all of their software (except for CAD software) for just $10 USD.

Ashampoo makes a number of popular software titles including, but not limited to, Ashampoo AntiSpyWare 2, Ashampoo Music Studio 3, Ashampoo Office 2008, Ashampoo Magical Defrag 2, Ashampoo Burning Studio 9, Ashampoo Movie Shrink & Burn 3, Ashampoo HDD Control, Ashampoo WinOptimizer 6, Ashampoo UnInstaller 4, Ashampoo PowerUp 3, Ashampoo Slideshow Studio HD, Ashampoo Photo Commander 7, Ashampoo Snap 3, and Ashampoo Cover Studio 2.

You can get the special promotion by clicking on the $10 promo button on their product pages or simply enter in the special CNET Downloads coupon code download_com from their website.

This is an exclusive limited time offer, so get it before the time runs out!

Microsoft dropped a mini-bombshell on Monday, announcing that it is contributing thousands of lines of code for inclusion in Linux.

But lest anyone think Microsoft suffered a massive head trauma over the weekend, the code it is releasing isn't really about helping Linux compete better with Microsoft. The drivers are really geared at making Windows a better host for Linux.

"The Linux device drivers we are releasing are designed so Linux can run in enlightened mode, giving it the same optimized synthetic devices as a Windows virtual machine running on top of Hyper-V," Tom Hanrahan, director of Microsoft's Open Source Technology Center, said in a statement. "Without this driver code, Linux can run on top of Windows, but without the same high performance levels."

As noted by CNET Blog Network writer Matt Asay, Microsoft is releasing three drivers for Linux under the GPL that governs Linux.

Although Microsoft has released open-source code in the past, the company has generally favored licenses other than the GPL. That said, the GPL is the way into the Linux kernel and Microsoft wants this code in Linux.

In an article on its press Web site, Microsoft acknowledged the departure. The company has also been going after Linux for years, both on the marketing and legal fronts.

"Today, in a break from the ordinary, Microsoft released 20,000 lines of device driver code to the Linux community," Microsoft said. "The code, which includes three Linux device drivers, has been submitted to the Linux kernel community for inclusion in the Linux tree."

The move comes at a time of mixed signals from Redmond when it comes to Linux. Microsoft has said that the browser-based versions of Office, which are due out next year as part of Office 2010, will support Firefox, bringing at least a portion of Office to Linux for the first time.

It has also made peace with a number of Linux companies, most notably a 2006 pact with Novell, but has continued to rattle its legal saber at those with whom it has not struck patent deals.

After years of making claims that many Linux implementations violate Microsoft patents, Microsoft finally took a case to court in February, filing suit against navigation systems maker TomTom.

The two sides later settled, but the settlement left many unanswered questions and Microsoft hasn't said if it will take similar action against other companies.

Although the latest move is clearly designed to bolster Windows as a hosting environment for servers running both Linux and Windows, to me there is something slightly discordant about adding code to something you feel is already infringing on your intellectual property. Perhaps, though, that's just the very definition of co-opetition.

Microsoft is in an interesting position--seeking to compete with Linux while also understanding that many companies run both operating systems. Not only is it about making its business customers happy, but there is good money to be made by owning the management and virtualization layers, even if there is some Linux running atop Microsoft's stack.

For those that want to hear Microsoft's take on the news, here's a video of Hanrahan discussing the move with Sam Ramji, the company's senior director of platform strategy. (Note: Silverlight is required.)

Microsoft is releasing the second service pack update to Office 2008 for Mac, the company said Monday.

The free update, which is expected to be available later on Monday from Microsoft's Web site, is designed to improve speed and stability as well as add new features for connecting to SharePoint servers and to Microsoft's Office Live Workspaces.

"With SP2 we are not only delivering on top customer requests midcycle, but also taking a first step in bringing Microsoft software plus services to Mac users," senior product manager Mike Tedesco said in a statement. "This connection unlocks the door for Mac users to Microsoft services for easier collaboration and file sharing with colleagues, customers and classmates."

With the update, Mac Office users will be able to save documents to Office Live Workspace. The site also is expanding its Mac browser support to include Safari 4, in addition to Firefox.

Microsoft declined to offer any details on the next major release of Office for the Mac, but a representative said that the company is "on track with the next release and that is based on the standard 2-3 year release cycle."

Office 2008 was released in January of last year.

Last week, BleepingComputer.com reported on how to remove a new variant of an old scareware. This new nasty, known most commonly as Antivirus2010 or Anti-Virus-1, points you to spoofed versions of Download.com, ZDNet, PCMag.com, and other software sites, demanding that you download their program to clean your computer. Of course, it does nothing of the sort, merely perpetuating the infection.

Antivirus2010, Anti-Virus-1, and other variants of the AntivirusXP infection have never been hosted on Download.com.

(Credit: Seth Rosenblatt/CNET Networks)

However, the manner and methods Anti-Virus-1 uses to get you there are extremely clever. The infection part of the malware does whatever it's been designed to do, so you can see that you've been infected with malware. What you don't realize at this point is that it's hacked your hosts file, too, so that when you go to a software site you don't ever make it to the site you're trying to get to.

You wind up on a skinned Web site that looks like the site you're expecting, but isn't. With the Download.com spoof, you can see that they're using our old design, which CNET abandoned last summer. Clicking on any link besides the download button will take you to the same page that the legitimate site would've taken you to. Hit the download button, though, and you get their fake malware remover, which in fact does the opposite, perpetuating the infection.

Removing the infection is tricky because of the differences between the variants. Some people have complained that they get locked out of their Task Manager, for example, but not all reports include that complaint. The fix that I cited for Antivirus XP 2008 may work, but users who have Windows XP Home Edition don't have a gpedit.msc. Home Edition users will have to edit their Registry directly.

Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware has proven to be one of the few malware killers that can effectively remove Antivirus XP 2008 and its variants, and it should work against the latest ones, too. The First Look video of Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware on the right will help you get started with the program.

Keep in mind that there is no substitute for cautious browsing. Don't install every Facebook app that comes your way, don't click on ads on unfamiliar sites or sites that are known vectors for attacks, and don't install software from anybody that's not a vouchsafed source.

I've pasted below the entire list from BleepingComputer of changes to your hosts file for your edification. Be warned that it may change as variants are developed.

O1 - Hosts: 217.20.175.74 www.review.2009softwarereviews.com

O1 - Hosts: 217.20.175.74 review.2009softwarereviews.com

O1 - Hosts: 217.20.175.74 a1.review.zdnet.com

O1 - Hosts: 217.20.175.74 www.d1.reviews.cnet.com

O1 - Hosts: 217.20.175.74 www.reviews.toptenreviews.com

O1 - Hosts: 217.20.175.74 reviews.toptenreviews.com

O1 - Hosts: 217.20.175.74 www.reviews.download.com

O1 - Hosts: 217.20.175.74 reviews.download.com

O1 - Hosts: 217.20.175.74 www.reviews.pcadvisor.c.uk

O1 - Hosts: 217.20.175.74 reviews.pcadvisor.co.uk

O1 - Hosts: 217.20.175.74 www.reviews.pcmag.com

O1 - Hosts: 217.20.175.74 reviews.pcmag.com

O1 - Hosts: 217.20.175.74 www.reviews.pcpro.co.uk

O1 - Hosts: 217.20.175.74 reviews.pcpro.co.uk

O1 - Hosts: 217.20.175.74 www.reviews.reevoo.com

O1 - Hosts: 217.20.175.74 reviews.reevoo.com

O1 - Hosts: 217.20.175.74 www.reviews.riverstreams.co.uk

O1 - Hosts: 217.20.175.74 reviews.riverstreams.co.uk

O1 - Hosts: 217.20.175.74 www.reviews.techradar.com

O1 - Hosts: 217.20.175.74 reviews.techradar.com

(Via Ars Technica)

(Credit: CBS Interactive/Corinne Schulze)

"Taxes" and "fun" clearly don't belong in the same sentence--unless you have a little imagination and a sense of humor as warped as ours (here's a hint: deductible bingo).

From tech tips on how to set up a room for massive tax filing to the perfect stress-relieving games and yummy tax-themed snacks, our party guide will help you make the most out of the necessary evil of preparing your yearly tax return.

See also:
Photos: TaxCut versus TurboTax
TaxCut in-depth review
TurboTax in-depth review

How to throw your own tax party

Sure, you're all jazzed about Barack Obama and looking forward to a brighter 2009, but what about the catastrophes of 2008? I'm not talking about the financial meltdown, Sarah Palin, or The Love Guru, I'm talking about the worst downloads of the year.

Every three months, Tom Merritt (of CNET TV renown) and I collaborate on a lighthearted tribute to the software failures that stick out among the many excellent programs on Download.com worse than John McCain supporters at the Inauguration Day gala.

To qualify, these downloads have to meet the minimum requirements specified by Download.com in our software policies. That excludes all spyware, adware, and rogue software--which disqualifies public enemy No. 1, the notoriously annoying Antivirus XP 2008 and its many variants, which continue to plague Google ads.

Without any further introduction, here are my picks for the most inept, most impractical, and outright goofiest Windows software downloads of last year. If you missed them all the first time, consider yourself lucky.

No. 5. SKAT

In all honestly, this unusually unappealing card game makes my top five worst of 2008 mostly because it's German and named "SKAT." Are you kidding me! That sort of "blue" material might be golden for bawdy comedians, but what about the casual gamer? Unless you're well versed in German and enjoy human-size mice sitting around a photo of an old-timey saloon, you're best passing this diversion by.

The basic card game pits you against Speedy and Jerry, two suspicious and ill-drawn rodents. The rules conveniently list topics in English like "Game Introduction" and "The Deck and The Suits." However, clicking on any topic only gets you more explanations in German. You can pick up on the rules of the game by playing a few with Speedy and Jerry, but if the lame graphics and retro (yet very polite) rodents don't scare you off, the tedium of the action should put you to sleep in a few minutes.

No. 4. MB Free Psychic Color Test

It's one thing to exploit users' belief in their own supernatural abilities, but why does pseudoscience have to be so doggone boring?

The free psychic "game" MB Free Psychic Color Test is based on using your psychic abilities to select the color secretly chosen by the computer. The Beginner level starts with five colors; Intermediate brings 10 colors to the mix; and Expert kicks up the fun to 20 colors.

Close your eyes, take a deep breath, and think hard. Then open your eyes and select a color. If you're right, you'll get a "correct" message; an errant response receives an uplifting "incorrect" salvo: "Don't lose hope! Relax, take a deep breath, keep a calm mind, and guess again." Wait a minute...guess? There's no guessing involved in psychic color testing. I call shenanigans!

To top if all off, exiting the test brings up a shameless donate page from mysticboard.com, the publishers of this crock of software. Mystic Board keeps skirting the very lowest level of our quality threshold, with a number of ridiculously simple programs related to astrology, the occult, and the supernatural.

No. 3. Alien Communicator

While I must give this ridiculous program props for winning the unofficial contest for most mind-boggling software program of 2008, it also doesn't do very much of anything remotely useful, aside from randomly generate letters and numbers.

According to "The Story" that comes with this download, the Alien Communicator "translates alien psycho-kinetic control of the random number generation capability of a PC computer into readable letters." Apparently, thoughts travel much faster than the speed of light in spatial dimensions that are scaled smaller than "the four we are familiar with."

If you actually believe that aliens are trying to communicate with us via random numerals sent through the fifth dimension, I might suggest that you undergo some psychiatric analysis. However, what I wouldn't recommend would be the next piece of software on the list.

No. 2. Psychiatric Diagnosis Suite

When you or someone you care about may have a serious psychiatric problem, the last thing you likely need is a poorly programmed set of canned questions in an interface that's horrible enough to push you over the edge, but that's exactly what you get from Psychiatric Diagnosis Suite. While much of the information in this program is accurate and semicurrent, it's nearly impossible for anyone to use it.

After you are done answering a set of seemingly random psychiatric questions in the standard screen, a series of pop-up windows suggest possible diagnoses: "Please consider Panic Disorder," "Please consider Agoraphobia," "Please consider Alcohol/Drug Abuse" (that popped up twice for me, uh-oh!), "Please consider Generalized Anxiety Disorder," "Error on line 6933 ... Object Required," perhaps we should "Please consider another software program."

Constant spelling mistakes only reinforce the amateur presentation, and to top it all off the program costs $100 and only allows one trial use. If you ever end up with a psychiatrist who uses this ridiculous software, run away!

No. 1. Automatic Print Email

In a year of "change" where many scientists and concerned citizens believe that our environment is reaching the tipping point when it comes to natural resources, there's no reason to waste paper unnecessarily, yet that's exactly what this software does. For the low, low price of $50, this program will print all of the e-mail from your in-box, creating pages after pages of YouTube links, Viagra spam, Evite invitations, and other minutiae from your friends, relatives, and random strangers.

In my option, you're much better off using an actual e-mail program to, you know, read your messages, and then print out the images and letters for which you want hard copies after your preview your messages. For those responsible members of Spaceship Earth, a free program called GreenPrint takes on the notion of paper waste from an opposite approach. It lets you remove items from computer printouts to avoid wasting paper unnecessarily. Now there's an idea for 2009!

There were a lot of high-profile updates in 2008, and the line between traditional software downloads and Web applications blurred significantly. The browser especially has become, for some people, the only program they need.

There were several stand out new applications, though, and here are six of what I think are the best ones. They range from traditional Web browsers and browser hybrids to communication tools and utilities that should help you work faster and help maintain your system.

Google Chrome : The one application that probably going to be on everybody's Nice list this year, Google Chrome unexpectedly redefined the highly competitive browser market. While the summer months saw major updates to Firefox and Opera, Google showed in September that Steve Jobs isn't the only guy who knows how to make a big "boom."

Google Chrome has thrown the browser wars on its ear.

(Credit: CNET Networks)

Google Chrome is notable on several fronts, even if browser traditionalists dislike the lack the extensibility. The capability to rip off tabs from the main window and drag them to your desktop to save as discrete Web applications goes a long way to blurring that between Web applications and traditional software. There's also the fact that Chrome is arguably the fastest browser on the market. If it's not, it's certainly tied with the second Firefox 3.1 beta.

Chrome's speed at starting up, at loading Web pages, and at returning URI bar search results have helped push the focus of browser development back onto performance. I still use Firefox as my default browser, because what I lose in performance, I gain in add-on tools that I consider essential for work. But if you haven't yet checked out Chrome, you're missing out on more than just the Google Kool-Aid.

KidZui: KidZui takes the tried-and-failed child-control methods of Web site blacklists and keylogging and abandons them in favor of something far more sensible: an extensive whitelist. First released back in March, KidZui looks and acts like a browser, but instead a closed system of editor-approved sites.

KidZui is the kids browser that's both a bit more and a bit less.

(Credit: CNET Networks)

These editors, made up of parents, teachers, and former teachers have compiled database of 800,000 Web sites the last time I saw KidZui's stats. At-home parents can approve specific Web sites, such as a family photo gallery, that KidZui users couldn't otherwise see. KidZui is more than just a safe browsing environment, though. It combines that most essential of computer tools with social networking features. Children can rate sites, videos, and images, and share those ratings with their KidZui friends. Parents get the peace of mind that comes from weekly browsing and logging updates, and can further block approved KidZui sites if they deem them inappropriate.

It's not a program for everybody, obviously. What it does do, though, is create a uniquely safe way to teach children about surfing the Web and the power of exploring information without worrying about sketchy shenanigans.

Songbird: Songbird was in beta development for more than a year, and finally reached a stable release just after Thanksgiving. Originally designed as a balanced mash-up between Firefox and iTunes, it's instead used Mozilla's Gecko engine to drive music content. You can still browse the Web with it, but it's no accident that Songbird opens up to your music library.

It's a browser! No, it's a jukebox! No, it's...

(Credit: Songbird)

Also taking a page from its Firefox roots, Songbird lets users create add-ons with ease. These aren't limited to skins--"Feathers" in the Songbird argot. Songbird's add-ons include a Cover Flow-styled album art browser, lyric windows, and Last.fm and mashTape support. As much as people love their MP3s, it's amazing to me that it's taken this long for a serious and slick cross-platform jukebox competitor to get onstage. And as much as I love MediaMonkey, it's starting to look like there might be a software-based "Battle of the Bands" on the horizon.

Secunia Personal Software Inspector: Secunia PSI seeks to address an often-overlooked software security issue: the out-of-date program. It makes sure that your applications are up-to-date, which is great not only for ensuring you've got the latest features, but it also takes care of any bug-fixes that might patch previously-unknown exploits. What's important about Secunia is that while it will notify you of updates, it only provides direct links. It won't automatically upgrade your software unless you tell it to.

Secunia PSI keeps track of program updates.

(Credit: CNET Networks)

Based on the Web-based Secunia Software Inspector from 2006, and in development since late 2007, Secunia PSI should appeal to both casual computer users and those who think they know what they're doing. If you're the former, the Simple layout provides basic information about the installed program statuses, with a chart to gauge their security over time and a simplified listing of any errors. Clicking on an error leads you through the proprietary Easy-to-Patch program update process, which automatically excludes more challenging updates.

If you're a power user, Secunia's Advanced layout tab exposes more details and more updates. It also checks your Microsoft XML, your Adobe Flash player installation, and others programs, looking for mission-critical holes and their respective updates. Scanning wasn't like trying to use a 56k modem to stream video, but for a program that runs in the background, I expected it to be a bit faster. It didn't slow down my computer's overall performance, though, and the update process went smoothly. All that makes this a highly-recommended freeware.

Smart Defrag: Smart Defrag is another excellent program that left its beta training wheels behind in 2008. Yeah, there are a lot of defraggers out there. Some are free, some are trialware. Smart Defrag stands out for two reasons.

Speed demon Smart Defrag is much faster than you'd expect.

(Credit: CNET Networks)

It has the quick analysis and scan times that are practically required to be competitive in the field. Alongside those, it boasts an automated defragger that continually defrags the files that you use the most, and does it without becoming a persistent drag on your system resources. The program eats up a small amount of RAM when running in the background, so it's possible to run it smoothly on older machines. Throw in a scheduler you can set up to defrag whenever you want and some customization features like running a defrag when you boot up or shutdown Windows, and Smart Defrag makes a great tool for users of all experience levels.

Digsby: Digsby got off to a bit of a rocky start, a bit like the kid in school who you think would be a lot cooler if it just stopped trying so hard. The problem was that Digsby wasn't particularly stable, was pigging out on every user's RAM, and was offering something fairly unique at the time: a multiprotocol chat client that also pulled in Web mail, and access to MySpace, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook accounts.

Digsby offers multiprotocol chat, social networking, e-mailing, and more skins than you can shake a stick at.

(Credit: CNET Networks)

About six month later, in late September, Digsby released a massive update that fixed most of the RAM-hogging issues. Firing up the program is still a bit wonky for me, but there's no doubt that once it's going it works better than it has before. Digsby should easily be the instant messaging freeware of choice for the super social set. It supports the major IM networks of Yahoo, MSN, AIM, ICQ, Google Talk, and Jabber.

Updating Twitter is a breeze from the application's main interface, though users wishing to do anything more than read Facebook and MySpace news feeds will be redirected to their online accounts.

Users can initiate text, video, and audio chat from the conversation window, and transfer files, send SMS, and compose short e-mails. POP and IMAP accounts are supported alongside Web mail. The notification pop-ups for every activity can get distracting, though a deep preference options control nearly every aspect of the display, including a wide variety of skins and those pesky pop-ups. Although many people had written off the application as too cumbersome in the past, the current build is well-worth downloading and exploring.

Got a favorite brand-new program that you think we overlooked? Tell us about it in the comments.

There's a lot that goes on behind the scenes here at CNET Download.com, and that includes the videos we editors create for the products we find most worthy--or the ones you keep coming back to time and again.

In that vein, we've stuffed this glorious playlist with the the top 10 software videos you watched on our site in 2008. Take a look--you may wind up with a new app you never knew you needed!

(Hint: Click the word "Playlist" to view the whole list or skip ahead.)

Here are the winners:

1. AVG Anti-Virus Free 8
2. Orbit Downloader
3. VirtualDJ
4. Avast Home Edition
5. Firefox 3
6. Ad-Aware 2008
7. FLV Player
8. FrostWire
9. Paint.NET
10. Spybot - Search & Destroy

See more video reviews on Windows, Mac, and Mobile software.

In Windows 7, the Windows Security Center will be replaced with the Windows Action Center

(Credit: Robert Vamosi/CNET Networks; Microsoft)

Since Monday, I have been running a prebeta copy of Windows 7, the next operating system from Microsoft.

At first glance, build 6801 of Windows 7 appears very much like Windows Vista; that's because enhancements to the look and feel part of the operating system typically come late in the development process. Right now, the core programming is being set, and there are already some changes in how Windows 7 will handle computer security.

Gone is the Security Center, introduced in Windows XP SP2. Instead, there will be an "Action Center" that incorporates alerts from 10 existing Windows features: Security Center; Problem, Reports, and Solutions; Windows Defender; Windows Update; Diagnostics; Network Access Protection; Backup and Restore; Recovery; and User Account Control.

Changes to the User Account Control (UAC) may raise an eyebrow or two. While vastly unpopular in Windows Vista, the dialog boxes that pop up whenever a user tries to install new software, among other reasons, served a purpose.

In Windows 7, users can adjust consent prompt behavior using a slider control, if they have administrative privileges. Microsoft says they'll still be protected against malicious software, even if they never see another alert. I'm wondering if that's actually a bad idea: if people never see an alert, they might think nothing bad ever happens to their computer. We lose an element of user education.

Windows 7, which Microsoft unveiled at its PDC 2008 event this week, also introduces something called the Windows Filtering Platform (WFP). The idea is that third parties can take advantage of aspects of the Microsoft Windows Firewall in their own products. Microsoft says "third-party products also can selectively turn parts of the Windows Firewall on or off, enabling you to choose which software firewall you want to use and have it coexist with Windows Firewall."

I mentioned this feature to one major security vendor, which responded by saying it couldn't imagine running its product side by side with Windows Firewall. Also, if Microsoft had a compelling component in its firewall, this vendor said it would just build its own version, not use Microsoft's.

Other security features have been tweaked in the current build of the next Windows operating system. Scrollbars were removed in the configuration settings screen, as has the Software Explorer feature, and real-time protection in Windows 7 has been improved to reduce the impact on overall system performance.

Windows 7 extends BitLocker drive encryption support to removable storage devices, such as flash memory drives and portable hard drives. This means that users can keep sensitive data on all of their USB storage devices.

Biometrics enhancements include easier reader configurations, allowing users to manage the fingerprint data stored on the computer and control how they log on to Windows 7.

And System Restore includes a list of programs that will be removed or added, providing users with more information before they choose which restore point to use. Restore points are also available in backups, providing a larger list to choose from, over a longer period of time.

Returning from Windows Vista are Kernel Patch Protection, Service Hardening, Data Execution Prevention, Address Space Layout Randomization, and Mandatory Integrity Levels.

This information could change, as Microsoft nears the final build. Microsoft still expects to ship Windows 7 "within three years of Windows Vista," which means that it could be available sometime before January 2010.

Click here for more news on Windows 7.