Taking care of your laptop
THE e-learning juggernaut sweeping across our education system demands that every student from kindergarten to tertiary level should have a laptop. Excitement is bound to engross learners and teachers alike as they embrace this new versatile learning aid. On the flipside tears and financial losses are going to be accrued along the way if the fragile gadget is not taken care of properly.
Little habits can cost a fortune. Practice good computer hygiene. Keep food away from your laptop. Do not eat over your laptop, the crumbs can fall between the keys and provide an invitation to small bugs or damage the circuitry. Crumbs cause keys to stick. Worse still, the laptop will look dirty. Ideally keep the computer in a clean and dust free room.
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.
Protect the LCD display monitor. 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.
Hold and lift the computer by its base, not by its the screen. If you lift it by the screen alone, you can damage the display or the hinges attaching the display to the base. The display is also easily scratched or damaged by direct pressure.
Be sure to plug accessory devices into their proper slots. 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. Insert drives into their slots carefully and at the correct angle. Pushing the drive too forcefully into its slot could jam it. Shaking after inserting is not advisable either. USB ports are the most vulnerable.
The laptop battery is one component that need special attention or else your laptop will turn into a fridge soon. You may have heard old tips about charging your battery to only 80 percent, and not leaving it on the charger all the time, but most of that advice is outdated and applies to older nickel metal hydride batteries but not the lithium ion and lithium-polymer batteries used today.
While modern laptop batteries do not require you to be as conscientious about how and when you charge your battery, you should occasionally take the opportunity to let the battery drain completely through normal use. When gaming or watching a movie at home you can spare your battery by removing it and connecting your machine directly to power.
There are several tricks for extending your laptop’s battery life—whether it’s dimming the screen or switching off Wi-Fi. Do not charge the laptop whilst using it. When battery reflect that it is fully charged remove the battery and use your laptop directly connected to power.
Having anti-virus software available is the best defence against viruses. Scan all external devices like hard drive and flash as soon as you plug them. The internet is also a haven of problems. Even if you know what you download, it could still contain a virus. If you choose not to have anti-virus 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.
Shepherd Chimururi (Executive Director – Dzidzo Inhaka Audio Visual Learning) Mobile:+263 772 608 276 dzidzoinhaka@gmail.com www.dzidzoinhaka.co.zw.