How to Maintain My Laptop
Mobile computer users know that good maintenance plays a big role in keeping their laptops running without problems. The smaller size of laptops means that delicate components are packed tightly together, and greater damage can result from events and usage that might not be so problematic for desktop computers. Laptop maintenance should include the hardware, the installed software and your data. There are several things you can incorporate into your maintenance routines to ensure that your laptop remains trouble-free.
Other People Are Reading
Things You'll Need
- Compressed air canister
- Hand-held vacuum
- Computer toolkit
- Antistatic wrist strap
- Backup program
- Isopropyl alcohol
- Warm water
- Soft lint-free cloth
Instructions
-
Hardware Maintenance
-
1
Protect your laptop with a good-fitting, well-padded carrying case at all times when it is not in use. This prevents jarring, bumping and shaking that can damage the laptop components.
-
2
Avoid using the computer in conditions (temperature, humidity, altitude) not recommended by the manufacturer. According to Scott Mueller, author of "Upgrading and Repairing Laptops," extreme temperature variations may cause the casing and components to contract and expand, excessive humidity may cause shorting of the electrical components inside the casing, and high unpressurized altitudes (greater than 10,000 ft.) may raise the laptop's internal temperature.
-
-
3
Keep the laptop free of dust, smoke and dirt. These can interfere with the proper functioning of several internal and external components (fan and heatsink, hard drive, keyboard, screen and CD/DVD drive). Use a compressed air canister or a hand-held vacuum on a weekly basis to remove pollutants.
-
4
Inspect the power supply, power cable and battery for corrosion, cracks or fraying every month. If they are badly worn or damaged, replace them.
-
5
Clean the laptop screen and casing every month. You can lightly moisten a soft lint-free cloth with warm water or a 50/50 mix of isopropyl alcohol and water to wipe down the screen and casing.
-
6
Use the operating system's defragmentation utility to defragment your hard drive every month. This will reduce the overall drive head movement and improve your hard drive's seek speed, which means the physical wear and tear on the drive is less.
Software and Data Maintenance
-
7
Install and run malware detection programs that provide real-time, ongoing protection and a firewall that prevents hackers from opening ports and stealing your resources or data when you first use the laptop.
-
8
Download and install any updates recommended by the operating system developer as soon as you are notified about them. Most operating systems are regularly updated by the developers, and the updates make the operating systems less prone to crashing, data corruption or intrusion.
-
9
Check once a week that your laptop does not have applications and utilities that you no longer intend to use like recycle bin contents or temporary folder files. An overly full hard drive does not operate as efficiently as one that is not filled to more than 3/4 of its available capacity.
-
10
Back up your data on a weekly basis at minimum to another location (removable hard drive, flash drive, tape drive, online storage or removable media), and more often if you make significant or frequent changes to the data. There are several commercial and freeware programs (Acronis True Image, EMC Dantz Retrospect, Backup4All, Genie Backup Manager and others) from which you can choose backup formats and configuration options that suit your needs.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Malware creators constantly increase their efforts to penetrate your laptop's defenses, so keep your antivirus and antispyware programs' definition files current. Configure the programs to automatically download and update the definition files every time you start the laptop.
Never disassemble any part of a laptop without first discharging all static electricity in the vicinity of the computer with an anti-static wrist strap.
Never use tools on a laptop that are not designed specifically for use with a computer. Many precision screwdrivers and other tools that jewelers and hobbyists use are magnetized. These tools can seriously damage your laptop's components.
