General Laptop care

Acerlyte · 3rd August 2004, 9:51 PM

Hope this is in the right area, if not i'm sorry ^_^

Anyway, I just recently purchased a new laptop and am having a ball with it. However I was wondering if there were any specific do's and don't's with them, and just general care tips as I would like to keep it in top shape for as long as possible. Don't really want to fork the cash out every 6 months for a new one, as that would be a rather expensive habit!

Cheers!

bees_man · 4th August 2004, 12:21 AM

get a good laptop bag if your gonna be transporting it a lot.

make sure the lcd is relatively clean all the time. dirt and junk can eat into the top layer...

and the usual, dont drop it on the ground...

SLATYE · 4th August 2004, 12:54 PM

Try not to move it too much while it's turned on. Laptop HDDs are better than desktop ones, but with bits inside then spinning around at 7200 RPM within a few micrometers of other parts, it's not hard to do some damage. I find that the suspend function is great - it only takes a few seconds to come out of suspend, but even my old laptop can stay in suspended mode for days at a time (on a battery which lasts ~3 minutes when the laptop is running at full speed).

kooliez · 4th August 2004, 2:04 PM

im a laptop technician amongst other things at a local secondary college, and id have to say

1. Hard disks dont like bumps nor do they like running when the machine is on angles...

2. when closing the lid, be sure to do it gently, LCD cracks are bad and expensive....

3. The DC sockets are prone to damage, be sure never to trip over the power cord while the laptop is plugged in, if the dc socket rips off the motherboard (this is common) the manafacturer will charge like a wounded bull to fix it...

If the last one happens to you, dont go to the manafacturer, bring it to geelong (assuming that your in Vic) and i'll fix it for ya for a 6 pack!

have a great time with the machine mate, i love em!

orbitor · 4th August 2004, 3:12 PM

don't wrench the lid open or closed. This can crack the plastic around the hinges over a period of time. Open and close your lappie slowly and with some care.

As others said, don't jump up and down while carrying a switched on laptop, you'll kill the hard drive.

Don't touch the screen if you don't have to. Don't spray any shit on it to clean it - use a tiny bit of water and a lint-free cloth, or get some proper monitor cleaning solution/wipes.

If you aren't going to use the laptop for long periods of time, leaving it at ~40% charge is best for battery life. 100% charge is ok, but will accelerate the battery's decay. 0% charge is BAD for laptop batteries - don't leave it at zero for too long.

Don't bash the keys (duh) or eat/drink over the keyboard (double duh).

Have fun

NiCH · 4th August 2004, 8:12 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by SLATYE
Laptop HDDs are better than desktop ones, but with bits inside then spinning around at 7200 RPM within a few micrometers of other parts, it's not hard to do some damage.

I didn't know laptop hard drives came in 7200rpm. I thought they were 4200/5400rpm.

SLATYE · 4th August 2004, 8:25 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by NiCH
I didn't know laptop hard drives came in 7200rpm. I thought they were 4200/5400rpm.

Hitachi's 7K60 is at 7200RPM already. Others will follow soon. I believe Seagate is doing 2.5" server drives, which will most likely end up at 10000 or 15000 RPM.

I've found that the screen hinges are especially vulnerable. On my laptop, there's a gap between the bottom of the screen and the main notebook, which allows cords to get caught. If that happens and you push the screen shut, you're very likely to crack the screen in a big way (90 degree bend in ~1cm won't do it good).

Acerlyte · 4th August 2004, 10:03 PM

Hey thanks guys! These are exactly the things I was looking for, and I figured here would be the best place to ask! I went a bought a good carry bag on purchase of the system, and spent a little extra for a good one too. Figure that it was worth spending a little more on the bag, after all the laptop wasn't exactly cheap

Great tips from ya all, and I will follow em to the letter however feel free to throw in anthing else!

Cheers!

stroggos2k · 5th August 2004, 8:41 AM

if you are going to carry it around make sure the bag has adequate padding, I've been using a laptop for school from year 8-12 and this is one of the most crucial points.

blue520 · 5th August 2004, 11:03 PM

Don't put books and similar things in between the keyboard and the screen, and carry half closed. I found out from experience that the book edge can act like a lever point and brake the hinges/screen back plate.

Also if you have got a cat don't leave the laptop open sitting on the table after use, as they can get nice and warm and cats like sleeping on warm things no mater how much it cost.

Jaff · 6th August 2004, 7:49 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by NiCH
I didn't know laptop hard drives came in 7200rpm. I thought they were 4200/5400rpm.

I know with the IBM machines, the majority of their models are only 4200 but some of their higher end machines are 7200. They have a neat feature on them called "Hard Drive Protection" (similar to that anyway) which basically detects sudden movement (such as falling) and will remove the head of the drive off the spindle to prevent scratching. You can adjust the sensitivity as well...

But yeah - don't point anything sharp at the screen either (pens etc) because you never know when someone may bump you.

Pretty much what everyone has said is right - but definetely a good padded bag is required

=cJ= · 6th August 2004, 7:09 PM

Try to not leave your laptop on a soft surface where the bottom air vents can get blocked (like cusions, beds etc...). I made this mistake and have a cooked sound card as a result, fortunately the laptop went into thermal overload pretty quickly though and no more damage was done...

ir0nhide · 6th August 2004, 8:02 PM

What is the best way to clean a laptop lcd?

dexter_dsg · 6th August 2004, 8:05 PM

When I use mine in bed I use a laptray..those things they have for eating in your lounge chair watching TV
and don't leave the power brick under a pillow or doona...

Angryant · 6th August 2004, 8:43 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by ir0nhide
What is the best way to clean a laptop lcd?

You can get the LCD wipes or I use a damo Chux cloth and wipe my screen gently. It does the job for me. Just make sure the cloth is damp and not too wet.

Acerlyte, what laptop did you get?

3rd August 2004, 9:51 PM	#1
Acerlyte Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Posts: 61	General Laptop care Hope this is in the right area, if not i'm sorry ^_^ Anyway, I just recently purchased a new laptop and am having a ball with it. However I was wondering if there were any specific do's and don't's with them, and just general care tips as I would like to keep it in top shape for as long as possible. Don't really want to fork the cash out every 6 months for a new one, as that would be a rather expensive habit! Cheers!

4th August 2004, 12:21 AM	#2
bees_man Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: 4074 Posts: 1,772	get a good laptop bag if your gonna be transporting it a lot. make sure the lcd is relatively clean all the time. dirt and junk can eat into the top layer... and the usual, dont drop it on the ground... __________________ aka. Flagger

4th August 2004, 12:54 PM	#3
SLATYE SLATYE, not SLAYTE Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Canberra Posts: 21,039	Try not to move it too much while it's turned on. Laptop HDDs are better than desktop ones, but with bits inside then spinning around at 7200 RPM within a few micrometers of other parts, it's not hard to do some damage. I find that the suspend function is great - it only takes a few seconds to come out of suspend, but even my old laptop can stay in suspended mode for days at a time (on a battery which lasts ~3 minutes when the laptop is running at full speed). __________________ Main system: Pentium-D 805 \| 1GB (2x 512MB) PQI DDR400 \| Gigabyte 8I865GMK-775 \| Xtreama Radeon 9800Pro with Zalman ZM-80HP-D \| 320GB WD SATA HDD \| Antec SmartPower 2.0 500w Laptop: Compal EL80 \| C2D T7200 \| 320GB Fujistu HDD \| 2GB DDR2-667 \| GF Go 7600

4th August 2004, 2:04 PM	#4
kooliez Member Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: N/Side Brisvegas w00t Posts: 1,019	im a laptop technician amongst other things at a local secondary college, and id have to say 1. Hard disks dont like bumps nor do they like running when the machine is on angles... 2. when closing the lid, be sure to do it gently, LCD cracks are bad and expensive.... 3. The DC sockets are prone to damage, be sure never to trip over the power cord while the laptop is plugged in, if the dc socket rips off the motherboard (this is common) the manafacturer will charge like a wounded bull to fix it... If the last one happens to you, dont go to the manafacturer, bring it to geelong (assuming that your in Vic) and i'll fix it for ya for a 6 pack! have a great time with the machine mate, i love em! __________________ Sucessful Trades: - Over $5100 worth of successful trades on OCAU THE GEAR Nikon D70s, SB800 Speedlight, Nikkor 18-35mm, Nikkor 28-80mm f/3.3~5.6, Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D, Sigma 170-500 f/5~f/6.3 APO. A l e x N i c h o l a s P h o t o g r a p h y

4th August 2004, 3:12 PM	#5
orbitor Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Brisbane, Rochedale South Posts: 6,376	don't wrench the lid open or closed. This can crack the plastic around the hinges over a period of time. Open and close your lappie slowly and with some care. As others said, don't jump up and down while carrying a switched on laptop, you'll kill the hard drive. Don't touch the screen if you don't have to. Don't spray any shit on it to clean it - use a tiny bit of water and a lint-free cloth, or get some proper monitor cleaning solution/wipes. If you aren't going to use the laptop for long periods of time, leaving it at ~40% charge is best for battery life. 100% charge is ok, but will accelerate the battery's decay. 0% charge is BAD for laptop batteries - don't leave it at zero for too long. Don't bash the keys (duh) or eat/drink over the keyboard (double duh). Have fun __________________ _{2008 Audi S3 - APR Stage 1 -- Street/Circuit Silvia Project}

4th August 2004, 10:03 PM	#8
Acerlyte Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Posts: 61	Hey thanks guys! These are exactly the things I was looking for, and I figured here would be the best place to ask! I went a bought a good carry bag on purchase of the system, and spent a little extra for a good one too. Figure that it was worth spending a little more on the bag, after all the laptop wasn't exactly cheap Great tips from ya all, and I will follow em to the letter however feel free to throw in anthing else! Cheers!

5th August 2004, 8:41 AM	#9
stroggos2k Member Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Rozelle, Sydney NSW Posts: 6,155	if you are going to carry it around make sure the bag has adequate padding, I've been using a laptop for school from year 8-12 and this is one of the most crucial points. __________________ Tune in to my radio show "Adam & The Stooges" from 8-10pm every Friday night on Sydney's 2RRR 88.5FM for obscure/classic/awesome rock, game, movie & tv reviews and random fun.

5th August 2004, 11:03 PM	#10
blue520 Member Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Adelaide Posts: 153	Don't put books and similar things in between the keyboard and the screen, and carry half closed. I found out from experience that the book edge can act like a lever point and brake the hinges/screen back plate. Also if you have got a cat don't leave the laptop open sitting on the table after use, as they can get nice and warm and cats like sleeping on warm things no mater how much it cost.

6th August 2004, 7:09 PM	#12
=cJ= Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Posts: 3	Heat buildup.. Try to not leave your laptop on a soft surface where the bottom air vents can get blocked (like cusions, beds etc...). I made this mistake and have a cooked sound card as a result, fortunately the laptop went into thermal overload pretty quickly though and no more damage was done... Last edited by =cJ=; 6th August 2004 at 7:10 PM.

6th August 2004, 8:02 PM	#13
ir0nhide Member Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Adelaide Posts: 1,790	What is the best way to clean a laptop lcd? __________________ gone mobile, yay!! Hot Flashing Group member #1

6th August 2004, 8:05 PM	#14
dexter_dsg Member Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: St. Martin's Village Posts: 893	When I use mine in bed I use a laptray..those things they have for eating in your lounge chair watching TV and don't leave the power brick under a pillow or doona... __________________ PC 0: MSI K8T Neo FIS2R \| A64 3200+ Newcastle \| 2x1024 Geil PC3200 3-4-4-8-2T \| Gainward 6600GT \| XP Pro PC 1: MSI K8N Neo Platinum \| A64 3700+ Clawhammer \| 2x512 KingMAX PC3200 2.5-4-4-8-2T \| XFX 6800GT \| XP Home PC 2: IBM ThinkPad T41 \| Intel P 1.6 M \| 1.5M PC2700 \| Radeon 9000 \| XP Pro One day the last star will die... and from then on it will be COLD and DARK....FOREVER (Actually a good time to OC - Ambient Temperature == ABSOLUTE ZERO) Last edited by dexter_dsg; 6th August 2004 at 8:05 PM.