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Caring for your laptop means more than keeping it in a case and tucking it in every night. It’s an advanced bit of kit, worthy of special care and attention. That doesn’t mean looking after your laptop is difficult though. Clue yourself up on our ten must-know laptop maintenance tips, and we’ll keep your portable in perfect running order
1) Avoid dust at all costs
Dust is a laptop’s nemesis, it’ll work its way inside the chassis and risks clogging fans and overheating your PC’s components. There are a few simple steps you can take to reduce the chances of dust finding its way into your computer though.
The easiest is to keep it safely concealed in a case or sleeve when not in use. If dust does work its way inside though, you can blast it free using a small can of compressed air, available from computer stores.
2) Use proper cleaning materials
Some laptop owners use household cleaners to give their PC a fresh sheen, but it’s an unwise move and could risk ruining that precious PC. Standard household cleaners can be damaging and dangerous to sensitive screen coverings, and risk marring the plastic shells of portable computers too.
Resist the urge to use whatever’s already in the cleaning cupboard, and always use specific screen cleaners. They’re available as sprays or wipes. In a pinch you can use a damp lint-free cloth, but be aware that you’ll find it hard to achieve a streak-free finish, especially on screens coated with plastic rather than glass.
3) Keep your laptop cool
Laptops generate a surprising amount of heat, and are engineered to extremely tight thermal tolerances. That means even the shortest period of prolonged heat can harm them. To best take care of your laptop keep it out of direct sunlight and away from heaters or radiators.
4) Beware of protruding connectors
Your laptop’s most vulnerable spot is also its most frequently used: the sockets along its side. USB, audio and network connectors will all jut out of its edge, making them prone to knocks and nudges.
Be careful though, since a sharp snag won’t just yank your accessory free from its socket, it could also damage the socket and the circuit board it’s connected to.
5) No smoking please!
If you smoke near your laptop, it’ll breathe in the same chemicals you do, and they’re just as bad for its health.
Over time the noxious fumes from cigarettes can clog up the innards of your PC. It’s almost as fast to cause damage as dust, so for the sake of your computer, and your own health, kick the habit!
6) keep the laptop out of the kitchen!
Similar to smoke particles from nicotine junkies, those who use their laptop in the kitchen will find its sensitive air vents and fans get clogged much quicker.
Airborne particles, moisture and more disgustingly, grease, will soon find their way inside your computer if it’s used in the kitchen. What’s more, cleaning out the gunk afterward can be a tricky and time consuming process, often needing the attention of a professional.
The simplest solution is not to let your laptop venture into the kitchen in the first place.
7) Protect that power socket
Trailing cables can be easily yanked free from your computer, and the laptop’s power cord is a prime candidate for unintentional tugging.
Always tuck it away neatly, to avoid passers-by tripping over it, but if it absolutely must snake across the floor try looping it around a table leg before plugging it into your PC. That way, any sharp yanks will be made to the table, not your precious computer.
8 ) Pick a laptop with shock protection
Increasingly, laptops come with built-in shock protection. Many branded laptops have this feature, and are able to park the hard drive’s moving head as soon as they sense movement.
The result is a computer that’ll take a tumble, and live to tell the tale. If your laptop doesn’t have hard drive protection, you’ll need to be extra careful.
9) Stay vigilant of viruses
The best form of laptop maintenance is preventing any damage or wear taking place in the first place. We’ve covered that with cases, cable management and shock protection, but what about the software? Viruses are rife online, and as soon as your PC hooks up to the internet, it’s at risk.
Luckily, most Toshiba laptops come with McAfee Internet Security installed. You’ll find 30 days of free protection included, which you can extend to keep your computer completely virus free for life.
10) Backup your files regularly
This maintenance tip might not solve any problems straight away, but it’s the handiest insurance measure you have against an accident or virus wiping your data.
There are lots of ways to backup your files, from DVDs and Blu-ray discs to external hard drives and even online backup services.
11) Placing The Laptop
Hard drives work on the property of magnetic flux, so any electrical field may damage the hard disk and the data on it. Make sure your laptop is at least 13 cm away from any electrical appliance that generates a strong magnetic field – such as a microwave oven.
12) Give It A Breather
If you have just shut down your laptop, give it 30 seconds before you start it up again. This ensures that the hard drive has spun down, and is no subjected to sudden switching on and off.
13) Laptop Battery Care
The bane of most laptop users is the lack of a really long battery life. There are three main types of laptop batteries:
Nickel-Cadmium: This type of battery must be fully discharged and then fully recharged every few weeks. If you don’t do this, it will quickly lose battery life due to what is known as the ‘memory effect’. The memory effect means if you don’t follow the above procedure, your battery will only charge up to the percentage of the last charge.
For instance, if you discharge it to 30 per cent, it will only charge up the remaining 70 per cent. Do this repeatedly, and the 30 per cent will become unusable, giving you an effective 70 per cent charge even though the indicator will still show a 100 per cent charge each time you charge it.
Nickel Metal Hydride: Ni-MH batteries are similar to Ni-Cd batteries, although they are less susceptible to the memory effect. They also have a higher capacity.
Lithium Ion: These are the latest type of batteries, and have no real problems as far as the memory effect is concerned. The problem with these is that they lose their effectiveness if overcharged or left for a long time with a full charge. Always discharge these batteries if you’re going to be storing them away.
14) Keep Your Battery Healthy
Before the first use, charge the batteries for 12 hours or the minimum charge time, as mentioned in the manual. For daily use, charge the battery to capacity, then run the laptop on battery power until it is completely drained (for Ni-Cd or Ni-MH batteries, this prevents the memory effect) or almost drained. (For Li-ion batteries, this can help prevent overcharging).
Don’t leave your battery unused for long periods of time. Even if you use AC power most of the time, use the battery regularly to keep it in good condition. Switch off your AC adapter when the laptop is not in use. This prevents overcharging.
To extend battery life, you can try decreasing the LCD brightness while using your notebook. You can activate the ‘Standby’ and ‘Hibernation’ power-saving modes, too, for better battery life.
15) Battery Storage
If you do not use your laptop for extended periods of time – a week or more – remove the battery pack from the laptop, but only after discharging it fully. The batteries should be stored in a cool dry place, removed from heat, humidity and dust as well as metal objects.
16) Use A Laptop Case
It is advisable to spend a couple of thousand rupees and get a sturdy carry-case for your laptop. The case should ideally be hard from the outside and soft on the inside, while being a comfortable fit. It should be able to absorb shocks and carry your laptop accessories.
17) Keep Eatables Away
Obviously, no eating and drinking near or around your laptop. The least bit of water could short-circuit some sensitive laptop circuits, and render it useless.
18) No Hard Booting
You may sometimes be tempted to turn your laptop off by simply holding down the power button until it powers down. Although quick, this method is harmful to the laptop and could cause data loss. A hard reboot should only be used as a last resort. Sometimes this is inevitable, for instance, when Windows hangs. But this should not be a regular practice.
19) Don’t use your laptop on the bed. Repeated use of the laptop on the bed will cause the fans to suck up the dust and further debris which lies in the bed, ultimately blocking the fan. Refrain from this by using the laptop somewhere else than the bed.
20) Avoid placing heavy materials, such as books, on top of your laptop and keyboard. This can push the LCD screen into the keyboard, and will eventually damage it. Also, the CD-ROM insert will also be squished and, eventually, will break.
These steps when followed will help your laptop in many ways as a little care in maintenance will go a long way in increasing your laptop’s life.
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3 Add more RAM - This will allow you to process more with the memory your laptop has, rather than relying on virtual memory. Virtual memory results in hard drive use, and is much less power efficient. Note that adding more RAM will consume more energy, so this is most applicable if you do need to run memory intensive programs which actually require heavy usage of virtual memory.
6 Go easy on the PC demands – The more you demand from your PC. Passive activities like email and word processing consume much less power than gaming or playing a DVD. If you’ve got a single battery charge – pick your priorities wisely.