This CD installs w/o your permission a ROOTKIT. For those who don't know what the term means, a rootkit is a type of Trojan that keeps itself, other files, registry keys and network connections hidden from detection. It runs at the lowest level of the machine and typically intercepts common API calls. For example, it can intercept requests to a file manager such as Explorer and cause it to keep certain files hidden from display, even reporting false file counts and sizes to the user. A root kit is also defined as a set of tools used by an intruder after cracking a computer system (your PC is cracked by the trojan included on the CD w/o you even knowing about it once you play it). These tools can help the attacker maintain his or her access to the system and use it for malicious purposes. A rootkit may also include utilities, known as backdoors to help the attacker subsequently access the system more easily. For example, the rootkit may include an application that spawns a shell when the attacker connects to a particular network port on the system. Kernel root kits may provide functionality that allows processes started by a non-privileged user to execute functions normally reserved for the superuser. The only way to remove the trojan is to reinstall windows from scratch. That is really what I was looking for. Thanks Santana !!

**update 11/18/05**

Sony has released an updated "full list" of infected CD’s. On their previous so called "full list", only 20 titles showed up, as if they didn’t know how many titles contained the rootkit. Now they list 52. When will they come clean? This Santana CD DOES contain a rootkit. Sony employs different brands of rootkits for their copy protection. There seems to be no rhyme or reason to the list, other than the fact that they were all released within the last 6 months. So ALL copy protected Sony titles released since May 2005 contain the EULA that installs the rootkit. I had to reinstall windows all over, and believe me, it was no picnic. If I were you, I would just avoid danger. Why risk it ?

Dear Carlos,
As a long-time hard-core base fan, I have to write you this letter. You have a large core group of us out here who have been with you since Ballin', the lost single of '67, we were your west-coast oh-my-god-did-you-hear-that-guitar-sing??? tongue-lolling eye-popping rabid-slavering fans who couldn't get enough Santana Band to fill our patched blue jeans! We're still out here Carlos! When are you going to release one last (at the very least) "Santana" album? Man! We been with you through the three great break-through classic rock albums (bam! bam! bam!), through Diamond Head's funk-rock with Buddy Miles, through the amazing jazz-rock experimentation of Caravanserai, Welcome, and Borboletta, through the introspective experimentation of Jazz Fusion with Mahavishnu John and Alice Coltrane. We were simply blown away when you followed up the Latino-Jazz-Rock sensibilities of Amigos and Festival with the jaw-dropping Moonflower. We followed you around the corner and into the 80's with Inner Secrets, Marathon, the almost Abraxas-like Zebop! and even Shango. We did a double-take again with Havana Moon (wow, this really IS good stuff!) and your own personal favorite Blues for Salvador (album for your wife, title track for your son, and most-beautiful instrumental for your daughter). We resurrected you with Spirits Dancing In The Flesh (I believe Carlos! I believe!) and Milagro (another jaw-dropping album, my God you never cease to amaze!) and we even caught hold of your familial album, Brothers (now THAT's a 90's experiment!), and then you shot the moon with Supernatural. I was amazed, yes I was, this is cool, Carlos has a whole new audience and he managed to not isolate his oldest fan-base, he even hid a long-awaited duet with the other guitar-god at the end, wow, I was just silly with enjoyment. Honeymoon is finally over Carlos. Shaman? You stretched it a bit trying it out a second time, and yeah I know the new kids love ya, but all I REALLY liked after several listens, was the (what I thought was truely avante...) inspirational "Novus" with Placido Domingo at the voice.
All That I Am? C'mon Carlos! I Love You Man, but aside from a few of your own band tracks, the Los Lonely Boys track (I DO Love them as best new artist in the last 10 rockless-years) and I can forgive the Bo Bice tune, in fact I like it, Bo is cool, but Carlos, the bottom line here is, give it a rest. You've managed to do this three times with big bang sales and I'm sure you are re-invigorated (as you well should be) with the youth of it all, but Carlos, the Angels of MY better nature are beckoning to you, give us a Santana album please, not another variety show. Bring back Alex and Greg on vocals (or even Leon for ol' times sake) get "the band" back behind you, Chester, Tom, Michael, Armando, Graham, (Man I bet you could even sweet-talk Neal Schon into one last guitar-war!). I hear rumours you're doing a guitar-oriented album this fall with some of the heavy-metal greats, but that's not it Man.
I gave you three stars because that's the lowest grade I can ever bring myself to ever give to you Man, I mean, I got Angels to reckon with too, and in all fairness, the album is Half-Good in my opinion and any Santana fan should avail themselves of it with one condition:
"Don't scream at Carlos for the nasty stuff Sony did with the CD if you put it in your computer. Carlos and Deborah posted a disclaimer on their website the instant they found out about it and urge everyone to contact Sony with your displeasure."
So that's my advice Carlos, your people want YOU back, at least for one more go-round if not a few. You gotta have a few more Milagro, or Havana Moon, or Caravanserai/Welcome, or [gasp!] even another {untitled} Santana III ??? Please Carlos?
Thanks for listening
Ellos Quiere Te Jugar!

What's with the crap that this cd installed on my computer ????????
Keep this up music industry,and you will take a bigger nose dive than you already are.
You lied about cd prices dropping,they are not ,and now this crap???
Oh,the cd??
It's a notch below on the singers..
Santana as usual soars..
What a sound he has..

The copy right police have gone way too far! I have never illegally downloaded or copied any type of media. This CD will not even let you download it to an IPOD or any other MP3 player. I don't even own a CD player. I buy my music and download it to my IPOD. There should be a to the point warning about the paranoia police and the uselessness of this CD! I am the one that has been ripped off here! I will never buy or support any of the artists envolved with this crookery ever again!

You'll be surprised when you put this CD in your computer. It does warn you that it's about to install software on your computer, an attempt at copyright protection. When I declined to have it install this, the computer spit out the CD.

A recent article describes how the anti-piracy software opens your computer to hackers. Check it out here: http://blogs.washingtonpost.com/securityfix/2005/11/researcher_sony.html

The music's fine if you can listen to it without installing the software, though it's not Supernatural. I've been a fan of Santana's for years and appreciated his message of harmony, but this anti-piracy riff seems more like an STD than love.