Laptop Care Tips
Laptops might be facing competition
from Notebooks, Netbooks and PC Tablets but for many, they remain the
most ideal way of computing.
Laptops are highly mobile and with
abundant internet connectivity options, easy financing and plenty of
design & configuration options to choose from, owning a Laptop is
the first choice for many.
However, despite being a durable and
technologically-progressive device, Laptop needs some degree of caring.
The following are some tips on how to take care your Laptop.
Laptop Care Against Humidity
Humidity remains a major challenge for
most of the basic and mid-range Laptops. Thus, you need to ensure that
your Laptop is kept away from all possible sources of water. This
includes sitting in a room being ventilated by an air-cooler that uses
water. It is better to swipe your Laptop with a dry cloth once, every
two or three days. This is particularly useful during humid climatic
conditions.
Laptop Care Tips for Fighting Dust
Laptops might be retailed as having a
dust-repelling surface but over a period, most of them surrender to the
sheer volume of dust that surrounds us. Thus, maintain a habit of dry
wiping your Laptop every now and then. Don’t leave the Laptop open when
the room is being cleaned or dusted. When carrying it outside, always
cocoon it within the Laptop bag. Never keep the Laptop close to the
ground or on carpeted surfaces that are most likely to be dusty.
Critical Laptop Care—Using an Anti-virus
Every computing device needs an updated
and robust antivirus and your Laptop is no different. This can be
understood as caring for the lifeline of the Laptop since a single day
without a dependable anti-virus could induce circuit errors,
hardware-related slowness or a complete software breakdown.
Laptop LCD Care Tips
A common mistake is to
hold the Laptop by its display
or the lid. This is the worst possible manner of handling the Laptop.
It induces unwanted contact on the display and causes smudging,
compressing the dust/grime harder onto the screen.
Laptop Maintenance Tips When Closing It
• When closing your laptop, you should
be using both the hands. This ensures that pressure created on the
hinges is distributed equally. If you pressurize one side of the lid
when closing it, the hinges tend to become overused on one side, causing
the display to develop a bend/angle.
• Keeping the hands towards the center of the lid is the best approach.
• At the time of shutting the laptop, ensure small items that often
escape the eye like earphones or pens are removed. These can induce
damage on the screen.
• Don’t shut the lid too hard.
Laptop Power Cord Care
Another
common Laptop care mistake
is pulling on the power cord. Yes, the power cord seems rather durable
but it is not meant to be tugged at. Tugging the cord from the power
socket reduces its longevity. A better approach is to extend your hand
and pull or plug the cord directly into the power socket. Take care that
the cord is plugged somewhere that is visible to you and others. Many
times, people step on or over the cord, tripping over and crashing the
Laptop on the floor in the process. A concealed Laptop cord also
increases risk of it being overridden by chairs and footfalls. Try to
keep the cord away from your feet and that of the people around you.
Basically, any high-traffic area at home or office isn't the best for
your cord’s placement.
Laptop Slot Care
Don’t try to push the accessory devices
into inappropriate slots of the Laptop. Take care to read the symbols
printed along the side of Laptop and insert accordingly. Forcing
accessories into the wrong slots can damage the sockets permanently.
Caring for the slots also extends into inserting drives into their
respective slots only without trying to enforce them and using the
recommended angles.
Laptop Care When Inserting Media
A common error committed by
many Laptop users
is inserting media in the form of DVD, CD that have loose labels. These
can get jammed within the drives and damage them to the extent of
needing a replacement. Similarly, trying to play media in the form of an
under or over-sized CDs can permanently damage the player.
Laptop Care in Extreme Temperature Conditions
If you live or work in area that has
extreme temperature conditions, it is advised to ensure some degree of
temperature adaptation for the Laptop. For instance, if it is extremely
cold, almost freezing inside, but your office is kept comfortably warm
with the help air-conditioning systems, it is better to switch-on the
Laptop a few minutes after entering the office. This allows the machine
to acclimatize to the sudden change in temperature which can otherwise
cause internal condensation and damage the electronic circuits.
Laptop Care When Using Vehicles
Don’t leave your laptop, encased or
uncovered, within a locked car. With the windows shut, heat within the
vehicle can shoot-up rather quickly. This is an unnecessary, avoidable
risk that you don’t want to take with your Laptop. Excessive heat is
injurious to the motherboard among all the basic and mid-segment
computing devices.
Basic Laptop Care—Using a Cleaning Kit
It is advised to invest in a cleaning
kit that is easily found across most electronics and computing devices
retailers. This package contains the ideal instruments meant for
cleaning the Laptop. You need to clean your Laptop at least once, every
ten days though some people might insist on weekly cleaning.
Laptop Battery Care Tips
It isn't advisable to leave your
battery blinking to the last breath before your charge it. Always
charging the Laptop at its flagging end could build-up towards battery
failure over a period. Seeking a charge when the battery is about
30%-35% charged is a wiser approach. This is more of a preventative tip.
When the battery indicators show that limited time is left before the
device becomes dormant, it is time to stop working and start looking for
nearest power socket.
Laptop Keypad Maintenance
To ensure that you don’t induce damage
on the keypad of the Laptop, try to keep it on flat surfaces. Don’t lean
towards one side of the laptop or place it on inclined surfaces. This
tends to create unfavorable angles that induce excessive stress on some
parts of the keypad, making them prone to wearing-out early. This is why
some folks have Laptops with one part of keypad looking smoked while
the other half looks brand new.
Tips on Everyday Laptop Protection
Don’t put excessive weight or load on
your device. This means not placing anything heavy like books, baggage
or your elbow on the Laptop to reduce chances of physical damage.
Recommended Laptop Maintenance—Use a Proper Case/Bag
Yes, Laptops are meant to be sturdy and
are ideally suited for those who are on the move but they need
protection from repeated shocks and abrasive surfaces. Thus, it is
better to invest in a Laptop bag that is good enough to safely envelope
your device and protect it against any kind of harsh physical.
(Tips on Buying Laptop Bag: When you
are buying a Laptop Case, ensure that it is appropriately sized for your
Laptop. Many cheaper versions have been created that are marketed as a
fit-all solution. However, such Laptop cases can be loose and might not
provide the kind if impact-negating protection your device needs.)
A case that is too tight increases
chances of you tugging at the Laptop, when pulling it out, and
accidentally dropping it. It is better to buy a Laptop bag that has some
kind of meshwork on the inside for protection against
moisture/humidity. Pure leather cases might look great but they need
caring too. So buy accordingly, i.e. something that is useful and you
can maintain easily.
Important Laptop Usage Tip
Try to maximize
your Laptop usage in a place that has a decent degree of air circulation. This is the best and simplest way of avoiding overheating of laptops.
More on Laptop Maintenance
If you know how to go about handling
hardware of Laptops, try to brush the area surrounding the external,
exhaust fan. This component is prone to getting plugged if you use the
Laptop in enclosed spaces. This is when the exhaust fan is really
stressed and chances of overheating arise. If you don’t know how to
access the exhaust, get the cleaning done from a professional.
Laptop Maintenance Tips When Traveling
With the advent of charging devices and
charging sockets present in most vehicles, many people like to charge
their devices, including Laptops, when traveling. However, for Laptops
per se, this isn't the wisest thing to do. Most hard drives used in
Laptops are prone to developing injuries if they are being subjected to
motion and charging at the same time. Some experts even recommend not
putting the Laptop in the Suspend/Sleep mode when it is packed in the
case. Though it isn't very clear as to how this can damage the device,
it might be a good idea not to push your luck.
Tips on Laptop Usage
Using your laptop regularly
on the bed isn't the best thing to do. Beds are a source of dust and
debris, including hair and dandruff. This can get sucked into the
Laptop.
Tips on Packing the Laptop
When packing your Laptop in its
case/bag, try not to press lunch boxes, pens, pencils, cell phones and
other stuff against the device. Place the Laptop in one, zipped section
and other things, in different sections of the bag. These objects can
scrape the outer surface of the Laptop and age it prematurely.
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