It is important that you take good care of your laptop to keep it working well. Following these easy steps will ensure that your laptop lasts longer and requires less maintenance. Many of the steps will also maintain your laptop’s speed. It is also useful to do a check of the laptop once in a while so as to remove any errors or problems which might have crept in during the routine usage.

  1. As tempting as it might be to drink coffee, soda, water or any other liquid near your laptop, accidents can happen all too easily. Alternatively, use a cup with a cover on it, so even if it does spill, the liquid doesn’t go anywhere. Spilled liquids may damage the internal microelectronic components or cause electrical damage. Short circuits can corrupt data or even permanently destroy some parts of the laptop. The solution is very simple: Keep your drinks away from your computer. Even if you are careful, someone else might spill your drink.
  2. Even if you know what you download, it could still contain a virus. If you choose not to have antivirus software you run the risk of a circuit error or software problem in your system. The virus may also slow down the system operations and performance of your laptop.
  3. Don’t eat food over your laptop, the crumbs can fall between the keys and provide an invitation to small bugs or damage the circuitry. Worse yet, the laptop will look dirty if there are crumbs on it. Sometime damage your laptop.
  4. Clean hands make it easier to use your laptop touchpad and there will be less risk of leaving dirt and other stains on the computer. In addition, if you clean your hands before you use the laptop, you will reduce wear and tear on the coating caused by contact with sweat and small particles that can act upon the laptop’s exterior.
  5. When you shut your laptop, make sure there are no small items, such as a pencil or small ear-phones, on the keyboard. These can damage the display screen if the laptop is shut on them; the screen will scratch if the item is rough. Close the lid gently and holding it in the middle. Closing the lid using only one side causes pressure on that hinge, and over time can cause it to bend and snap.
  6. If you lift it by the screen alone, you could damage the display or the hinges attaching the display to the base. The display is also easily scratched or damaged by direct pressure – avoid placing pressure on it.
  7. Tugging your power cord out from the power socket rather than pulling directly on the plug can cause the cord to break off from the plug or damage the power socket. Also, if the power cord is near your feet, avoid kicking it accidentally; in fact, it is best to refrain from bumping into the plug at all because you could loosen it and eventually break it.
  8. Always look at the symbols on the laptop carefully before inserting devices. Jamming a phone line into an Ethernet port or vice versa could damage the sockets, making it impossible to use them again. It is very important to observe this step.
  9. CD drives that have been removed from your laptop could easily be crushed or dropped; do not be careless. If you are not putting them back into the laptop, put them straight into a storage box or case for safekeeping.
  10. CDs, DVDs, should not have any loose labels that may jam inside the laptop. Never insert undersized CDs, as these can damage the disk player permanently.
  11. When bringing your laptop indoors during winter, don’t turn it on immediately. Instead, let it warm to room temperature first. This will avoid any potential for damage to the disk drive from condensation forming inside the machine.
  12. Get this done by a computer professional, or do it yourself if you can. If dust accumulates, the system will not be able to cool itself correctly. Heat can destroy the motherboard.
  13. Avoid placing heavy materials, such as books, on top of your laptop.This can push the LCD screen into the keyboard, and will eventually damage it. Also, the CD-ROM insert will be squished and, eventually, will break and damage your laptop.
  14. Whatever you use to carry your laptop around, be it a case, a bag, or something you made yourself, make sure that it is large enough to hold the laptop. This will help avoid scratching, squeezing or potentially dropping it.
  15. When you are using your laptop, do so in a place that has a constant air-circulation. Lots of people ruin their laptops by using them in enclosed areas and thus cause the laptop to overheat.
  16. Use toothbrush to clean the area around the exhaust fan screen. If that gets plugged up, air flow is diminished and overheating can occur it.
  17. Try to keep the laptop on a flat, clean surface area; this prevents damage to the laptop. This can be hard to do, particularly if you are outside with your laptop, but if there is a flat surface available then put your laptop on it.
  18. Repeated use of a laptop on the bed will cause the fans to suck up the dust and debris in the bed, ultimately blocking the fan.
  19. Always check that your laptop does not have too much of software and bloat-wares running around as they keep eating the precious memory which is required for playing games or doing other high-end tasks.
  20. Make sure that while downloading stuff from the web you do not download unwanted installers which are usually created to install unwanted software’s which are provided as freeware for providing the file which you require.
  21. Keep your laptop under constant surveillance from the unnecessary programs installed during various activities.
  22. If possible do a clean install of the operating system you use once every 2 to 3 years.This will really help the laptop to start from the scratch and maintain everything in a very organized and effective manner.
  23. Do not try to run large or unsupported multimedia files over your laptop if your laptop does not meet the specifications as it usually damages the laptop in the long run.
  24. It is also better if you head over to the local store and check for a complete maintenance check to solve any errors which keep troubling you.
  25. Take care that if you use a laptop not to use it in places full of dust flying around as it may block the heat escape routes over a period of time and thereby make your laptop much hot faster than usual.