Your old laptop can last longer with these tricks

Laptops are pretty finicky beasts. They need to be cared for daily in order to last a long time.

There are a few things to keep in mind before buying a brand new laptop. There is a lot to be done to take care of your car every day and maximize its lifespan. It cannot prevent an accident, but as with our health, a healthy lifestyle allows you to increase the odds in your favor.

Hope for the best but prepare for the worst

Backing up data is often delayed, but the longer you keep your machine, the more important files and data you have on it. And before you start any operations on the device, make a backup copy. Tell yourself that if you don’t, the worst will happen to you. If you do this, nothing will happen to you.

Pamper him

It’s not about giving it a big hug before turning it off, it’s just about common sense.

• Do not leave it in direct sunlight.
• Keep it away from animals and children.
• Do not leave it on the edge of a table, desk, chair, etc.
• Don’t eat nearby.
• Wash your hands before use.
• If you don’t use it often, keep it away from dust.
• When it is turned on or in standby mode, do not cover it with a cloth or leave it in places without air circulation.
• Do not leave it on charge 24 hours a day, depending on the models and age of the car, this may not have any consequences, but from time to time using the battery you can find certain signs of weakness.
• Do not smoke nearby.

You should also check the AC adapter cord regularly. Often they are expensive to replace.

clean up

It can be easy to miss even the most basic maintenance, especially if you use your laptop every day. After a while, you stop seeing dirt. Take a minute to inspect important areas, keys, touchpad, vents, ports, screen.

Unless these things pose a big long-term risk, you don’t want dirt to build up to the point where you can’t remove it. It is especially important to keep the fan grille clean.

degrease it

From time to time, feel free to look at installed files, applications and other services that run at startup, etc. Get rid of what you don’t need. Will it allow you to keep your car longer? Probably not, but if you make it less hot daily, the internals will only work better. And you will see the difference in usage.

The most radical method is reinstalling the operating system. You can also simplify the installation while keeping your files (recovery mode on macOS or update or fresh start on Windows).

Accessorize it

Using accessories such as an external keyboard, mouse, or monitor also helps preserve internal components. And when this peripheral begins to suffer, the machine will remain in working order and it is not difficult to find a replacement for this peripheral.

If you frequently move from desk to desk, purchasing a docking station or hub is the best option for managing all your peripherals.

Update it

Hardware upgrades are often expensive, but some of them can be of great benefit. However, not all laptops can benefit from this. Memory, storage, battery, sometimes they cannot be replaced, but if your model allows it, use it. If you so desire, of course. And backup your data before you start.

You may also want to consider installing a newer version of the operating system if one is available. This often brings a lot of benefits in terms of performance, but also security. Beware, however, of compatibility with your favorite software.

Convert it

When you get to that point, you have nothing to lose by replacing the operating system with something completely different. If the computer boots and the keyboard works, chances are you can turn it into a Chromebook, a machine that runs Google Chrome OS. Always helpful!