Did you just spend $1000 on a high-end laptop and are now wondering how long it will really last? Or has your laptop slowed down, lacks space etc. forcing you into making a buying decision? Well, just hang on, we might just be able to save you tons of money.
How long your laptop will last and how it operates often comes down to how well you care for it. And to make sure you do it right, we’ve covered all the tips you’d ever need.
Keep the disk clutter free
Has your laptop’s startup time decreased? Or are you running short of space? If you haven’t cleaned up your disk in a while, it’s about time you did (believe me, you’d be surprised by the amount of space taken up junk). Here’s what you need to do.
- Backup every file rarely or never used on to an external disk
- Uninstall all unwanted programs
- Clear your old restore points
- Delete unwanted shortcuts etc.
- Remove cached files
Clearing up disk space won’t take up hours and neither needs to be done every day (so stop being lazy). Furthermore, it can even be done with the help of various cleanup programs which take no more than a couple of minutes for the task and do so with just the press of a button.
Clean it regularly
A laptop doesn’t just need cleaning on the inside but the outside as well. Getting rid of dust will prevent it from overheating and keeps the exhaust fans and ports functioning at their best.
Plus, a wipe of the screen daily will provide you with a crystal-clear display for years to come. And once every 6 months you can even have it cleaned on the inside or just DIY (it’s not as hard or complicated as you think).
Use Cooling Pads
If you’re using your laptop for gaming, graphics designing or even developing apps, it’s bound to heat up more often than not and may even automatically shutdown or reboot. The solution? Cooling pads.
These cooling pads for laptops can be really handy and allow for a more comfortable working experience too. With these, you can even use your laptop placed on your lap for hours without feeling the heat.
Plus, these pads also come with adjustable speed and make zero noise so you remain undisturbed. But the biggest benefit of using them is the boost in the system performance as the GPU and CPU function at their peak when cool.
Show love to your batteries
You don’t want to be running around looking for power points to keep your laptop on charge now, right? That’s why a battery with optimum health is important and for that, the first foremost thing is to not leave your laptop on charge the whole time.
Apart from that, the battery should only be charged once it is fully drained and do not unplug it in between charging.
Avoid Food and Drinks around it
Believe it or not, over half the laptops at the repair station end up there because of spilled drinks and food. But on the contrary, I think we’d all agree, if you don’t have a coffee cup next to your laptop are you really even working?
So, what do you do? A simple solution would be to sip your coffee or tea etc. from a mug with a lid. Plus, keep the sauces and dips at a safe distance so they don’t directly spill onto the laptop in case of a mishap.
Keep it up to date
We aren’t just talking about updating your everyday programs but also the OS and your antivirus. That’s because the aim of these updates is usually to shore up security and fix system bugs.
But yeah, updates take up time and may even disrupt you from working. That’s why I suggest you dedicate a day every month only to updates (will take up only a few hours at the most) rather than doing to it on a daily basis.
Defrag the Drive
Defragmenting your hard disk once every 2-3 months helps boosts up speed because it rearranges the fragmented data on the laptop which, in turn, helps the system read it quickly.
Your programs will not crash and your laptop won’t freeze as often as it did before either. And to make things easier, most clean up tools come with an option to defrag as well or you can simply use the default defrag on Windows.
Note: If you’ve got a latest high-end laptop that features an SSD, well, there’s good news, it doesn’t need defragmenting.
Few other factors to keep in mind
- Use a good antivirus and malware software and make sure they are regularly updated
- Keep the keypad and mouse area clean for smooth operation
- Always keep the firewall running to keep the files and OS protected from malware
- Shut down the laptop when it’s not in use to extend battery life and prevent overheating
- Lastly, format your laptop on a regular basis as it helps clean the junk
Conclusion
Like I told you in the beginning, your laptops longevity is in your hands. Don’t let thousands of dollars go down the drains because you were too lazy. Maintaining a laptop takes no more than 5-10 minutes on a daily basis so why leave it out?
