Laptop Safety Tips

By

How to take care of your laptop

Your laptop is an expensive piece of equipment, you need to take care of it. If your child owns one, show them this article so they can practice good technique in protecting expensive hardware. There is more than you think to just protecting the outer shell of your laptop.

Protect the hardware

Your laptop is expensive. Don’t just carry it around without a laptop carrying case. A carrying case of some sort for a laptop will ensure that if you drop it, it won’t break! Plus it’s just easier to carry around in. This is the easiest most preventable way to protect your laptop. If your break the hardware, then you broke the software too, because you can no longer access it.

Shut your laptop down

Your laptop should be shut down after each time you use it. This prevents overheating (which can easily melt components within your laptop) and in general just makes your laptop last longer, as it causes less stress on the parts. When your laptop overheats you can receive software failures and if it’s on a cloth surface, you can start a fire or even worst get burnt.

Yes, it’s a laptop, but it shouldn’t go in your lap. Laptops tend to get host fast and you can burn yourself pretty badly by keeping the laptop in your lap. Also don’t sit in bed with a laptop, if you fall asleep with your laptop on and it falls onto the covers, it could cause a fire. Not to mention it WILL overheat and this can damage components over time.

Shut down your laptop correctly

Lots of people simply hold down the power button to shut off their laptop really quick. While this isn’t terrible for the laptop, it can cause some bad issues. It’s better to go through the shut down via your desktop then using a hardware button. Using the “Power button” shuts off power instantly. You can lose documents you were working on, or the worst, your OS could have been installing important software essential to it to run and you shut it off mid install. This can cause HUGE problems and your laptop may not even start because it’s missing files! Take the extra 20 seconds and shut it down from your desktop.

Software is important too

This is obvious but take care of your software too. It runs in conjunction with your hardware (the physical laptop and all the components inside) and if it’s not updated, your hardware can fail. Always updated your OS, Anti-Virus, and any other essential software items vital to the operation of your laptop.

Taking care of the physical appearance of the laptop causes it to run better (no, seriously) – If your laptop is clean and dust free the components will work without error. If you don’t bang it around outside it’s case, no parts will fail. And if it doesn’t overheat, then parts wont melt.

Apply these safety tips and your laptop will last a lot longer then you think.

Related Top 10 Lists

Top 10 Laptops for Students 2012

Whether your child is in high-school or college, these days some sort of computer is needed. Laptops are generally your best choice as it offers portability so your child can bring it with him to class to take notes, complete homework at a coffee shop, and be on the go with his/her school work…. [more]

How do I choose the right laptop for my needs?

Maybe you aren’t too familiar with computers and technology. It’s understandable, in this day and age everything is digitized. Our mail, communication, banking, you name it. We have no choice but to adapt with the changing of times. A laptop is essential for anyone in this world. But how does someone with little technological expertise pick the right laptop? Whats a good laptop for my needs?… [more]

Should I buy a laptop for my child?

Technology has change immensely in the past few years alone and now more than ever you see a 10 year old walking down the street with an iPhone in hand. Who are you calling? Are you texting your friends? What need could a young child possibly have for technology like that. Even yet, what about a laptop or a computer of their own. Does a middle-school or high-school student even need a laptop or desktop?… [more]

Filed Under: Laptops