Don't move the laptop while it's on.
Every computer repair expert I've ever asked, "What is the most common problem people have with laptops?", the answer is the same: hard drive failure. Think of the hard drive like a record player; the player spins the record and a little needle reads it. When you jostle around your laptop while the hard drive is spinning, the needle is scratching your record! Sometimes, if you're lucky, a computer repair specialist can manage to get most of your stuff back, but it's most likely toast. Whenever you pick up your laptop to move it, put it into sleep mode first and wait until you hear the hard drive stop spinning before you pick it up to move it. (Sleep mode is a way to temporarily shut off your computer without losing anything that you have open). If you must move it while it is running, hold it straight and carefully. Laptops are beginning to feature solid state drives, which means no moving parts, so this issue will become less frequent.
Close your laptop from the top, not the sides.
When closing your laptop by putting the monitor down from the side, you will wear the hinges and can damage your screen. Close the laptop by bringing it down gently from the top middle.
Keep it cool.
Heat is one of the computer's worst enemies. If you put your laptop in your lap, on a pillow, in bed, or using it for heavy computing, you risk it overheating, which can damage the motherboard. To keep it cool, get a cooling pad. A cooling pad is a thin pad you put under your laptop that has a fairly quiet fan inside. Also try to keep your laptop in as cool a place as possible. Be sure the fan vents on the back of the laptop are free of obstruction. Your laptop is at higher risk of overheating if you often use it for heavy computing processes such as games, video editing, or art. Careful of temperature extremes; bringing your laptop inside on a cold winter day and immediately turning it on can cause condensation (moisture) inside the laptop.
Keep it clean.
Dust is another one of the computer's worst enemies. Dust can build up inside your laptop, so be sure to keep your workspace clean. Consider getting a can of compressed air, which has a long thin nozzle at the top that sprays air to blow away dirt and dust from your computer. You can also get a cheap, soft watercolor or makeup brush only for cleaning dust off of things with. Keeping your hands clean will also reduce grease stains. Don't forget to dust your USB ports and CD drive too. Never use water to clean your laptop, even while it is off, this will destroy it. Should you need to use water on a small brush or wipe to clean something off your keyboard, be sure it's only slightly damp and turn your laptop off first.
Every computer repair expert I've ever asked, "What is the most common problem people have with laptops?", the answer is the same: hard drive failure. Think of the hard drive like a record player; the player spins the record and a little needle reads it. When you jostle around your laptop while the hard drive is spinning, the needle is scratching your record! Sometimes, if you're lucky, a computer repair specialist can manage to get most of your stuff back, but it's most likely toast. Whenever you pick up your laptop to move it, put it into sleep mode first and wait until you hear the hard drive stop spinning before you pick it up to move it. (Sleep mode is a way to temporarily shut off your computer without losing anything that you have open). If you must move it while it is running, hold it straight and carefully. Laptops are beginning to feature solid state drives, which means no moving parts, so this issue will become less frequent.
Close your laptop from the top, not the sides.
When closing your laptop by putting the monitor down from the side, you will wear the hinges and can damage your screen. Close the laptop by bringing it down gently from the top middle.
Keep it cool.
Heat is one of the computer's worst enemies. If you put your laptop in your lap, on a pillow, in bed, or using it for heavy computing, you risk it overheating, which can damage the motherboard. To keep it cool, get a cooling pad. A cooling pad is a thin pad you put under your laptop that has a fairly quiet fan inside. Also try to keep your laptop in as cool a place as possible. Be sure the fan vents on the back of the laptop are free of obstruction. Your laptop is at higher risk of overheating if you often use it for heavy computing processes such as games, video editing, or art. Careful of temperature extremes; bringing your laptop inside on a cold winter day and immediately turning it on can cause condensation (moisture) inside the laptop.
Keep it clean.
Dust is another one of the computer's worst enemies. Dust can build up inside your laptop, so be sure to keep your workspace clean. Consider getting a can of compressed air, which has a long thin nozzle at the top that sprays air to blow away dirt and dust from your computer. You can also get a cheap, soft watercolor or makeup brush only for cleaning dust off of things with. Keeping your hands clean will also reduce grease stains. Don't forget to dust your USB ports and CD drive too. Never use water to clean your laptop, even while it is off, this will destroy it. Should you need to use water on a small brush or wipe to clean something off your keyboard, be sure it's only slightly damp and turn your laptop off first.
Plug the power cord into the outlet first, then plug the other end into the laptop.
If you plug the power cord into the laptop first, you run the risk of shocking your laptop. You will also want to unplug your laptop from the outlet during a lightning storm in case of a damaging power surge or outage. Be wary of static shock too; touch a nearby metal object to release any potential static electricity.
If you plug the power cord into the laptop first, you run the risk of shocking your laptop. You will also want to unplug your laptop from the outlet during a lightning storm in case of a damaging power surge or outage. Be wary of static shock too; touch a nearby metal object to release any potential static electricity.
Be mindful of plugging devices into the correct ports.
Sometimes, we might lazily try to plug in a USB mouse or our iPod into the side of our computer, blindly trying to find the port. Be careful; if you accidentally jam a plug where it's not supposed to go, it can damage the socket, making that port useless.
Keep it in a carrying case.
Carrying around your laptop in a proper bag or case greatly reduces bumping and chance of dropping it.
Get adequate virus protection.
Viruses are devastating for all types of computers and don't think that just because you have a Mac that you can't get viruses; with the number of Mac users on the rise, viruses and trojans have been developed that can hijack those operating systems as well.
Clean out temporary files.
Though you know to clean our your temporary Internet files and cookies, this isn't enough. All computers store data on absolutely everything you've done on your computer. For me, temporary files from art and video editing programs take up a lot of space. I recommend the free program CCleaner, which can take care of these hidden files you can't get rid of yourself. Note that it is not an anti-virus program. You can get CCleaner here on piriform.com.
That's all for now! Thank you for reading and I hope you found these tips helpful. Check out more of my tips on my blog at www.brookescovil.com.
Sometimes, we might lazily try to plug in a USB mouse or our iPod into the side of our computer, blindly trying to find the port. Be careful; if you accidentally jam a plug where it's not supposed to go, it can damage the socket, making that port useless.
Keep it in a carrying case.
Carrying around your laptop in a proper bag or case greatly reduces bumping and chance of dropping it.
Get adequate virus protection.
Viruses are devastating for all types of computers and don't think that just because you have a Mac that you can't get viruses; with the number of Mac users on the rise, viruses and trojans have been developed that can hijack those operating systems as well.
Clean out temporary files.
Though you know to clean our your temporary Internet files and cookies, this isn't enough. All computers store data on absolutely everything you've done on your computer. For me, temporary files from art and video editing programs take up a lot of space. I recommend the free program CCleaner, which can take care of these hidden files you can't get rid of yourself. Note that it is not an anti-virus program. You can get CCleaner here on piriform.com.
That's all for now! Thank you for reading and I hope you found these tips helpful. Check out more of my tips on my blog at www.brookescovil.com.
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