Fuzzy Logic

This is a basic guide on how best to care for your laptop and also get the most out of it:

GENERAL USE

• Laptops shouldn’t be bumped or moved while they’re switched on. The typical computer hard drive is like a vinyl record – movement greatly increases the chance of causing damage.  Putting a solid-state drive (SSD) into your PC avoids this issue and adds a bit of speed, but at the expense of storage capacity and price.
• Don’t use the laptop on a bed, on your lap, on carpet or on other soft surfaces.  Use a hard, flat surface.  Most laptops have air intake vents on their underside and feet to elevate the laptop, allowing for cool air to flow under the laptop.  Using a soft surface can restrict airflow to your laptop, causing it to overheat.  It’s just as important to allow room for the exhaust outlets at the back or side of the machine.    Keep the laptop away from heat sources.  You should also periodically check the fans and vents for fluff/dust buildup and make sure the feet haven’t fallen off.  If the laptop does seem to be running hot, take it to a computer technician so that they can clean the cooling system properly.
• Don’t push the laptop up against the wall.  The power connector on most laptops is at the back of the unit, meaning that it’s easy to damage when pushed against a wall.  In many cases, the power socket is built onto the motherboard, so damaging that may require a motherboard replacement.  Not cheap.
• Keep the computer away from magnetic fields.  Speakers, TV’s, refrigerators and even alarm clocks can all generate strong magnetic fields.  Hard drives are magnetic storage devices, meaning that a strong enough magnet can wipe the drive, taking any valuable data with it.
• Laptops and liquids don’t mix.  Coffee, water, wine, beer and vomit have all been known to kill laptops.  If you’re having a party, leave the laptop somewhere safe.
• Laptop screens are fragile and expensive.  Close the lid gently.  Avoid touching the screen and don’t put heavy objects on it (eg. books).  Use soft cleaning agents and soft cloth.  I recommend using a proper computer screen cleaning agent and a cloth for cleaning spectacles with.  These should be available at your local electronics shop and optometrists, respectively.
• Laptop keyboards are less durable than normal keyboards.  They’re also more expensive to replace.  Try to keep it clean and avoid being rough with it.  If you have small kids, it might be an idea to get a USB keyboard for them to use.
• Use a surge protector.  Desktop computer power supplies are designed to bear the brunt of dangerous power fluctuations (you should still use a surge protector on them). Laptop power adaptors don’t have that luxury.  A decent surge can cause costly damage but surge protectors are cheap.  They can also protect against surges through the phone line (if you’re using the dial-up modem).

BATTERY PRESERVATION

• Remove the battery if you mainly use the AC power.  Lithium Ion (Li-Ion) batteries suffer damage from overcharging, so if you’re using AC power and the battery is left in for long periods (after it is fully charged), the total charge capacity will significantly reduce.   It’s less hassle to remove the battery in this case than it is to be constantly dependent on AC power because the battery is dead.
• Never fully discharge the battery.  You should always charge it before it gets below about 10%.  Multi-cell Li-Ion batteries can be particularly susceptible to this if they have one or two cells that are smaller than the others.  Unlike most other batteries, it is better to charge Li-Ion batteries sooner rather than later.
• Store the battery with 40-60% charge if you don’t use it for long periods of time.  Keep it in a cool, dry place and away from extreme temperatures.  It will lose up to 5% charge each month, so it’s good to get into the habit of checking the battery on a regular basis.
• Consider buying a spare battery.  Apart from distributing the wear and tear between batteries, this is especially handy if you like using your laptop on planes, in airports and other places where you might not always have access to power points.  If you’ve got a wireless mouse, it’s also a good idea to keep a spare set of batteries for that too.
• Minimise the number of programs running when you’re on battery power.  If you have less programs running, the laptop will do less work, therefore consuming less power.

TRAVELLING

• Turn the laptop off when transporting it.  When hard drives are switched off, the heads are locked for safe transport.  When the drive is still receiving power, the heads are still unlocked, meaning that the heads can be bumped into the platter, causing physical damage to the hard drive and data loss.
• Use a laptop bag.  These are designed specifically to protecting your laptop from impact during transit.  A bag made particularly for your size laptop optimises protection by limiting the amount of movement inside the bag – a bit like the way a car seatbelt works.  Bags that aren’t easily identified as notebook bags help reduce the risk of theft.  Caribee and Crumpler both have a range of high quality and inconspicuous notebook bags.
• Check your AC adaptor if you’re travelling overseas.  Almost all laptops use a “Switching Power Supply” that should state on the label that it’s Input Voltage range is between 100V and 240V, meaning that you can use anywhere in the world.  You should also confirm that your surge protector has the same Input Voltage range.
• Laptop bags can get heavy.  If you’re going on a long trip or on a flight, leave some accessories at home or put them in your suitcase.  This lightens the load on your shoulders and also helps to ensure that you won’t tip the weight limit for cabin baggage.
• Caravan and motor home owners – you guys can turn your laptop into a multifunctional entertainment system.  TV, DVD’s, Internet, etc.  Read the Accessory Tips for more info on this.

PERFORMANCE TIPS

• Performance options can usually be found either in BIOS or in Control Panel (Power Options).  Usually there are options to optimise the system for best battery life or for best performance.  The default option is typically somewhere in between.
• Turn off unused hardware features to maximise battery life.  If you’re not using them all the time, turn off Wireless LAN, Bluetooth, Speakers, Infrared, FireWire, Screen brightness, etc.  You can always enable them when you want to use them.
• Add more RAM.  One of the biggest causes of poor computer performance is lack of RAM.  These days RAM is cheap, so if you’ve got less than 1GB RAM on a Windows XP system or less than 2GB RAM on a Windows Vista system, take it to a technician and get them to upgrade the RAM.  Taking it to a technician rather than fitting it yourself is a good option because laptops can be fussy with RAM, plus there are also a couple of different types of RAM.  If the laptop rejects the RAM, the technician can remove or swap it on the spot, potentially saving you from a return trip.
• Put in a bigger hard drive.  If you’re running out of storage space or are dependent on external hard drives, you might like to consider putting in a larger hard drive.  Most laptops can handle large capacity hard drives.  The biggest consideration is whether your notebook’s hard drive interface is IDE or SATA (the two aren’t compatible with each other).  Hard drives can also come in different speeds, and as a generalisation, faster drives means less battery life.  Something to consider if you’re heavily dependent on the battery.

ACCESSORIES

• Portable mice can be much easier to use than touchpads and trackpoints (nipples).  Ideally, a cordless optical mouse with a power switch is the way to go.  If an optical mouse is left on while in transit, the battery will drain very quickly.  I strongly recommend the Logitech VX Nano.  It’s USB dongle is tiny, meaning it can be left plugged in permanently.  Cordless mice can also double as a handy remote control if you want to sit back and watch a DVD.
• Cordless Keyboard and Mouse Combos are handy if your laptop is almost always on the same desk.  Great for in the office or if you’re playing games.
• Digital TV Tuners are increasingly becoming a popular accessory for caravan owners.  High Definition DVB-T tuners can come as a card or as a USB dongle.   There are two different types of card technologies at the moment and they’re not compatible with each other.  Consult the manual or a technician to find out what sort of card slot your laptop has.  If you’re keen on using Windows Media Center, make sure that the tuner you buy has MCE or BDA drivers available.  If you’re looking to buy a laptop with TV in mind, some new laptops have inbuilt TV tuners.
• Internet anywhere.  Many countries have broad wireless broadband coverage.  You can sign up for an internet plan where they send you a USB or PC Card modem so you can use the internet on your laptop pretty much anywhere you like.  Beware – not all providers have good coverage and good bandwidth (internet speed).  Don’t let them fool you with statistics.  Coverage maps indicate what sort of bandwidth you can expect in different areas – most providers of wireless internet have them.  Study the coverage maps for the areas you’ll be travelling in; and if you plan on using global roaming, check which networks your provider uses overseas and check the coverage maps for that network too.   If you’re already using wireless internet and are not getting good reception, you might like to look at this site.
• Sound advice.  Motor home owners, gamers and audiophiles might enjoy having surround sound or just simply better quality sound from their notebook.  Creative and Turtle Beach both offer some good solutions for laptops. If you prefer using large headphones, you probably should invest in a pocket amplifier to power the headphones.  Chu-Moy amplifiers work well, they’re affordable (on eBay) or if you’re feeling adventurous you can make one yourself.

Tags: laptop, maintenance, notebook