Tips for Maintaining a Laptop
Introduction
The trend in laptop prices may be persistently downward, but a laptop still represents a reasonable investment for most consumers and, especially in times of economic uncertainty, is not something that consumers will be looking to replace on a regular basis. There are many common problems which can affect laptops, regardless of make or model, but with judicious care and maintenance most of these can be rectified, or avoided altogether. Many laptop problems relate to the LCD ("Liquid Crystal Display") screen, which is, after all, the largest single component of any laptop, but battery, power, keyboard and wireless connectivity problems are also common.
Laptop Maintenance
Laptop screens are fragile and expensive to replace if damaged. Avoid touching the screen with your fingers, or poking it with objects such as pens or pencils. Use only gentle cleaning agents, water or vinegar, applied to a soft, lint-free cloth and not to the screen itself, to clean the screen. Harsh cleaning agents can cause yellowing, or in the worst case, cracking of the screen. Similarly, avoid slamming the laptop lid and do not place heavy objects, such as books, on it, even in the closed position.
Laptops are designed to be used on a hard, flat surface, such as a desktop. They typically have air vents on the underside, back or side and feet to elevate the laptop so that air can circulate around the laptop body. Using a laptop on a soft surface, such as a bed, or carpet and, ironically, also on your lap, can not only block the vents and cause the laptop to overheat, but also introduce dust, or fluff, to the vents, which will eventually cause the same effect.
As far as laptop batteries are concerned, the latest Li-Ion ("Lithium Ion") and Li-Po ("Lithium Polymer") rechargeable batteries should not be overcharged, so if you use your laptop on mains power for long periods, you should remove the battery. Failure to do so may mean that the total charge capacity of the battery is greatly reduced, so that when you do eventually want to use your laptop away from mains power you will only be able to do so for a very short time.
Care and maintenance of your laptop also extends to the peripherals, such as USB ("Universal Serial Bus") memory sticks and modems, a.k.a. dongles, which you plug into your laptop. These are essential pieces of kit, but tend to be small and fragile, so they are easy to lose or damage, if mishandled. |
Screen cracked down centre.
