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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

• 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.