The age old adage- Prevention is better than cure is very apt in the case of a Laptop.
In many cases, we tend to keep hazardous stuff like tea/coffeee/coke blah blah near the piece as we drink and work. We also eat and work. Work is captivating and then disaster strikes. Tea is split
on the system. Food crumbs and grease smears are also there inadvertantly. Just try not to do
those things when you are working on your Notebook. How long does it take to finish eating?
Rule no 1- in the case of split liquid, AND THIS IS THE MOST FREQUENT- Switch the system off, turn it upside down and keep it in a moderately sunny and breezy area. Let it dry first. Mean while you can look up your manual. But do not try to be a hero if you’re not really sure. Call the experts. Check what kind of warrenty/ damage guarantee is there to boot.
If the system’s dry, switch it off, turn it upside own and use a make up brush to gently sweep thru
the keyboard and crevices to remove unwanted junk. You can keep a seperate brush for gently cleaning the screen too.
Do not unnecessarily keep many electronic gadgets near or on your notebook. EMF can play merry devil on the circuitry sometimes.
Use the mouse instead of the mousepad. The mousepad’s paint is preserved from fading.
If possible, do not cover up your laptop immediately after work. Let it cool down and emit the heat and vapour which will otheriwse get trapped inside. Small things like these contribute in overheating.
For wiping, a piece of flannel dipped into a glass of water, to which you’ve added a drop or two of mild shampoo is good. Make sure the material is moist, not wet. Rub very gently. Be careful when you are dealing with that silver coating found on Dell, HP, Compaq systems. Too much rubbing makes the paint fade.
For the travelbugs- its comon sense to wrap your notebook in a plastic bag before placing it inside your snazzy carry case. Yep! You never know when it’s gonna rain mate!
NB: Treat it well and it treats you in the same manner.