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Step 1
Keep it cool. Heat is the enemy of electrical components, and a laptop computer, with its components packed into a very restricted space, is very susceptible to heat buildup. Avoid blocking the cooling vents and fan--don't plop your machine down on a pillow or bedspread when it's running, if you can avoid it. Every few weeks, check the fan vents on the bottom of your machine to be sure they're clear of dust or debris--blow away the dust with compressed air if the vents are covered. Consider purchasing a cooling pad. These provide a base for your laptop that has extra cooling fans, usually powered by a USB connection. They're pretty inexpensive and are an excellent investment.
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Step 2
Carry your laptop with care. If you use your laptop a lot when you travel, it's easy to take it for granted. But at its heart, it's still a delicate piece of electronics. Always pack your laptop in a padded laptop case and don't sling it around like the rest of your luggage. When carrying your laptop out of the case, grip it in the center and support it well with your hands. Don't grab it by the edge of the screen--a heavier laptop can be susceptible to cracks in the case when carried that way.
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Step 3
Practice smart battery management skills. One of the first laptop parts to fail or degrade in performance is the battery. Even the best batteries have a limited number of discharge and recharge cycles. To make the most of them, follow these simple guidelines: When using the laptop on battery power, run it all the way down before recharging and then allow a full recharge before using it on battery power again. You can also get more run time out of the battery by adjusting your power-saving settings, hibernation modes and screen brightness. They all add up to give you more battery life.
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Step 4
Upgrade components when possible. Is your machine feeling a little "dated" and not running new programs as well as you'd like? Extend the life by upgrading the components when you can. By virtue of their design, laptops aren't good candidates for motherboard or video card replacement, but the memory is usually easily accessible and easy to replace. This simple upgrade often works wonders in performance and is usually inexpensive.
