Category: <span>Laptop</span>

Disable Unnecessary Hardware

Every piece of hardware leeches power from your battery, so disable anything you don’t immediately need. External devices, such as flash drives, SD cards and an external keyboard or mouse, can simply be unplugged. Windows® 8.1’s PC Settings offers an Airplane Mode to disable integrated wireless and Bluetooth adapters and enables you to turn off your camera. Device Manager optionally disables hardware that’s not customizable through PC Settings.

Disable Unnecessary Programs

Every running program makes your power-hungry CPU and RAM work a little harder, so when you need extra juice, don’t multitask. Close unnecessary windows or end unused processes in the Task Manager.

Optimize Your Screen

That big, bright LCD screen hogs most of your battery power, so reduce its consumption wherever possible by dimming the display. You can also lower the screen resolution to reduce the strain on your graphics adapter.

Use the Power Saver Profile

Selecting Power Options’ Power Saver profile turns off the screen and puts the computer to sleep after a short period of inactivity. However, manually choosing the Hibernate option avoids the waste of inactivity and conserves more power than sleeping. The option to hibernate when you press the Power button is available in Power Options.

Optimize Your Battery

Power efficiency assumes battery efficiency, so keep your lithium-ion battery in optimal condition by regularly topping off the charge and avoiding a complete discharge. Clean the contacts with rubbing alcohol every few weeks to ensure a solid connection with your laptop.

Other Tweaks

Consider upgrading to a solid state drive that uses less power than traditional mechanical drives. However, avoid adding more RAM unless you anticipate running memory-hungry programs that max out your current RAM and force less efficient virtual memory use.

1. Don’t get too attached.

When you plug your laptop in for the first time, you should make sure to fully charge it once to calibrate it. But after that, aim to keep it between 40 and 80 percent. Apple’s customer care says you should do this to “keep the electrons in it moving occasionally.” Wired has a better explanation of whyhere. But the bottom line is, doing this can help prolong your battery life by as much as four times.

I know that’s easier said than done. Just remember to keep an eye on your battery percentage (usually shown in a corner of your screen) throughout the day. If you leave your laptop at home, then shut it down, close it and keep it unplugged on a desk, not a couch.

You should also fully charge and discharge your computer’s battery at least once a month. Set a reminder on your phone or something. You forked over what I assume to be a ton of money for this thing, so paying attention to it once a month shouldn’t be a problem.

2. Stay cool.

Most modern laptops are made with lithium-based batteries, which should be stored in temperatures between 50 and 95 degrees Fahrenheit. You might not always be able to keep tabs on that sweet spot, so to make things a bit simpler, room temperature is fine.

That being said, there are a few ways you can make sure your laptop isn’t constantly having menopausal hot flashes. You should start by minding its air vents. Most MacBook vents are located on the back of the laptop, near the top of the computer. Whenever you prop your laptop up on your bed, couch or lap, you’re likely blocking the airflow. This, in turn, causes the computer to overheat. And overheating will screw up your battery life.

That’s not to say you should be completely paranoid about keeping it on flat, cool surfaces all the time. But maybe consider moving it to a desk before you fall asleep or head to work.

3. Update, update, update.

Most companies are constantly looking for ways to improve battery life via software updates. In fact, it was one of the main things Apple touted in its OS X Mavericks release last year. You may fear change, but change can extend your battery life. So make sure you have the latest software installed on your computer.

4. Don’t just leave it there.

Maybe you’re in trouble with the law and need to disappear for six months. We understand how these things go. But that doesn’t mean you’re off the hook for correctly storing your computer. You should store it with a 50 percent charge in a consistently cool area. Storing the computer with a fully discharged battery might ruin the battery forever. And storing it with an absolutely full charge might cut the battery’s lifespan short.

Once you nail down the problem the next step is determining if your laptop is worth repairing or if you should just replace it altogether. In order to make that call, you need to ask yourself a few questions. What’s the cost of a new laptop? How old is your current laptop? How bad is the problem? Are you still under warranty? Can your warranty be extended?

How much are the repairs?
A general rule of thumb is if the total repair costs equal more than one-third the cost of a new laptop then don’t repair. Consumer Reports say that if the repair cost is over half the cost of a new laptop then don’t repair. However, another way to look at it is to determine how different a new laptop would be compared to your current one. Does the new one you are looking to get have at least two important features that your current laptop does not? Is the new one lighter, have a better processor, better battery, more RAM, etc…?

How old is your current laptop?
If your laptop is 5+ years old then chances are repairing it isn’t worth it. If your laptop is in the 3 to 4-year range then you could go either way. This is where checking the features can help. Anything under 2 years old is a pretty good candidate for repairs.

How bad is the problem? 
If something like your main logic board is busted then repairing might not be feasible. Did the hard drive fail? If so, then you can probably get that repaired for a couple hundred dollars. Nailing down precisely what the problem is will be the best way to determine how much money you will need to spend repairing your laptop and if those repairs are worth it.

Is your laptop still under warranty?
If so then repairs should be covered depending on what they are. If your laptop is not under warranty then you should look into extending it. Some manufacturers have actually been known to extend warranties for free if it is recently expired. Other manufacturers offer the option of extending a warranty for a small fee while some credit card companies automatically double or extend a manufacturer’s warranty. This means that you may already be covered without actually knowing it. Definitely don’t spend any money on repairs until you are 100% sure that your laptop is no longer under any type of warranty.

What is the shops warranty on repairs? 
Any respectable shop should offer at least a 90-day warranty on their repairs, which means they will fix your laptop again, if necessary, during that 90-day period. If 90 days seems too short, you may be able to negotiate for a longer warranty.

How long will it take to repair your laptop? 
Some repairs take longer than others. Some shops may not be able to get your laptop fixed and returned to you in less than a week. Are you able to be without your laptop for a week or more? Can you find a replacement laptop for the time when yours is out of commission?

How are the online reviews?
Checking online reviews is the best way to validate a company. You do it for restaurants, movies, and any other thing you are looking to do so why not do it for your laptop repair shop?

Will they make a backup of your hard drive?
A lot of shops will do this without even asking, or they may perform a backup for an additional cost. However, the best thing for you to do is to backup your hard drive on your own before you take your laptop in if that’s a possibility.

Is the shop secure?
Unfortunately, some small computer repair shops are targeted by criminals. Thieves will break into these stores, knowing that there is a possibility that there are multiple computers in there ripe for the taking.

What happens if someone steals my laptop?
 I’m not entirely sure there’s a concrete answer to this question. Each shop is different. You should definitely ask the manager or owner of the shop you’re taking your laptop to though you may not get a straight answer

Everybody wants their laptops to work at peak performance all the time, but that’s not going to happen if you don’t take proper care of your laptop. There are a million ways your laptop’s performance can go downhill and you can’t take care of all of them.

Basic Laptop Maintanence and tips

• Keep your laptop clean
• Regularlu clean the hardware parts of your laptop
• Keep the operating System snappy
• Run regular operating Systems and updates
• Upgrade the laptop Hardware
• Perform Disk clean up
• Optimize your Hardware
• Checking the battery power regularly
• Use System restore
• Keep your battery clean
• Clean the Laptop regularly beware of dust
• Shutting it properly
• Shut your laptop down before cleaning it. Turn it off completely and only then start the process of cleaning your laptop. Don’t just make sure your laptop is unplugged; also remove its battery.
• Hold the laptop upside down and tap its back; you will find a lot of dirt that will come out of the crevices of the keyboard.
• Take a can of compressed air/blower/vacuum cleaner and point it at the keyboard to start cleaning it. More dirt and dust will come out of your keyboard. After that use a soft brush to remove this dust.
• Increase the battery life by switch it off When not in use
• Clean the screen using LCD Cleaner
• Safely using your laptop will help ensure that your laptop works properly and you don’t get hurt. Improper use or not being aware of safety issues can cause your laptop irreparable damage. These safety tips should be added to your weekly laptop maintenance routine and will help you stay productive and safe no matter