How often do you ask yourself, “Am I doing everything I can to make sure that my laptop computer will last?” In this article I will discuss several methods for maximizing the lifespan of your laptop or other portable computer. Some of the advice I’m giving is best practiced from when you first start using the computer, but it can be applied at any point during its life.
1. Always turn your laptop off. Do not sleep or hibernate it. Make sure your power settings are correct and that your computer does infact shut off from the power button or start menu (Vista, for example, is setup to sleep instead of shut down — a terrible idea). If you are not planning to be using your computer for the next hour or so, turn it off. This will save the lifespan of the components inside your computer as well as save power.
2. Clean up your laptop. Don’t be afraid to make sure the vents on your laptop are free of dust or other debris. Remember that any kind of particulate matter will eventually clog up the fans and cause heat problems. Turn the computer off and use a lightly dampened cloth to wipe down the vents.
3. Buy a laptop cooling stand. Today’s laptops run more and more hot than their predecessors. In fact about two thirds of all laptop failures are started by heat problems. Having a good cooling stand can help to alleviate this risk. Also remember to always use your computer on a flat surface, even if you don’t have a cooling stand. Otherwise the bottom vents can not take in the cool air they need to reduce heat inside your laptop.
4. Do not move your laptop while it’s running. The mechanical hard drives inside most laptops are extremely fragile. If you must move your computer shut it down completely first. Otherwise you risk damaging the hard drive and shortening its life span if not crashing it.
5. Be careful with your laptop when there’s static electricity. One badly placed jolt of static could bring your laptop down. Remember to ground yourself (to the nearest non-static sensitive metal object) before touching your laptop.
6. Use a surge protector with your laptop power cord. Many people may overlook this necessity because its assumed that the transformer could potentially ‘protect’ the laptop from a surge. This isn’t necessarily true. While the transformer block certainly provides a buffer, it is not a protective mechanism. Always use a surge protector. There are many portable varieties available.
7. Check your laptop manufacturer support page occasionally. There may be important updates to your BIOS, drivers or other notices that are important. Sometimes BIOS updates may improve system performance or even better fix a problem that may have shortened its lifespan (such as increasing fan speeds if the system runs hot by default). Other times a driver update may help to improve the performance or fix serious bugs in the system’s hardware support. Last, but not least, occasionally there are recalls and these are very important to follow because if your system is recalled (or its warranty extended for a severe problem) you should have it addressed ASAP.
8. If all else fails, contact a laptop expert. Sometimes the issues you may face are not supported by the manufacturer or are otherwise quite serious and need professional attention. For example, if your hard drive is crashing you need to consult a data recovery expert ASAP before the window of opportunity to get access to your data may be lost. Arlington Virginia Computer Repair offers laptop repair and data recovery services for both PCs and Macs.
