TDWP's new album, "Dead Throne" [News]

After their release "With Roots Above and Branches Below" in 2009, and the "Zombie EP" in 2010, The Devil Wears Prada is showing no signs of slowing with their music production.  Their newest album, "Dead Throne", is set to be released on September 13th, 2011.  You can stream the whole album here:  http://www.deadthrone.com/.

Help!

Welcome to The Spandrel. "Articles you didn't know you wanted". This is a blog that covers information that people should hear about.  Articles in "The Spandrel" come in three types:  [Features], [Promos], and [News].

[Features] are articles on a topic that's already relatively famous (i.e. Bioshock).  They're just a cover story on the topic.  They can also be editorials, if I so choose to share my opinion on something other than media.

[Promos] are articles on a topic that isn't famous, but I believe deserves to be (i.e. After Midnight Project).

[News] articles are simply articles about something that at the time is news (i.e. TDWP's new album, Dead Throne).

Any questions?  Shoot me an email at axemonster1@gmail.com.

Bioshock Review [Feature]

A Big Daddy

This has got to be, without a doubt, my favorite game of all time.  Sure, everyone’s got opinions, but this is my review.  So, let’s just start with it already.

6 Freeware Programs Every PC Needs [Feature]

Malware Bytes

This is a simple “search-and-remove malicious software” program. It’s a must have for anyone who surfs the web, and may occasionally pick up a virus. It will find and delete the virus when you or other programs can’t.

http://www.malwarebytes.org/

CCleaner

This useful little tool synchronizes itself to your hard-drive, and lets you perform very useful tasks, all from one interface. You can clean up cookies, fix registries, uninstall programs, do system restores, and even determine which programs open on start-up.

http://www.piriform.com/ccleaner

After Midnight Project [Promo]

Let me start off by saying this is one of my favorite bands of all time.  Starting in 2004, After Midnight Project has developed the beautifully blended sound of synthesized techno and immersive rock and roll.
Because I’m a huge fan and love many of their songs, I couldn’t decide which one to include in this article.  So I chose their hit:  Take Me Home, from the “Let’s Build Something to Break” album.  Some other favorites from this album include:  The Becoming, More to Live For, Gone Too Long, and The Criminal.

Their most recent work, the “You Belong” EP, was released in April of 2011.  The hit from this release is “Hourglass”.  My favorites are “Let Go”, “Open Door”, and “Beautiful World”.

How to effectively do a factory reset/restore on your computer [Feature]

So here’s the deal.  Most people say that a computer can only last about five years before files begin to gunk up the system.  This is true, however they also say it can’t really be fixed.  False.

I’ve owned two laptops so far.  The only reason I had to get a second was because the first one literally fell apart.  Software on a computer can run practically forever, if you know how to fix it.  The only thing that hinders the longevity of a computer is, in fact, the physical hardware.  So, here’s how you get your computer to run just like it did the day they shipped it from the factory, and you pulled it out of the box.  WARNING: DOING A FACTORY RESTORE WILL DELETE ALL FILES AND PROGRAMS YOU PREVIOUSLY HAD ON YOUR COMPUTER.

1.  Before you even think about resetting your computer, you have to back up everything.  Be sure to back them up to an external hard drive, or a good computer. Start with your personal files.  This includes:

• Desktop
• Documents
• Downloads
• Music
• Pictures
• Videos
• Steam/Game Saves