The laptop of your dreams is finally yours; you only want to maintain the device’s pristine condition. But, daily use and mishandling can rapidly erode your computer hardware. A laptop typically lasts 5 to 8 years. You can add a few years to its life with the right laptop maintenance.
First, a laptop needs regular cleaning, updates, and virus protection. But keeping your files organized is key to serene storage. Let’s check out how you can take complete care of your precious laptop.
What are the best ways of laptop maintenance?
Be it your existing or new laptop, both devices need a little maintenance to reap benefits in the long term. With proper laptop maintenance, you can keep your old machine up and running too. A nearby laptop repair shop’s experts confirm that: 1. Proper handling and cleaning, and 2. Updating the hard drive can greatly improve your laptop’s speed and performance.
So, you can opt for a new laptop if you crave fancier hardware, features, and more. You must also maintain the laptop’s condition to prevent it from degrading. Let’s check out what you can do as part of laptop maintenance and how you can keep your notebook efficient:
1. Handle your laptop with care.
No matter what the laptop maker claims, your device is fragile. Hence, you must take care of your laptop whenever you are working on it or carrying it. Even a small accident with your laptop can harm your data and files.
So, here are some tips on how to handle your notebook with proper care:
Keep your laptop from overheating.
Be it your home or office, ensure that your laptop vents are not blocked. The machine should get quality airflow with 2 inches of empty space on every side. Give your device enough room to breathe so your laptop won’t overheat.
Keep your laptop desk clutter-free and organized to prevent overheating. Invest in cord organizers and cable stations to tackle cable clutter. Overheating can slow your machine, melt circuits, and degrade its battery.
Stop overcharging your machine.
Do you find it comfortable to charge your laptop battery all night? Well, this might seem convenient to you, but not so much for your laptop. In fact, you are interrupting the usual power cycle of the laptop battery and damaging the cells.
So, ensure that you unplug your laptop from the power outlet once the battery status reaches 100%. Overcharging can be harmful. On a related note, remember to take the battery out of the device if you won’t be using it for a long period.
Maintain a safe distance from food and beverages.
A glass of water can destroy your laptop. A laptop repair shop in Dubai warned that eating and drinking near your laptop can cause spills. We know that it’s tempting to enjoy your favorite coffee while working on your machine, but it’s a strict no from us.
Don’t Open Spam
You might have noticed those sudden pop-ups during your browsing. Or, you may have received an alluring email from an unknown sender. Resist your urge to open such suspicious pop-ups or spam, as they might contain malware. A malware attack can make all your files inaccessible or corrupt.
2. Clean your laptop.
As reported by specialists at a nearby laptop repair shop, a clean machine can help it last longer. Also, you won’t have to spend money and time to repair or replace your laptop parts. Typically, laptops and any electronics are prone to overheating and dust.
So, the following steps will help reduce the risk of laptop failure:
Clean your monitor often.
Dust, dirt, stains, and fingerprints can ruin your laptop’s screen. They can prevent you from enjoying full performance. So, consider wiping your trackpad with a lint-free cloth, which is a microfiber type.
Furthermore, you should not press the monitor too hard. Use gentle and small circular motions to wipe down your monitor.
Try compressed air cans to clean the keyboard.
Dust your laptop keyboard once a week to keep up with the laptop maintenance routine you follow. So, cleaning your keyboard will reduce health risks. It will also benefit your laptop.
For best results, use a compressed air canister. It will blow out dirt and debris from the keycaps and surface. Otherwise, you can use a slightly damp, lint-free cloth. Ensure that the cloth shouldn’t be soaked in water. Also, you can clean the trackpad with a lint-free microfiber cloth.
Reboot or Power Off Your Laptop Often
Keeping your laptop powered on 24/7 can harm your device. So, remember to power off your laptop when it’s not in use. Otherwise, you can reboot your device at least once a day and enable sleep mode when you’re not using the machine.
3. Protect Your Machine from Malware and Other Threats
The laptop repair shop in Dubai worries about the rise in malware attacks on PCs and other devices. Your laptop might crumble down after facing a malware or virus attack and give up important data.
Let’s review some steps to keep your laptop secure from online threats:
Install antivirus software and update it.
A good antivirus can shield your laptop from viruses and malware. Install antivirus software on your computer. Also, run a weekly scan to remove any risks.
Moreover, don’t forget to update antivirus software. These updates bring new software features, including improvements. Better yet, switch to automatic updates. It will keep you safe, even if you forget to update the app.
Complete firmware and signature updates.
Firmware is the component that bridges the gap between the hardware and software. Often, firmware updates pop up in major computer OS updates, and you must complete them. This will keep your laptop ready to defend against cyberattacks.
Additionally, signature updates are important to keep antivirus software up to date. Many applications support such signature updates. So, look out for them and update them every week.
Update your passwords.
Hackers try to sneak into your laptop by guessing or cracking your login credentials. They usually use spam emails and other methods to get your information.
Make sure that you include password updates in your laptop maintenance regime. Experts recommend changing passwords once a month. However, such frequent changes might be uncomfortable for new users. Hence, you should consider updating your laptop passwords once every three months.
4. Take care of the hard drive
Laptops get slower with age, and this happens because more and more files take up space on the hard drive. Old junk files and unused programs can stress your laptop’s hard drive. A failing hard drive can be as deadly as losing access to your data.
So, here are some proven techniques that can keep your hard drive in good shape:
Delete unwanted files and empty the Recycle Bin.
Look for useless applications and old files that you won’t need anymore. Then, delete them one by one. You can go to the Recycle Bin or Trash application to erase them permanently from the system.
Defragment your laptop’s hard drive.
The hard drive of your laptop doesn’t store files in a continuous sequence. It breaks a file into smaller parts. It saves them in a way that hides their presence. Now, the process might be a hiccup for convenient file access.
That’s why the laptop repair shop near me recommends a monthly defrag of the hard drive. Defragmenting a hard drive helps a computer. It reorganizes the data on it and speeds up file access. But, if you can’t find the defragment option, seek expert help.
Execute disk cleanup.
Deleting big attachments and temporary files can be a headache. As part of laptop maintenance, you can run a disk cleanup to free up some disk space on the hard drive. So, use dedicated system tools and commands to run disk cleanup often.
Install operating system updates.
Windows PCs and MacBooks get major updates to their operating systems. They improve security and performance. So, ensure that you check for such major updates monthly. These major OS updates fix security holes and remove unused features.
Check the startup mechanism of your laptop.
Does your laptop feel slower whenever you boot it up? You should check out the startup process of your machine, as it may be beneficial. Too many applications at startup may slow down your laptop. Hence, access the system settings on your computer and make essential changes.
Back up your drive data.
Backing up your laptop data or important files is a safe way to keep them safe even if a disaster happens. Now, you can use an external drive or cloud storage to store your files or back up your hard drive. Thus, you will be able to safeguard your files if the system crashes or the hard drive fails. The Laptop Maintenance Shop in Dubai suggests a weekly backup of the drive.
5. Learn to Manage Your Files
A cluttered desktop area may seem to be a nuisance to your productivity. Scattered files throughout your laptop may create a daunting feeling. Do you have an excessive amount of main folders, and are they quite confusing? If yes, go through the following guidelines to narrow down your laptop storage.
It’s easy to navigate folder divisions. Here’s how to make file management a breeze:
Create main folders and small subfolders.
Keeping track of your data can be simple if you use this hierarchy. To begin with, create large main folders dedicated to a specific project. After that, you can create small subfolders to keep your operation even smoother.
You can access files without difficulty if you sort them by content, type, or function. In fact, you can omit the use of a search button.
Name files conveniently.
Saving any downloaded image as ‘image 1’ or so will create confusion. As a result, it will take you ages to land on the image or file you’re looking for. Instead, you can keep your file access simple and hassle-free if you use the Save As option.
Hence, you can name your files at your convenience. Please think of a good name for a specific file, like an image, video, or document. Using clear names for your files will help you find them on the hard drive.
Clear the desktop screen.
Too many files on the desktop screen of your computer may be frustrating. Hence, keep only essential files and applications on the laptop’s startup screen. Moreover, you can move similar files or subfolders into a main folder to reduce the clutter.
What’s more?
Upgrading the hardware can be beneficial in most laptop maintenance cases. For example, you can get an SSD or RAM upgrade or install a larger hard drive from a laptop maintenance shop near me. So, a battery replacement might be necessary after 2 to 3 years.
Also, you can use a protective bag or sleeve to carry your laptop while traveling. Make sure you never leave your laptop in a car. Reduce the risk of accessories or power cords pulling the device off. Lastly, pay close attention to how you close the laptop lid to protect the screen.