In today’s day and age most of us end up mishandling our tech devices sooner or later. Whether you have begun your first year of college or you are years into your job, chances are pretty good that you have a laptop you are hauling around. While portable computers are good at many things, they are also more susceptible to dings, falls, smudges, and other damages. But there are a few things you can do to keep your laptop fit and functional.
Know where it is at all times. Be cautious about leaving your laptop unattended for too long, especially somewhere new that you don’t really know that well. This keeps your laptop from being damaged by another person who might be careless around your laptop.
Treat your laptop with care. Dropping, jostling, or bumping your laptop can cause serious damage to it. This isn’t just to its outside appearance either, but also to the hard drive. Sometimes this damage can even be permanent or irreparable. Avoid eating and drinking things over or near your laptop since one accidental spill could damage your keyboard. You should also avoid holding your laptop by the screen at all costs.
Protect your laptop screen. Your laptop tends to last longer if you actually take care of it. This means that you should avoid doing things that could cause serious damage to your screen. Do not attempt to close the lid to your laptop when there is something left on the keyboard like a pen or a notebook. This could potentially crack your screen. Do your best to avoid pushing or scratching the screen or slamming down the lid as well.
Travel with care. You should always purchase and use a case and/or a laptop bag to work as a buffer when you travel with your laptop. It is preferable for the laptop bag to be padded, and that you refrain from stacking anything on top of it.
Clean your laptop regularly. Clean the screen, keyboard, and outside of your laptop of a fairly regular basis to avoid a built-up of residue that could potentially cause some damage to your laptop.
Make sure your electrical cord helps your laptop instead of hurting it. Treat your laptop’s cord as if it were an extension of your laptop. While it is true that a cord will not cost as much to replace, it does work as your laptop’s lifeline. It can also cause some damage if you don’t remove the cord correctly. So be sure not to yank out the power cord, especially from a distance.
Get routine laptop maintenance. Schedule maintenance for your laptop since it is required to have regular tune-ups. This will improve its ability to run smoothly. Run things like “Disk Cleanup” and “Defragment” tools at least monthly. You should also install a virus protection software and perform weekly scans.
Your laptop is lightweight, has a pretty solid battery life, and is probably easier to travel with than your desktop. This makes it very important to take care of it in any way that you can. Don’t neglect your tech.
Resources:
http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Your-Laptop-Last-Longer
http://www.macworld.com/article/1168350/how-to-protect-your-laptop.html