I am not fond of Laptop but still use one to fulfill the need of the day. Recently IS department has replaced my old favorite an IBM machine by a Compaq Evo N610c. While going through the booklet and CD supplied by Compaq, I thought of writing an article on maintenance of laptop based on my personal experience and the literature available to me. I hope this article will serve the purpose. Laptop is designed and manufactured as a hard-wearing product however it is to be handled carefully. To maintain its performance and improve durability, we have to take preventive measures.
Always try to carry and store Laptop in a portable soft but sturdy carrying case. To prevent possible damage to the display(which is quite common), do not place anything on top of the notebook even when it is inside a suitable carrying case. A tired technocrat may be tempted to use it with carrying case as pillow while traveling by train but it may turnout to be a very expensive pillow if you are unable to retrieve your data/information when it is required most.
Maintaining Right Temperature
In country like India, it is important to be careful about temperature. Due to growing demands, a laptop is made to run various applications that require PC Cards, Floppy / CD drives, Modem etc and large amounts of RAM, to maintain high performance of processor. As a result computer become hot due to increased power consumption when it in use for long time. Manufacturers consider all these but still user has to play his role.
>> Avoid exposing your laptop to direct sunlight, high ambient temperature for long period.
>> Place the machine only on solid, flat surface. Make sure vent, which cool internal components, are unhindered. Do not allow articles like printer / scanner and sometime even your own palm to block the vent. Avoid using soft surfaces like fabric, cushions/ pillow or carpet that may block the vent for easy airflow.
>> Switch off the machine if will not be used for long tome.
Cleaning a Laptop
Always disconnect the power supply of the machine. Disconnect peripherals before cleaning notebook or any of its components.
Do not allow liquids to drip into the notebook, keyboard to minimize the risk of electric shock or damage to internal components. Do not spray any cleaning fluid on the notebook, display, or keyboard. Liquids and cleaning solvents may permanently damage notebook’s exterior finish and the components.
>> Keep liquids away from the machine and keyboard to prevent costly repairs. Avoid using it in a very humid area.
Keyboard
Regular cleaning of the keyboard is necessary for smooth operation of keyboard. To prevent keys from sticking and to remove dust, lint or any other particles that may be trapped underneath the keys use clean air from a small hand blower or any air-blowing device. In absence of that, use a small vacuum cleaner used for cleaning other electronic items. Avoid using a household vacuum cleaner to clean the keyboard, because normal household waste may deposit on the surfaces from the brush, rather than remove it.
>> Let me repeat - Never use liquids of any sort on the keyboard.
Display Screen(Very sensitive)
To remove stain and lint, clean display screen with a soft, damp, lint-free cloth with soft touch. If it requires extra ordinary cleaning, use an antistatic screen cleaner. Pre-moistened antistatic wipes are also available. You may avoid such steps if you belief in preventive maintenance.
>> Let me repeat - Never spray any cleaning fluids on the screen. This can permanently damage your notebook.
Touch-Pad
Touch-pad of my Compaq is too dirty due to my bad habit of taking breakfast in my office. Grease on the Touch-Pad may be the reason for cursor to jump around on the screen. To avoid this, clean the Touch-Pad with a damp cloth.
Needless to say – Always use clean hand to operate the machine. Factory guys like me sometime forget this simple rule.
Software
Use software from reliable sources and install all software updates as and when these are available. I do not prefer to load unwanted software to avoid conflicts. In this case also I prefer to keep backup of all useful software.
It is important to defragment the fragmented files for quick response of software. Scan disk and cleaning of hard disk and drives in regular interval is necessary for better performance. One may use software available in Accessories of Window. Norton Utility also helps to maintain healthy computer but use the right compatible version.
>> Keep Zip disks, diskettes and modular disk drives away from magnetic fields that can erase data.
Backup
To protect the information on machine and retrieve lost or damaged files, one should back up files regularly preferably in CD. Other backup media my also be used. If the machine is connected to network than timely backup in the server is the best however I prefer to carry backup in CD when I travel.
Virus Protection
Norton Anti-Virus(Corporate) is good enough for my office machine. Anyone who uses email or access the WWW, one risk infecting the system with computer virus. Easiest way to protect the machine from infection is by installing useful anti-virus software.
Traveling with Laptop needs some extra care but that is dealt in a separate category. May write an article afterwards.
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Thanks for reading this article.
Have a Nice Time.