Extend Laptop's Life With These Tips

Consumers who spend a lot of money on a laptop should want to make the computer last.

Rob Michaud of Geek Squad offered the following tips on how to properly handle a laptop:

1. Even though laptops often lead us away from our desks, laptops are not meant to be used on laps. Laptops should be allowed to breathe. Laptops have intake vents on the bottom of the computer. They're meant to be used on a hard surface, not a bed, couch or pillow. Blocking the vents or fans can cause the computer to overheat.(KOHJINSHA battery SQU-809-F01 )

2. Passing a laptop to someone else or walking around with it when it's running can cause damage. Laptops have a hard drive, which has moving parts. (AS01B41 AS10B41)

"While the laptop's on, (hard drive) platters are spinning and it's trying to read that. So, when you hand it to somebody, you can actually have that needle damage the platter or the needle gets damaged itself," Michaud said. ( SQU-808-F01 amilo li3910 battery )

3. If a laptop is running slowly or freezing up, it could be caused by users who installed more than one anti-virus program. Two programs do the same thing and end up fighting each other, canceling each other out.( fujitsu-siemens amilo li3710 battery )

"You may think more secure, great, fantastic," Michaud said. "(It's) not actually a good thing."

4. Let a laptop rest. Leaving a laptop running at all times diminishes the battery life.

5. Also, make sure to debunk the dust.

"Dust is really one of the big contributors to overheating, and that can cause the computer to shut down and damage the internal parts," Michaud said. "So, a simple cleaning you can do at home is simply take your compressed air (can) and squirt it into the intake."(HP MINI 311 battery)