The concern about free CDs from reputable sources normally isn't virus, but privacy based.

Think about it.

Free software has to be paid for by someone, and whomever is paying for it is going to get the most out of their money. It's not common, but you may run into a variety of trackers or spyware programs on those discs. Gator's a good example - roommate installed the disc he was given from a gaming magazine, and it tried to Gator our computer. Given that the loader at that point still had the "load behind the scenes" feature that cause gator to reload and reinstall whenever uninstalled... let's just say some unkind words about installing habits were exchanged...

M