Your Lappy Is Your Friend – How To Take Good Care of Your Laptop Physically

2009 June 19

tags: Cases and Accessories, Hardware, Laptop, Notebooks and Laptops

by timmy

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: Image by Kenn Wilson via Flickr

As one of your most cherished digital possessions, and probably a significant investment financially, your laptop is an object that should get your utmost care. They’re fragile, you know! AND if you’re nice to them, they’ll stick around with for quite some time; until they’re outdated, that is! Well, I am of the belief that home computers, laptops included, won’t necessarily need to keep getting more powerful as the Internet and the “cloud” continues to perform more and more of the actual computing so your laptop could continue to be of good use for a good few years! Point is, you need to take care of it. I would like to offer a post on the topic that is comprehensive and hopefully helpful. So, here we go!

Take care of your laptop physically!

Food and drink (including other liquids) are definite enemies of a healthy lappy!
- Be very cognizant of where you place your drink (ie, your coffee cup at the local coffee shop).
- It’s best not to eat while you’re computing (crumbs end up in the keyboard and fingers transfer goo and stickies to anything touched (comparable to playing harmonica just after eating, just not a good idea)
- As a preventative measure, you can try an inexpensive keyboard skin
The screen is a terrible thing to waste (AKA break)
- NEVER pick your laptop up by the screen! I cringe whenever I see that done! The screen will undoubtedly end up broken and/or the hinges will break and maybe even put on a light show for you!
- Don’t touch the screen with those grubby paws (actually, whether they’re grubby or not). You don’t want to damage the fragile screen or make it dirty, now do we?
- They make products that attempt to make your screen stay clean and hopefully last longer.
The power cord is one of your BEST FRIENDS! Without it, life is dead (or at least the battery will eventually be). Take care of the one you’ve got!
- Don’t lose it! Make sure you’ve got a place in the bag for it and keep an eye on where you put it. If left home, the results can be disastrous! Ever not gotten gas and run out nowhere near a gas station? Yeah, it’s that bad.
- Don’t break it! Like I said, it’s your friend. Don’t let it drape where people walk. Don’t let animals chew it. Don’t yank it from the wall OR the laptop! Take special care because replacing it could be costly!
Protruding devices can get you caught up!
- You know what I mean! That thumb drive sticking out of the side of the laptop can be snagged while moving around. Damage to the drive OR the port could transpire!
- Also, anything else attached can cause damage if tripped on or yanked.
Don’t bump, slam, drop, or otherwise cause any sort of blunt force that may cause trauma to the inside or outside of the poor lappy. If you HAVE to work with your laptop in a rough environment, get a toughbook! Otherwise, find a good laptop bag that fits your lappy.
Keep an eye on the temp, would ya?
- Store it in a place where the temperature won’t fluctuate too much. This could cause damage.
- Take note of where the fans are drawing and blowing and do everything within your power to keep those places clear of obstructions (ie, your lap, the bed, a pillow, can all be enemies). Get something to lift the laptop off of the surface to keep the air flowing.
Keep ‘er clean! A little preventative maintenance can keep the physical problems to a minimum down the line! You can clean it yourself, but a professional can take it apart and get it really clean for you every once in a while.