The Download Blog

Today only, download Grand Theft Auto IV for just $7.49--its lowest price ever.

(Credit: Valve)

Well, here we are at the end of "100 Days of Deals"--what a long, cheap trip it's been. Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere. The Cheapskate will be back in the saddle come Monday, posting new deals every weekday. You can't get rid of me just because the holidays are over! :)

Since we're heading into a long weekend, today's deal is all about fun: Valve is having a huge sale on PC games. You'll need the Steam downloader to take advantage of it, but check out some of these fairly spectacular offers:

• Today only, Grand Theft Auto IV is on sale for $7.49. The game earned a 9.0 score from GameSpot and is universally acclaimed as one of last year's best games.
• Also today only, you can grab S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl for $1.99. This first-person sci-fi shooter scored an 8.5 on GameSpot, making it a no-brainer for fans of the genre. I'm buying it!
• Ghostbusters: The Video Game is on sale for $6.79. I was tempted to grab this when it was $9.95 at Direct2Drive (it's back up to its usual $19.95), but I'm glad I waited.
• A puzzle game like no other, World of Goo is on sale for $4.99. I picked this up a while back during the developer's name-your-price promotion. Trust me, it's five bucks very well spent.

That's just a sampling of what's on sale at Steam right now. If you've been a good gamer this year, now's the time to reward yourself and stock up on some dirt-cheap fun.

By the way, if you're in need of a last-minute gift (and didn't find anything you liked in my roundup of gifts you can print), Steam offers a gift option: You buy the game, the recipient gets an e-mail with download instructions. Easy-peasy.

Thanks to reader gwailo247 for bringing the Steam stuff to my attention! I also want to thank all of you for giving me a little of your time each day. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. Have a safe and happy holiday, and I'll see you back here on Monday.

Like it or not, the season of sales is upon us. Whether the shiny new computer that's soon to be encased in gift wrap is a present for you or for someone else, you should know what to do with that laptop, desktop, or Netbook when the time comes to boot it up. You're in luck--we've laid out the best freeware apps for 2010 in our freshly-updated Windows Starter Kit.

Our top picks include the browsers, image editors, utilities, and social networking applications that you should consider downloading before you fill up your computer with anything else. We don't want to give too much away, but if you're looking for a multimedia player, find out why The KMPlayer gets five stars. See also which nine essential system utilities have made the cut, including the disk-space visualizer WinDirStat.

If it's security software you're after, we have that ground covered in our Security Starter Kit. Antivirus suites, spyware removers, and firewalls are just part of the puzzle. We also suggest freebies to help protect you while surfing (like LastPass Password Manager), and to encrypt your sensitive data. You're welcome.

Your computer's file system can be a tangled, jungly place. There are obscure file trees so tall and branched your eyes glaze over, and there are dark, hidden caverns you may not be inclined to explore. In a nod to the Thanksgiving holiday, we're spotlighting three of the many applications we're thankful for--particularly the software that sheds a little light on some of the more obscure computing processes, or those programs that just make bushwhacking a whole lot easier.

Process Explorer

We'll start with the hearty Xplorer2, a free-to-try alternative to Windows Explorer for power file-seekers. Browsing multiple folders in one window, moving files without breaking shortcut links, and splitting or merging files are just some of the features that make this app an Explorer knockout.

If you've ever wished that the Windows Task Manager had a little more oomph, you should check out Process Explorer. The freeware utility turns out a ton of information that helps you identify running processes, including spyware.

Finding programs, documents, and misplaced photos can be a feat, even if you're using Microsoft's built-in Windows search. The Windows 7 Libraries concept to group files by type rather than by location helps, but if you're using XP or Vista, a desktop search app like Copernic Desktop Search or Google Desktop can find a range of files faster. We also like programs like Launchy, which opens applications by default, but which you can also configure to launch Web sites, music files, and documents.

Which apps are you ever-thankful for? Sing your praises in the comments.

If you're a video junkie, or if you're headed that way, Vuze is one application you shouldn't miss. Once known as Azureus, Vuze is a free BitTorrent app that can download and play back video content, including HD. Version 4.3, the latest update, adds speed enhancements and compatibility to play back HD video on your Windows or Mac computer, iPhone or iPod, Apple TV, Tivo, and Xbox 360, PS3, or PSP.

There's also a portable version of Vuze that you can install on a USB drive, iPod, iPhone, or portable hard drive and take with you. If you tend to switch computers often, portable apps like this one help you get favorite apps up and running quickly, and can help save your work between sessions.

In fact, we've got a slew of portable apps available to download for free from CNET Download.com, including Firefox Portable (it'll save your settings and bookmarks) and GIMP Portable, a to-go version of the powerful photo editor. There's even a free Portable Apps suite for those who want one of everything.

System utilities may not seem like the most provocative category in the annals of software development, but the apps within are essential for maintaining a tip-top computer. On top of that, their universality makes them a good choice for almost any computer.

With that in mind, we gathered together seven of our favorite freeware applications--most will support Windows XP, Vista, and Windows 7 operating systems. This list isn't the end-all and be-all--not when so many quality programs abound--but it is a good beginning.

We start with Glary Utilities, which is actually a suite of apps to optimize and tweak Windows computers. CCleaner and Smart Defrag also make the top of our list for sweeping away Internet tracks and drefragmenting the hard disk, respectively. When it's traces of files you're worried about after removing a program, Revo Uninstaller is our go-to app, thanks to its capability to scour nooks and crannies for leftovers.

When it comes to maintaining files, we're fans of 7-Zip, which can compress large files in a range of formats, including ZIP and RAR. To preserve those files in the event of a system crash, we recommend a backup program like SyncBack, which is accessible enough for most home users. Finally, a recovery app like Pandora Recovery belongs in your collection, for hunting down files you may have mistakenly deleted.

Do you have other favorite utility essentials? In the newsletter, click the "Read More" link below to share them in the comments. Check out our original roundup.

Good news, PC gamers: today's the day to score some solid deals on three popular titles, all of them available via download for (near) instant delivery. Here's the rundown:

• Direct2Drive has Ghostbusters: The Video Game for $9.95. It lacks the multiplayer modes of its console counterparts, but the single-player stuff is a blast. It's a must-have for any fans of the franchise.
• Today only, EA is offering The Sims 3 for $29.95--a savings of $20 off the list price. If you don't mind taking a drive or waiting on delivery, Best Buy has it for $19.99--with an exclusive game guide.
• This weekend only, Steam is offering Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare - Game of the Year Edition for $23.99. It's one of the top-rated first-person shooters of all time, and it normally sells for $40.

One of our chief occupations at CNET Download.com is to keep our eyes peeled for excellent freeware. We've got our own picks for ultimate free applications (and also for the most essential), but we like to consider your opinions, too. CNET Executive Editor Tom Merritt recently conducted an informal poll among his Facebook and Twitter contacts, asking for their favorite no-cost software. Here are the five apps that readers--maybe you--tapped as the best of the best.

Every yin has its yang. To balance out the five best downloads, all of them available on Download.com, are the five biggest stinkers of the season. Should your want to gawk at the combined mediocrity of these duds, these applications are also available on Download.com. You've been warned.

In Windows 7 news, many of you have written in with questions about upgrading from Windows XP and Windows Vista. CNET News' Ina Fried tries to clear up some confusion about what you can and can't do with a Windows 7 upgrade disk. There. We hope that helps.

Mozilla's open-source Firefox browser has gained 30 million users over the past eight weeks, as it continues to gain on Internet Explorer.

Chief Executive John Lilly revealed the increase in user adoption in a Twitter post on Monday, and Tristan Nitot, president of Mozilla Europe, confirmed it to ZDNet UK on Tuesday.

"We've seen a significant increase in the number of users for Firefox," Nitot said. "Firefox checks for new versions every 24 hours, when it's running, and when it checks, it pings the Mozilla server. We count the number of pings."

Read more of "Firefox gains 30m users in eight weeks" at ZDNet UK.

Every three months we corral Seth Rosenblatt to forage through the latest downloadable software and come up with a list of the worst. Why? Because Seth loves a challenge. And you people love "Top Worst" lists. It's all about the schadenfreude, isn't it?

Anyway, this Top 5 still has a lame prize, so get to watching, and then return here and post your guess in the comments. We'll draw one winner from the first 10 people to get the answer right.