Laptops are wonderful electronic devices but extremely sensitive and susceptible to breakage. They’re so handy and make PC work possible anywhere, but it can be a headache once they get broken or start malfunctioning due to damage. With proper care, however, they can serve well for years. It would be good then to know how to make your laptop last longer.

Take Care of the Batteries

Start with the batteries. Take care of them and the laptop is also taken care of. One tip here is to reduce the number of programs being run and supported by the batteries. Just install the important ones, those that are frequently used. The batteries should be discharged only once in a while. Regular discharging can weaken them. Don’t wait till they are thoroughly drained of power before charging. The recommended is to charge when about 10 percent battery power is all that remains. Taking care of the batteries is how to make your laptop last longer.

On average, batteries diminish in power about 5 percent a month. Regularly checking them would prevent going lower than 10 percent power consumption. That goes well for effective laptop maintenance. Remember also to keep the batteries in dry and cool places, keeping them out of range from hot surfaces. Prevent them from being exposed to extreme temperatures, too. Stored batteries should be charged with 40 to 60 percent power, especially when kept away for long periods.

The Mouse Helps

Using the mouse is one way of how to make your laptop last longer. For instance, a portable mouse can help better in effective laptop maintenance than using trackpoints or touchpads. This lessens direct contact with the sensitive parts of the device. If the batteries need to be drained of power, just leave the portable mouse on. Another thing about the helpfulness of a mouse as accessory, cordless types can serve as remote control when watching DVD.

Laptops and Food Don’t Mix

Never use a laptop while eating a meal. Put away the device first, away from the dinner table specifically, and focus on eating the meal. There is always the chance of food or liquid spilling over the device and affecting its sensitive parts. Remember that some of its parts, particularly the keyboards, are easily damaged compared to desktop parts. Always keep it clean to prevent dirt from getting through inside the device.

Laptop and Bed Don’t Mix

Using laptops on bed or other soft surfaces not only negatively affects the performance of the device but may affect its durability, too. Airflow might be obstructed and cause it to overheat. Most laptops have air vents located underneath. Thus, placing them on hard surfaces like a table is lots better and an important pointer on how to make your laptop last longer. Hard, flat surfaces plus the short corner legs allow proper air circulation and thus effective laptop maintenance.

Surge Protector

Power fluctuations are always bad for any electrical appliance, and electronic devices are not exempted, especially those highly transistorized. Power interruption that is suddenly restored can create a power surge harmful to laptops. To prevent this damage, use surge protectors or surge screens. They cushion the ill effects of the initial electrical surge.

Aside from power failures, the plug is sometimes accidentally unplugged and some folks carelessly re-plug it immediately, creating the surge. Worse is when a 110 laptop is plugged accidentally to a 220 or higher voltage.
————————————————————————————————————————————————-
Daniel is a free lancer writer of http://www.techiesguide.com/ and currently he is doing research on best laptop available in the market.