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In the gaming industry, unless you have the backing of big companies it can be hard to get your game noticed. There are ways to get the funds for development and there are ways to get them published, but to get the most exposure it’s always best to release the game in as many places as possible, especially on the PC. Independent games and even some retro games are available from sites such as GOG.com but it’s arguable that to have the most success Steam is the way to go.

Steam is rising in popularity, part of this reason is that so many of the big releases force the use of the system but another reason is that it makes the process of installing and playing easier. It even adds the bonus of having achievements, of the game supports it of course. The question is how do smaller games get onto Steam? This is where Steam Greenlight comes in.

Steam Greenlight and the Steam Community
The idea behind Steam Greenlight is to submit your idea for your game to Steam, provide images and videos of what you are creating and then hoping for the best. Steam will then take your idea and present it to the “community” of Steam users. They provide feedback on the page set up for your game, give it a thumbs up and let Steam know that if the game was available they would buy it. The concept is to show Steam that there is an interest for it to be actually on the service and also provide feedback from real gamers as to if there is a potential audience for your idea.

One game that is currently in the Greenlight system and looking for votes is The 7th Guest. This is an “old school” PC game by Trilobyte Games which was one of the first FMV and CD games released. At its time it was quite revolutionary, but of course we’ve moved on from then. The fact is though it’s still got a lot of fans, many who have bought it from sites like GOG.com and on their iOS devices out of nostalgia. The 7th Guest is currently going through the Greenlight process not only to try to gain access to the Steam system but also to see if there is an audience for a possible third game. I know as a fan, I for one would love to see this happen so it needs all the votes it can get.

Games both from the independent developers and retro gaming need all the help they can get to be noticed in an industry that at times is dominated by big game releases. For fans looking for something a little different there is plenty of choice out there, especially from the independent developers who have yet to make that move to bigger and brighter things. I personally like the idea of Steam Greenlight as a way to help these people, as well as using other platforms such as Kickstarter to provide the funds for the continuation of development on these projects. Anything that can keep the industry strong on all levels has to be a good thing.

When using a blogging site like WordPress, or using it on your own site to manage content it’s possible to build up your own space on the internet with little to no knowledge of coding language used behind the pages. Sometimes though you’ll want to add or “embed” items onto your page that comes in a form that use actual code. There are add-ins that can offer this service, but to be fully in control how the object will be used on the page and in your post you need to know a little bit of HTML.

The good news though is you won’t actually have to know much, as the editor that is available on the WordPress system will actually let you use the visual editor for most things, you can even write the content in a word processor such as word, then just copy and paste the text into the editor (or using new functionality even add the post automatically through Word itself).

Adding Objects into WordPress Posts
The first thing to do is to actually create the content for the post and get the wording and formatting correct for that. Once you are happy with this then choose where you want the object to go, click on the “Text” tab at the top right of the editor, this is in fact the HTML editor. Examples of an “object” that can be placed into your post is a Youtube video. These are the simplest kind and can easily be added without little problems. One thing I like to do though is to center the video, this can be done by adding “<center>” around the video itself (and close it with “</center>”). You can move back into the visual editor and see that it’s placed fine.

Some objects work differently though and this is to do with how the editor itself handles the code. You’ll find for example if you add an iFrame embed into the editor then move from the html editor back to the visual the code is changed. The problem with this is that when you save the post then view the final result the iFrame itself won’t be showing. So the key here is that once you have placed the code using the HTML(text) editor save it then and don’t go back to the visual editor, you’ll find that the embedded object now shows fine. It’s safest to treat any embedded object in this way because of the restrictions with the editor.

The HTML(text) editor is a very useful tool for the blogger, and although you can create posts without ever having to use it, to make the most of what WordPress can do you should strive to at least know the basics of what HTML can do and even some CSS so that you can style images, paragraphs, headings etc. to fit what you want it to do.

The first obvious thing is that game guides will probably move to tablets and smartphones in app form more and more now. They offer an interactive way to provide the gamer with hints and tips, even walkthroughs of how to complete the game and do it in a user friendly way that makes it easy to use. Further extensions of this will be to add in videos to the apps to give the users a better understanding of how to do certain tasks in the games and help them progress. The key here of course is to make use of the devices in a way as to keep the games enjoyable without spoiling them.

As devices get more powerful there will always be voices in the industry that make an argument that the tablets and phones should replace consoles and be the new gaming machines of the future. I’m a person who will argue against this happening, but I will offer the counter argument that these devices should be further integrated with consoles. Smartglass is a prime example of an idea that can be further extended into gaming to add more enjoyment. Users can use the devices as an extension to the interface they already have with their controller, which is of course something that has been investigated with the Wii U, although this is part of the console itself arguably and not a separate device. It still shows though examples of how a tablet like device can be used within the games to further the experience.

Although these examples have looked at ways to further the console experience there is also the idea that the game can be played on all of these devices and progress made within the game (the game is present on all the devices and gameplay continues independently of the device). This is possible now especially through online multiplayer games, but there is still a lot of progress that can be made in this field.

The future of gaming in this style, be it to provide hints and tips, gameplay enhancements or interaction with the game through a multiple number of devices and consoles comes down to one restriction and that is the different companies who control the devices. There will also of course be the compatibility with the software and the server resources to allow for such integration, but for the future of gaming it’s arguable that the games should not be dependent on the hardware itself but that they should just be the interface to it (for multi-player gaming at least) and for this to ever happen it’s arguable that the big companies in control would have to learn to work together more for the gamers, and not the profit.

With a new year, there is a storm of some marvelous smartphones getting released in the market. We have caught up LG Spectrum today. LG Spectrum was introduced earlier this year at the CES show and now Verizon Wireless is offering this device on a $199 contract. Spectrum has got slightly more pixel density than iPhone 4S. Resulting in a sharper screen. LG Spectrum has got an excellent screen, 8 MP camera, true HD Graphic engine and a fast processor.

Design

LG Spectrum is a big sized android phone. Spectrum sports a 4.5-inch HD LCD touchscreen with a resolution of 720 X 1280 pixels. The screen has pixel density of 226 ppi. At the back is glossy plastic cover homing 8 MP camera with LED flash. Spectrum mostly looks similar to LG Nitro HD. There are three buttons – Home, Menu and Back below the screen. LG has adjusted all the traffic on the top of Spectrum. MicroUSB port, 3.5mm audio jack and Power/Lock button are on the top. Volume Rocker is at the left side. There is no dedicated shutter button in this phone.

Processor and Memory
LG Spectrum has pretty nice specs. Spectrum is mastered by a Dual core 1.5 GHz Scorpion processor fitted on Qualcomm MSM 8660 chipset. Phone Graphics are powered by Adreno 220 GPU. Spectrum has 1 GB of RAM and 4 GB internal storage. Internal storage memory is little lower – 8 or 16 GB was a better option. No worries! Spectrum supports up to 32 GB of microSD card. 16 GB is comes pre-inserted in the phone.

Connectivity
LG Spectrum is Verizon’s latest LTE enabled smartphone. Spectrum has Wi-Fi connectivity featuring DLNA, Wi-Fi Direct and hotspot functionality. It has Bluetooth v3.0 with A2DP and Assisted GPS. It is NFC ready. However, we miss FM Radio in Spectrum. Spectrum is a CDMA device and does not support any GSM network worldwide.

User Interface

As to our surprise Spectrum runs Andoird Gingerbread (2.3.5). Where is the latest Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich? LG has confirmed that Spectrum will be update to ICS. The UI is same as found in LG Optimus lineup.

There are plenty of widgets and apps pre-loaded in this phone. Netflix, ESPN ScoreCenter, Amazon Kindle – there is a big list. Verizon apps also come on-board including V CAST Media Manager, Verizon Video etc. Moreover, there are pre-loaded games too. With a good GPU and dual core processor, this device is meant for serious gaming.

Spectrum gives a lightning fast browsing speed on LTE network. Browser is responsive to every action. Typing on the virtual keyboard is easier with minimal typing errors.

Camera and Battery

LG Spectrum equips 8 MP camera with LED flash. Camera UI is simple. There are many on-screen controls and functions. The quality is though not very good and lacks picture details. Spectrum captures 1080p full-HD videos at 30 fps. A secondary front-facing camera is also there.

Spectrum is powered by a standard 1830 mAh Li-ion battery that can hold charge up to 14 days in standby. Alike other LTE enable smartphones, Spectrum also has a poor battery life. On moderate usage, the fully charged battery lasts only a day long. Charge it in the morning and recharge it back at night.

Conclusion
A true HD LCD screen means a lot in itself. LG Spectrum is a high end device with a fast processor, large & sharp screen and 4G connectivity. It is available at $199 contract from Verizon. The price is surely decent. By we miss few things in the package, basically the latest Android v4.0. LG has said that Spectrum will be getting ICS. But, when? Nobody knows! Camera quality is also just satisfactory. A serious high end competitor to Spectrum is Motorola Droid Razr Maxx that consists of a never ending battery. On the other hand are HTC Rezound with same resolution and almost same specs; and Galaxy Nexus having Android ICS.

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I’ve recently become a member of a new shared working space called Hub Westminster. It has been hugely beneficial for me, both from a contracting point of view and for running my new business.

Shared working spaces are fantastic for new startups. Here’s why:

1) Financial savings. Startups are invariably cash-poor in the beginning. After the usual seed-funding round one of the first expenses that a pre-revenue startup incurs is office space. However, upon reflection I do not see an immediate rationale for this decision. An office for a typical startup requires a number of recurring payments such rent, heating, lighting, water, internet connectivity, council tax and a myriad of other one off costs such as furniture, a printer/scanner (and toner!), fridge, cutlery etc. This is a large initial set of outflows to make for a fledgling firm, especially when there is little to no cashflow. A shared working space has already spent these costs and can gain better rates at volume than you could individually. These savings are invariably passed on to you keeping your outgoings leaner in the early stages.

2) Time savings. Another commodity that should be spent wisely is time. At the outset there are likely to be no employees and a handful of founders. At this stage, everybody does everything. Renting an office requires sorting out accounts for the costs outlined above. Landlords, energy suppliers, ISPs, local councils and water firms all require time to communicate with. Not only that but furniture must be constructed, drivers installed, walls painted and computers set up. Why waste all this time when you have so little in the early stages? A shared working space provides all of this, ready to go, on day #1.

3) Meeting users/testers/customers/clients. Being a member of a collaborative hub gives you immediate access to a large group of willing users who will be happy to test your site. You are getting out of the building while being in the building. I’ve not yet met anybody working in a hub environment who isn’t willing to take a look at a web service or hobby site I’ve just built, usually offering incredibly helpful feedback. Some of these people will convert to early customers or key influencers – who will be available most of the time very nearby. This saves a huge amount of time at the customer development stage.

4) Meeting co-founders/employees/freelancers Another benefit of being part of a community is the availability of people who are skilled in specific areas. At the Hub Westminster I’ve already met (and am working with) great coders, designers, testers and communicators. These people are the sort of folks who end up becoming co-founders. Not only will you get to know them over a reasonable time period, but you don’t have to suffer through ‘founder dating’ or other contrived forms of pre-funding collaboration while you get your startup off the ground.

5) Events. One attractive feature of a strong community are the frequent events. I myself have started the Hub Hack Night with James Arthur, which aims to bring together coders, designers and entrepreneurs to build technology in the social enterprise space. It is already proving beneficial to both of us, as we are now able to speak from a position of thought leadership, in essence, providing a means of indirect marketing for our projects.

The mechanics of most shared working spaces are simple. Monthly pay-as-you-go membership, volume discounts for multiple stakeholders of the same firm, fantastic internet connectivity, clean environments, centralised and shared resources as well as great people. There are few disadvantages.

Having an office with expensive chairs, beanbags and pool tables may make you feel warm, fuzzy and ‘startup-y’ inside, but in reality you’ve just wasted a month’s payroll or marketing budget on items you really don’t need at this stage. Next time you plan to start a business, give serious consideration to a shared working space – it will save you a lot in the early stages, right when you need it the most.

When looking at desktop PCs, especially those that could run Windows 8 I’ve pointed out many times that most screens are not touch screen. This of course is probably something that Microsoft would love to change. As people who want to stick to the desktop variant of the PC look to touch screens it’s interesting to see what is available. One that is available is the Viewsonic VSD220, which comes with a surprising little extra.

The VSD220 is a 22 inch touch-enabled screen that looks to fully update the PC user to windows 8. Along with this advantage though comes a surprising extra, but something that obviously is a welcome thing, if it works well enough of course. The surprise is that the VSD220 comes with Android built into the screen, making this not just a Windows 8 PC but also an Android tablet, though at 22-inch it’s not likely that you’ll walk around with it.

Build The screen itself at 22-inches looks quite nice, it’s stylish in design and makes full use of the space provided. The only connections coming from the screen itself is a micro HDMI input port, Micro SD card slot, Ethernet post and some USB connectors. The mini HDMI can be used as a DVI port with a converter if needed. This gives the screen a clean design without any unsightly connections and wires, other than the power cord of course. With only one connection this does give it limited connectability in practice though and as many modern computer screens can also be used with consoles a lack of extra HDMI ports could be an issue for some users.

Functionality
As noted as well as being a touch screen monitor that can be used with Windows 8 it has Android built in. What this gives you is a 22-inch tablet which is a fairly huge resolution for the Android Operating System to use (1,920 x 1,080 full HD). This means of course that the android apps will be stretched to fit the screen, which is something that you’ll obviously get used to. The OS is Ice Cream Sandwich which is not the most up to date version Android but still one of the best. It’s interesting to see what peoples reaction would be to Android used in this way, now that the OS is being pushed onto all kinds of appliances and tech such as screens like this and cameras, what is next? The oven? I guess it’s the future.

Performance and Image Quality
The bad news on the Android side is that the VSD220 uses the TI OMPA4 dual-core processor, and with the big screen this can be sluggish at times, to the point of being noticeably slow. This may be improved if the OS itself is updated in the future but the choice of processor is something that will probably have to improve in future versions, if they come. This may be a “proof of concept” approach to see if there is a market out there for the use of Android like this, but if that is so then the OS needs a chance to shine, not struggle with a weaker processor. You won’t be doing things such as looking at the Android browser when you have a PC to give you a higher resolution, and Android games will have little use when you can just load up games through Windows 8 that work at a higher resolution and are designed to work on a screen like this. It’s a case of a nice gimmick but needs more thought in it really.

On the PC screen side of things the image quality is good and performs as expected from a 22-inch monitor. The colours are rich and image is sharp, everything is ok here. PC games and overall use, especially with HD content fit your needs and everything is fine here. With windows 8 it should be noted though that the raised bezel of the screen can cause problems with using the gestures that are a part of Windows 8.

Verdict
At £330/$419.99 this is not a bad price for a hybrid screen like this but if you are just looking for a normal LCD PC screen you can get bigger with the same price. With the slow Android performance and the touch screen being let down on Windows 8 though it does seem a case of nice try, but one that is wasted. It’s definitely a concept that is interesting and if the OS is upgraded and a faster processor is provided this could be something special, for people who want an Android enabled screen. If the VSD220 does anything though it proves that the concept does work, and it can be done. Now just to see it done better.

The levels of stress, anxiety and depression, for individuals living in the world today, are considerably higher than levels experienced by members of previous generations. Anxiety, a completely normal human emotion, is regularly experienced by everyone on some scale. However, some people experience much higher levels of anxiety than others—which can have dramatic, negative effects on their quality of life. High levels of anxiety can lead to individuals experiencing anxiety and panic attacks, in some cases. Chemically treating individuals with unusually high levels of anxiety has become quite common.

Chemical treatment for patients dealing with an uncomfortable amount of anxiety is done through the use of prescription medications. One of the most common types of these medications, used for the treatment of anxiety related disorders, is called “Xanax.” The pharmaceutical name of Xanax is “Alprazolam.” Alprazolam is a benzodiazepine, and is closely related to diazepam (Valium) and lorazepam (Ativan). Alprazolam was first approved by the FDA in 1981. Xanax was originally approved for the effective treatment of Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD).

There have been uncountable advancements in science and psychiatric knowledge since 1981. So, consequently, Xanax has been identified as a very effective treatment method for many anxiety related disorders, including: GAD, agoraphobia, anxiety associated with depression, panic attacks and anxiety related insomnia. Xanax is an effective treatment for all of these disorders because it fundamentally acts as a central nervous system depressant. However, the exact mechanism affected by Xanax, in the brain, is still unknown. It is generally accepted by the scientific community that Xanax works by effectively enhancing the effects of the human body’s nervous system’s primary neurotransmitter GABA.

Xanax is an extremely effective treatment for anxiety related disorders. The onsets of alprazolam’s effects, when taken orally, are relatively fast—usually taking somewhere between twenty and forty minutes. This is what has made Xanax one of the most popular and frequently prescribed drugs in the United States. However, it is also a drug with very powerful addictive qualities. Regularly taking Xanax is very likely to cause some form of physical and psychological addiction.

Xanax is so widely prescribed because it is the best medication available to treat patients experiencing moderate to mild anxiety related symptoms, such as anxiety attacks and panic attacks. Xanax is extremely addictive, even for people who have been legally prescribed the drug from a doctor. Xanax is most commonly habit-forming when it is being used on a daily basis. If patients develop a physical addiction to Xanax, then suddenly stopping their daily use of the drug can be very dangerous. Patients, who suddenly stop taking Xanax— instead of gradually stopping by reducing their doses slowly—have been known to experience seizures, tremors, coma and sometimes even death.

It’s not uncommon these days to hear about new devices and equipment being introduced to the market and non more so than new versions of the iPad. This is one device that has turned out to be extremely popular not only because of its novel concept of a large touch screen but also in view of its portability being light of weight and slim in appearance, its so easy to carry around unlike the bulkier laptop or notebook.

As attractive it is, the iPad is also expensive and this has made it one of the most wanted yet unaffordable gadgets that have been designed in the recent years. Those who can afford it will buy the new version every time one is introduced, but for others even the old version is not approachable because of the price. But you must not feel frustrated since there are many stores that are now in the practice of louer ipad to customers who cannot afford to pay the big price asked for it.

Instead of having to throw away hundreds of dollar buying the iPad and having it upgraded every time new features and apps are added to it, louer iPad is the best way to have it and also not spend loads of cash on it. The best way to do this is by finding a store that can offer you the best deal to hire an iPad for them. In this connection, let me give you a bit of advice. Try not to approach the large electronic stores found in the streets because their prices are always high in view of the overheads they have to pay as rent, utility bills and staff etc.

Your best option is to louer iPad from a reputed online store that will offer you the best deal possible and since there are very many web stores on the internet, all you have to do is some research and compare the renting prices before coming into some agreement. There’s so much competition going online that each and every store tries to offer their best price for any device you buy or rent and also some nifty discounts that can help you to get a cool deal when you least expect it.

Always take the time to compare various stores that louer iPad and don’t’ just take the first deal you come across. You must also ensure that the site in concern is a reputed web store that has been in existence for sometime because there are many scams going on in the internet and you would not want to get landed with a iPad that doesn’t work properly or is scratched and damaged so much that you would feel embarrassed to use it in public.

Once you come into an agreement with the relevant store, make sure you know what the deal is for. Be quite clear about the time period you wish to louer iPad; whether its one week or one year, the amount you have to pay, whether they are agreeable to carry out any repairs in case something goes wrong and also be ready to upload additional features and programs in case you need that done while the agreement is in place. When you have sorted all these issues, you can have your louer iPad delivered to your door step by whatever delivery methods they use.

Online word of mouth advertising : Viral marketing is an online marketing (digital marketing) strategy that helps enhancing your brand awareness. It helps business organization to spread their message to the online visitors thereby enhancing your brand image. This internet marketing strategy works like word of mouth advertisement.

At Quantum Coders, our web marketers, specializes in viral campaigns that help you achieve brand success. Viral marketing involves marketing strategies that uses popular social networks to spread message of the marketer. Our digital or internet marketing team uses latest techniques to enhance your business popularity. Viral marketing / viral advertising helps business organizations to spread their brand message like wild fire.

However, viral marketing requires professional know how and relevant experience and then only a viral campaign could get success. Quantum Coders specializes in internet marketing strategies and could help your business gain more leads with viral marketing campaigns. Outsource online marketing job to us and you could focus on your hardcore business areas. We will take care of your online brand popularity.

Viral Marketing for increasing ROI : Online advertising or marketing at Quantum Coders is a sophisticated affair. We enhance the experience of your visitor using viral marketing techniques which help your business to enjoy solid returns on your investment (ROI). We create online videos, podcasts, short films, etc. for your business that help you brand yourself among masses.

Brand your business with Viral Marketing : We develop viral marketing campaign for your business that would be spread as a word of mouth by web traffic thereby helping your website / online business to earn huge popularity and of course, popular businesses do earn profits. Our viral campaigns work like online PR or public relations that promote your message as word of mouth in a stunning way. Social networking sites are the biggest hosts for viral marketing campaigns. These networking sites accumulate a lot of internet traffic and, hence could help your business enhance is brand awareness among millions of people.

Quantum Coders could help you design your viral marketing / viral advertising campaign from the scratch. We create online contests, product or brand message videos, applications, short and stunning films that would be sponsored by your brand on internet thereby helping firming and popularity of your business brand. We could also help you plan your brand inside and out, using viral marketing strategies.

Make your business brand immortal : Viral marketing campaigns that we design for you would ensure protecting your brand and nurturing it to accord it with other marketing activities that you have adopted to affirm your brand. Our viral marketing campaigns would help your brand become immortal. That’s true, brands never die but in the world of internet, it is very difficult to sustain for a long. However, with our viral marketing, you could continually remind your existence to the web traffic. We, at Quantum Coders, understand the importance of viral marketing and viral adverting and this is the reason we research a lot before initiating such campaigns. We first understand your business and then design a campaign for its record popularity and success. We develop a campaign that would help making a buzz (buzz marketing) which acts as a self propagating vehicle for your brand. Buzz marketing help creating a buzz among your audience and force them to visit your site and remember and popularize your brand.

Viral Marketing as an all-rounder online marketing tool : We integrate different online marketing techniques to design an all-rounder viral marketing campaign. We use social bookmarking (digg), social networking sites(Facebook, LinkedIn, Orkut), e-mailers, online video sharing websites (Youtube, etc.), public forums, blogs, contests, interesting banner advertisements, etc. to target your potential customers and let them spread a word for your brand.

How our viral marketing campaign would help you? 1. Build a brand message – help you prorogate brand awareness. 2. Drive excellent traffic- campaign would back link visitors to your site. 3. High ROI – campaign costs you a low initial investment but provide high returns. Helping you achieve long term benefits.4. Become popular among masses- viral marketing is continues process of spreading message and, hence would help you gain brand popularity among masses.

Clеаn Your Disk Drivе of Unnеcessаry Files аnd Your Computer’s Pеrformаncе Will Improve.

Computer Speed

Whеn it comеs to mаintаining your computer, you’vе probаbly hеаrd it аll bеforе. “Run Dеfrаg!” “Scаn Your Disk for Errors!” Although thеsе two аctivitiеs аrе importаnt, thеrе’s morе you cаn do to еxtеnd thе lifе of your computer bеyond todаy’s prеdictеd two-yеаr spаn. In fаct, by following thе simplе аdvicе bеlow, you cаn еnjoy thе usе of your computer to up to fivе yеаrs or morе – rеsеrving еxpеnsеs to simplе softwаrе upgrаdеs rаthеr thеn complеtе аnd costly hаrdwаrе upgrаdеs.

Onе of thе еаsiеst аnd lеаst еxpеnsivе things you cаn do to еxtеnd thе lifе of your computer is to gеt rid of unnеcessаry programs, foldеrs, аnd files. A disk drivе thаt’s cloggеd with unnеcessаry аnd unusеd files is disk drivе thаt works hаrdеr thаn it hаs to. Although Window’s dеfrаg systеm cаn еаsе somе of thе stress thаt thеsе files plаcе onto thе drivе, it doеsn’t do much to gеt rid of thе problеm in thе first plаcе. This is bеcаusе thе dеfrаg progrаm simply orgаnizеs thе files in а systеm thаt mаkеs it еаsiеr for thе computer to аccess. (Thus cutting down on thе work rеquirеd to find аnd loаd thеm). But this mеthod mеrеly “rеliеvеs” thе symptoms thаt thеsе files inducе – it doеsn’t аttаck thе cаusе. Thеsе files nееd to bе dеlеtеd – not “orgаnizеd!”

Of coursе, dеlеting files cаn bе а scаry аdvеnturе to most usеrs. Most computer usеrs don’t know which files аrе sаfе to dеlеtе аnd which аrеn’t.

Thе worst thing аnyonе could do is snoop аround cruciаl Window dirеctoriеs аnd hаphаzаrdly dеlеtе files thаt don’t look fаmiliаr. Doing so could rеndеr importаnt programs inopеrаblе, corrupt thе Windows opеrаting systеm, аnd possibly prеvеnt thе computer from еvеn stаrting. Thаt’s why using spеciаl dеlеtion softwаrе is so importаnt. Dеlеtion programs will аnаlyzе а computer’s opеrаting systеm аnd instаllеd programs to dеterminе which files аrе cruciаl to computer function vеrsus which files аrе sаfе to dеlеtе.

You аlrеаdy hаvе such а progrаm on your computer аnd it’s Windows’ Add/Rеmovе Programs (аvаilаblе from thе Control Pаnеl). This softwаrе will аssist you with dеlеting programs thаt you not only no longеr wаnt, but аdditionаl files thаt thеsе progrаm usе аs wеll (dynаmic link librаriеs, dаtаbаsе files, rеgistry rеfеrеncеs, shortcut icons, еtc.).

But somеtimеs Windows’ Add/Rеmovе Programs isn’t еnough. Although this softwаrе doеs а prеtty good job of rеmoving unwаntеd programs, it cаn lеаvе somе files bеhind еvеn аfter а complеtе uninstаll – files which bеcomе orphаn files. And it’s thеsе orphаn files thаt cаn rеаlly clutter up а hаrd drivе аnd shortеn thе lifе of аn othеrwisе, young аnd robust PC.

Orphаns аrе usuаlly files thаt contаin tеmporаry dаtа crеаtеd by а progrаm, files crеаtеd by thе usеr, pаrtiаl files lеft ovеr from а computer crаsh, or аny othеr kind of miscеllаnеous files crеаtеd for аlmost аny othеr rеаson. Thе problеm is thаt аn uninstаll progrаm doеsn’t dеlеtе thе orphаn files it lеаvеs bеhind bеcаusе thеy wеrе nеvеr pаrt of thе progrаm whеn it wаs first instаllеd. An uninstаll progrаm cаn rеmovе only thе files it plаcеd onto а hаrd drivе during its instаll routinе.

So while Windows’ Add/Rеmovе Programs cаn rеmovе аn еntirе progrаm, you’ll nееd to gеt rid of thosе pеsky littlе things with а morе аdvаncе file clеаnеr likе ClеаnSwееp for еxаmplе. ClеаnSwееp is а uniquе progrаm thаt will spеcificаlly sееk out files thаt аrе no longеr аssociаtеd with а progrаm, аnd thеn аsk if you wаnt to dеlеtе thеm.

Thе only timе thаt you wouldn’t wаnt to dеlеtе аn orphаn file is if thе file wеrе аn аctuаl documеnt thаt you crеаtеd bеforе dеlеting а progrаm. If you wеrе to sаy, uninstаll Microsoft Word, аll thе documеnts thаt you crеаtеd with Word would thеn turn into orphаn files. Or if you wеrе to uninstаll а grаphics-еditing progrаm, аll thе picturеs you mаdе with thе progrаm would bеcomе orphаn files.

Thе smart thing to do whеn you don’t wаnt to losе thе dаtа thаt you crеаtеd with аn unwаntеd progrаm is to:

1. Sаvе or convеrt your documеnts to а format thаt will work with diffеrеnt progrаm first (thаt is, а progrаm thаt you intеnd to kееp) 2. Archivе thеm onto а floppy disk, flаsh drivе, or CD-ROM 3. Procееd with а progrаm likе ClеаnSwееp.

Using ClеаnSwееp or аny othеr similаr typе of utility could dеlеtе аnywhеrе from less thаn а mеgаbytе of hаrd drivе spаcе to ovеr fivе mеgаbytеs аnd up. Thаt mаy sееm likе а smаll аmount of “clog mаteriаl” to you, but to your computer, it’s а lot less to process!