In this article I want talk about two very simple practices that can double the lifespan of your shiny new laptop. Even if she’s old these practices still apply and can promise you the longevity of your machine. Lets step away from technology for a bit, and think about the summertime, oh how I wish it was warm right now, sitting on a patio, having a nice cold beverage. Okay, back to reality, it’s currently -5 in Toronto and the summer is far from here! Now, if it’s hot out and for instance, you’re sitting in traffic, with no AC, and its 30C. You start to feel groggy, and fatigue, weak, tired, etc, What is the first thing you can think about that would cool you down? Is it a cold beer? Juice, water, a nice COLD BREEZE maybe? You see, laptops and other electronics work in similar fashion. I know you’re thinking, why are we comparing humans to laptops, well because we created them and they suffer from the same elements we do, and this element is HEAT!
When a laptop is processing your information, browsing websites, playing music, games, applications, it generates heat. We all know this, unless you live in the Arctic, then this doesn’t apply to you. If the laptop can’t properly cool its components then things start to go wrong, things take longer to load, error MSGs might appear, the laptop might shut itself down to prevent damage, etc. Heat is the number one cause of most hardware failure in laptops and computers. With that out of the way we can get into our first simple practice to prolonging the life of your laptop:
- Use your laptop on a flat surface only
Why? Most laptop manufacturer design engineers haven’t figured out (Some have already) that most people use their laptops either in bed, or on the couch, on the carpet, you catch my drift. Using it on a surface other than something hard and flat will obstruct the cooling ports the fan uses to suck air into the laptop. If there isn’t a clean flow of air cooling the CPU and other components then the internal temperature will rise drastically causing long term damage. So try and use your laptop on a flat surface, if you’re in bed, use a long hard cover book. If you’re using it on your lap, try and position it so the air ports aren’t blocked.
Moving onto the second practice that will help extend the life of your laptop:
- A simple dusting with a can of compressed air
That is simple right? All you need to do is pick up a can of compressed air and every two months or so spray the ports and you will see all the lovely dust particles flying around everywhere. If you really want to keep things clean you can spray it every month. While you’re at it, spray the keyboard and get rid of all those cookie crumbs and other lovely late night snacks! This will also help to preserve your laptops cosmetics.
If you have an older laptop or new but in a high dust environment and notice that the heatsink is clogged completely, the only way to completely clean it out is if you take apart the laptop and spray the heatsink. If you’re not comfortable doing this you can leave it up to a professional technician to do a laptop repair service for you.
Now you have two simple practices that will help you to extend the life of your laptop computer. Please remember to like and share this article if you found it useful!