Laptops are expensive and, for many people, replacing them every two or three years just isn’t financially possible. From the day you bring your laptop home and take it out of its packaging, there are things you can do to ensure it has a long and healthy life. If you’ve purchased a new laptop, be sure to treat it right!
1. Give it a Safe Home
The number one cause of major damage to laptops is blunt force. Don’t ever set your laptop on a surface where it can easily fall or something can fall on it. Make sure that, if your laptop is plugged in and you walk away, the cord isn’t in a place where it can be tripped over, pulling the laptop down with it.
When transporting your laptop, make sure that you have it in a properly padded carrier; a simple tote bag does not offer enough protection. Spend the money on a padded laptop messenger bag, backpack or sleeve.
2. Turn it Off
When you aren’t using your laptop, turn it off. Constant heat can damage the inner components of your machine and, remember, when it’s on, heat is being produced. If you do set your laptop down with the intention of coming back to it, make sure that you haven’t set it in such a way that the air vents are blocked.
Even if it doesn’t feel like your laptop is overheating, a cooling mat is still a good idea whenever you are using your laptop. Cooling mats come in various sizes and styles and can be found at any big box store.
3. Blow it Out
Your laptop is the prey and dust and dirt are the predators. Keep your laptop clean by blowing it out with canned air weekly. Wipe your screen off with a wipe made for the task and then use your canned air to blow the dust out of your keyboard and vents.
4. Use it Properly
Your laptop is built with a certain amount of memory and shouldn’t be put through paces that the memory can’t handle. For instance, if you bought a laptop with only 256MB of RAM, don’t plan on storing a ton of videos or gaming for hours. If, eventually, you find that you are using your laptop in ways that you had not originally intended, add memory more memory.
5. Optimize Your Performance
Nothing is more irritating than a laptop that is constantly losing its juice. We buy laptops because of their portability. Nothing ruins the mobility of your laptop like a quickly draining battery. The easiest thing you can do to preserve your battery’s life is to adjust your power settings. You can do this from the control panel and should choose either “balanced” or “power saver”.
You spent good money on your laptop and it only makes sense that you want it to last for as long as possible. By following these tips, you’ll be sure to get more life out of your computer than the average Joe. Use a bit of common sense and remember that your laptop is an intricate machine, not a toy.
Author Thomas Hathaway is a financial consultant and content contributor to paydayloans, a site providing information and advances when you may need an advance to your regular paycheck.
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