The Latest Laptop Maintenance Tips That You Should Embrace Right Away

Did you know, the global laptop market size is predicted to hit the $7.52 billion mark by 2024?

Congratulations on getting the brand new laptop that you?ve wished for all year round. There are a few maintenance tips you should leverage to ensure your laptop serve you over a long stretch of time. With proper maintenance, the laptop can serve you well without being sluggish or crashing at some point.

Read along to get the latest laptop maintenance tips that you should embrace right away.

Update the Operating System

To maintain the stable performance of your laptop, you should update the operating system once in a while. It doesn?t matter if you are using Linux, Mac, or windows; all operating systems have new updates to improve their performance. Updating your OS seals penetration holes that may make the computer vulnerable to malware attacks.

If you witness some malfunction when using your laptop, you need to update it to remove such bugs. More so, updating your system enables you to leverage new and latest features released by your OS vendor. Updating your laptop is a step towards eliminating system crashes that cause your machine to malfunction.

Don’t skip over that windows update notification whenever you see it; it?s crucial to ensure your laptop performance is optimum. They update your system drivers to increase their compatibility with the programs you have. Check once in a while if you have new updates, or set your laptop to update when new updates get released.

Ensure the Antivirus Is On

In 2018, over 812.67 million malware cases were reported, with about 92% orchestrated through emails. Malware refers to malicious software written by a hacker to explore and steal whatever information they want from a target. Thus, it?s important to have antivirus software running on your computer to protect it against malicious files.

If you?re a frequent web user, you can?t risk not having antivirus software installed on your laptop or having the default one turned on. Set your laptop to conduct weekly, if not on a daily basis, scans to ensure there are no malicious files hidden somewhere in the system. It?s better to be on the safer side than to be sorry and end up losing confidential data to hackers.

Most cyber-attacks are financially motivated; hence you may get your data encrypted. Once it?s encrypted, the hackers will demand a huge ransom to release your data. You thus need to remember you risk losing your data to such kinds of hackers if you can’t raise the money they demand.

The first line of defense to prevent the above threats is to have an antivirus up and running on your laptop. A virus could disrupt your internet connection, the speed of your laptop, or even crash your computer. More so, don?t download files from the internet without scanning them first.

Hard Drive Management

Whether you use your laptop for work or leisure purposes, I?m sure you have a lot of junk files floating around with no particular use. This can include old songs that you felt were bangers and you kept in a folder since you didn?t have apple music or Spotify. It?s time to clear up and clean such files to create more space for other important and pressing things on your laptop.

Be careful when deleting files on your laptop to ensure you don?t delete important files that make the computer run. Deleting such critical files will prevent your laptop from starting, and you?ll need to reboot and install the OS once again. Ensure you’re deleting files you won’t need later or consider backing up in an external drive if you want to create more space on your laptop.

When your laptop storage is full, it takes the laptop longer to start and slows its performance. However, that should no longer be the case if you delete unnecessary files from time to time. Start with the download folder; you?ll find random stuff you downloaded from the internet and no longer need.

Clean Your Screen and Peripherals

Neglecting to clean your screen and peripherals such as the keyboard can degrade the aesthetic look of your laptop. More so, it might spell a disaster in the future, causing the laptop to slow down or the keyboard keys to malfunction.

You can imagine the amount of dust and food crumbs that make their way on your screen and the keyboard. The worst-case scenario is having not cleaned all that dirt and grime for an extended period of time. The sensitive components of your laptop will eventually get damaged or stop functioning at some point.

It?s recommended to use a moisturized screen wipe to clean your laptop?s screen and the body shell. The moisture is in the right quantity to ensure your screen won?t get damaged in the process of cleaning it. After the cleaning, you?ll notice your screen has regained the clarity it had when it was a brand new laptop.

Use an air compressor to remove dirt and crumbs on your keyboard since some might hide beneath the keyboard keys. The pressure will pull the dirt and crumbs out then you can go ahead and clean the surface.

How to Maintain Your Battery

Your laptop?s battery will at one point deteriorate, but there are a few tips you can leverage to extend its lifespan. Charging your laptop for a prolonged period can kill the battery faster due to how lithium-powered batteries work. Each lithium-polymer cell should hold a certain voltage of charge, and when you charge for a longer period, the cells become stressed.

Experts recommend charging the battery to 80 percent then using it until it drains to 40 percent. Doing this can extend the lifespan of your battery to at least four times. Create a system to remember to unplug your charge once the battery reaches 80 percent, then plugin at 40 percent.

Heat accelerates the rate at which your battery degrades, thus ensuring you keep it off areas with extreme heat. The extreme heat makes the cells expand and have bubbles, which results in a damaged battery. Ensure you keep your laptop on a flat surface to avoid blocking the fans and air from circulating.

Back-up Your Data

Have backup storage for your data to eliminate data loss in the event your laptop crashes. You can decide to either backup the data in an external drive or in the cloud, which is safer in terms of the data getting lost. However, the beauty of backing up in an external drive is that it?s safe from ransomware or malware attacks.

There are tons of cloud services you can choose from; Google Drive, Dropbox, and OneDrive. Most cloud storage service providers offer free storage up to a certain gigabyte, where you can pay to get more space. For the cloud storage services, you will need to pay on a monthly or yearly basis.

The good thing about cloud storage is that it automatically backs up your data in the cloud by syncing your file folders. You won’t have to back up your files from time to time since the process is automated. The synchronization can go to the extent where the online version will also be deleted when you delete a folder on your laptop.

Have a Laptop Bag

You should start looking for a bag with shock absorbers, especially if you buy a Lenovo laptop which is a highly portable laptop. The bag should have good handles that will accommodate the weight of your laptop and charger.

Also, consider the bag?s padding since they play a critical role in absorbing shock when the laptop falls. If you want a backpack, consider one with two compartments to keep the laptop separate from other things.

Clean Your Ports

The ports on your laptop are deemed to get clogged with dust after using it for an extended period of time. Different types of laptops have varying types of ports, each with a different shape and size. Declogging the ports can be challenging; hence you need to use air compressors.

Enhance Your Laptop?s Life by Learning These Laptop Maintenance Tips

If you own a laptop or you?re about to buy a new one, the above pointers will come in handy to help you maintain it. Follow the above laptop maintenance tips to ensure it serves you for a longer period.

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