When you buy a good laptop, it’s a major expense, and you want it to last for as long as possible. Most laptops have a life of about 5 years, but that depends on how well you take care of it. If you are too careless with it, it will barely last you a year or two. However, if you are really vigilant, you can even make it last beyond its expected life.
You need to maintain your laptop’s performance to keep it running for years. This requires regular upkeep and a number of other precautions. If you don’t do these, the first sign will be your internet browsing slowing down, even if you’ve availed the best Spectrum offers you can find. Then, it will even take time to start, and so on. So, make sure you protect your laptop and keep it well-maintained with these basic precautions.
Use It On a Hard Surface
The most common mistake everyone does is to use your laptop in bed. The cooling system and fans of the laptop are sensitive mechanisms which go into overdrive when put somewhere as stifling as a mattress. This can lead to them overheating and reducing your laptop’s battery life immensely. You’ve probably felt how warm your laptop gets when you use it in bed or on your lap, so avoid doing so.
Instead, opt for using it on hard surfaces. If you must use it in bed, get one of those laptop stands or breakfast tables which can be set up on your bed. This can go a long way towards protecting your machine. Furthermore, if you’re using it for heavy-duty operations like gaming or hardcore graphic designing, also get a cooling pad to prevent overheating.
Install Antivirus Software
Not every virus will outright attack your computer and wipe all your data. Many of these insidious programs just slow down the operations and performance of your laptop. If you don’t install antivirus software on your system, it will remain at risk of circuit errors or software problems.
All of these things tend to slow down your laptop, so you must be vigilant. Install the best antivirus available to you and regularly do complete scans.
Keep Food & Drinks Away
This might seem obvious, but you’d be surprised at how many people completely fry their laptops by spilling coffee on them. Keep all liquids away from the machine, as any mishap can lead to very expensive repairs. If your laptop has to go for repairs, it automatically loses out on some of its optimal performance life.
In addition, this applies to food as well. If food particles get stuck under the keys or in the vents, your laptop will not perform optimally. Anyway, no one wants to use a laptop with Cheetos dust all over its keys. So, as a rule of thumb, take your snacks and coffee away from your laptop.
Clean Up Your Data Regularly
If your hard drives get too cluttered, your laptop will slow down due to the heavy load. So, regularly delete unneeded files and unnecessary software applications. A good antivirus program will also give you reports about files you haven’t opened in a long time, so get rid of those files.
Furthermore, every couple of years, do a complete clean-up. For this purpose, keep all your important data backed up in external hard drives, so that you can transfer it back when needed. A complete clean-up will make your laptop as good as new, provided you take care of the body as well.
Get It Serviced Regularly
Like every machine, your laptop needs to be regularly serviced as well. The amount of dust, hair, and other pollutants which enter its vents can be quite astonishing. Furthermore, the gaps under the keys can also be quite filthy. So, have it physically serviced once a year to keep it in top shape.
In conclusion, if you take care of your laptop properly, it will last you a long time. So, follow the given tips to maintain its performance.
