Laptop care

This is a very summary detailing general care issues with your laptop, in no real order.

Backup

Always backup your data. There are 2 types of data storage, one that has failed, and one that will fail. Keep backups, they can be worth more than your computer.

Battery

If a laptop is permanently connected to the mains the batteries can become overcharged and may very soon store only a few minutes of power. The best way to extend the lifespan of the battery is to fully charge it then discharge it. To discharge it, just use it with the mains power disconnected until the laptop warns you about low power.

Power saving

We normally disable all power saving features while the laptop is connected to the mains. We frequently disable any sleep and hibernation functions because; sometimes the laptop does not wake up… Screen savers are normally disabled for the same reason. Switch off wireless if it is not needed, it will reduce battery life expectancy.

Transporting or moving

Avoid moving a laptop when it is switched on. Never lift a laptop by the screen. Only when the laptop is switched off, close the screen and disconnect everything connected to it. Transport and store your laptop out of sight, the boot of the car as opposed to the back seat etc… Only use CD/DVD’s when the laptop is on a solid surface and the laptop is stationary. Never store removable media in a laptop.

Insurance

Ensure that everywhere your laptop goes, it is insured. You may need to name it on your house and/or car insurance. Check in advance to be sure.

Lending

This is the most common way to lose a laptop; we strongly recommend you never ever lend it to anyone. If lending is a prerequisite, you should ensure they have red this document.

Warranty

Take a note of your warranty details and keep a copy of your invoice in a safe place. Warranties are carried out by the manufacturer and not us. It is important to note that malicious or deliberate or physical damage is not covered by warranty. A warranty will not cover the computer if it becomes infected by any form of virus or malware. Reconditioned laptops usually only have a 30 day warranty.

Switching the laptop on

The connector on the power supply should not be inserted or disconnected while the mains is connected (whether it switched on or off).

1 – Plug the power supply into the laptop.

2 – Plug the power supply mains lead into a mains socket.

3 – Switch on at the mains.

4 – Switch the laptop on.

A modern laptop may try to boot from a CD ROM, the network, or a USB device. Ensure that there are no CD ROMs or DVDs in the drive and ensure that there are no floppy disk drives in the floppy disk drive and ensure that there are no USB devices attached.

Avoid moving the laptop when the mains power is connected to it as this may cause arcing in the PSU connector. Most modern laptop PSU connectors are well protected against this form of accident.

Switching the laptop off

Do NOT switch the laptop off while it is doing an update. You must wait till the update has finished.

1 – Go to the start icon on the desktop and switch off the laptop that way. Try to avoid using the power switch to switch it off as this might just put the laptop to sleep instead.

2 – Once the laptop has completely powered down, switch it off at the mains.

3 – Disconnect the power supply from the mains.

4 – Disconnect the power supply from the laptop.

If the Laptop does not switch off using software, you can use the physical power switch instead. There are 2 techniques.

1 – Tap the power button and wait till the laptop switches off.

2 – If option 1 takes more than about 2 minutes, hold down the power button until all the lights switch off (usually about 10 seconds).

Make sure it is switched off before putting it into its bag. In extreme cases you may simply remove the power supply and the battery.

Adding an external display

The laptop will normally be supplied to use the internal display only. If the 2^nd display needs to be enabled, please follow the instructions in the manual. Ensure that your dual display works the way you want it, well in advance of using it.

USB Sockets and devices

Please take care to ensure that you insert the USB device the correct way round. It is possible to insert them the wrong way round – if great force is used. This usually damages the laptop beyond repair and this damage is not covered by warranty. Also – USB ports usually supply up to 0.5Amp to external devices. If you use a USB port hub or line extender, you may find that some of the attached USB devices could fail.

Touchpad problems

Many laptops will have a means to disable the touchpad. This is necessary in case the user has a mouse and wishes to use the space in front of the keypad as a wrist rest. A common problem is where a laptop user has accidently disabled the touchpad. On some laptops, there is a small light and a small dent on the top left of the touchpad. If you tap the dent twice, the light should change (from on/off, off/on or change colour) indicating that the touchpad is enabled or disabled.

Battery Meter

This gives a reasonable estimate of battery life. It is not accurate, and we would recommend taking precautions at around 25% of battery time left. There is a program in the Master folder called Batterymon which you can use to check the status of your laptop battery(s).

The power supply connector

We have had many laptops in for repair with either a faulty jack plug inside the laptop or faulty wiring at the jack plug end of the power supply end. The first thing is to make sure that when the power supply jack plug is attached to the laptop, there is plenty of space between it and anything it may come into contact with.

When packing the laptop away, make sure the power supply connector is disconnected. We have also had calls from laptop users claiming that the power supply is faulty when in fact the mains power lead was not inserted fully into the power supply.

Wireless networking

Wireless enabled laptops will not normally have a fixed IP, which allows them to work anywhere there is a Wi-Fi signal. Set up your wireless connection within 5 Meters of your wireless router receiver, making sure there is a line of sight between the computer and the wireless router. A normal wireless connection is good for 50 Meters line of sight and signal strength will get lower the further the laptop is from the Wi-Fi access point. If your broadband connection drops, use a network cable to test the connection. If the wired network connection works, then check that your wireless device in the laptop is enabled (it may become disabled without your knowledge / by accident) on your laptop and remake the connection. The LED indicator differs from machine to machine, but it will generally look like the wireless icon on the right.

Ventilation

If the laptop is used on a cushion or your lap – the processor cooler may be obstructed. Please avoid covering the vents. If your laptop overheats it could switch itself off or may even become damaged.

USB Devices

Adding a USB device is just a matter of plugging it in. We have had a few laptops back with damage caused by plugging the USB device upside down and a few damaged by someone accidently hitting the USB Device while it was connected to the laptop. If the USB device is inserted at an angle into the USB socket of a PC/Laptop, some of the pins can short out, damaging the motherboard.

Performance

There are many contributory factors to performance degradation. I will list the most common reasons and some of the preventative measures as well as some fixes. Remember, if your computer is slow, it may be for a combination of reasons.

1 – Some rubbish has got into your computer. This rubbish usually comes from websites in ‘grey’ areas that is to say; they are bad but not illegal. You might see a button such as ‘click here to speed up your pc’ or ‘clean your registry for free’ and so on. It’s not possible to list them all here but you get the idea. A virus checker will not protect you against this type of problem as technically the user is agreeing to install the rubbish.

2 – Low memory, Press CTRL + Alt + Delete to see how much memory is being used up. If more memory is being used than the computer has, you can either install more ram or uninstall unnecessary programs.

3 – Windows updates demand more and more system resources, causing machines to appear to slow down. The processor has more work to do, just to run the operating system.

4 – Hard drive wears down with time – There are magnets in hard disk drives which will loose their strength with time.

5 – Defrag and optimize your hard disk, too much fragmentation will cause it to slow down.

Recreational web browsing

Any website can contain rubbish which can mess your computer; if you stay away from the obvious ones, it would be helpful. Also keep all your software, virus checker and so on up to date.

Downloading free stuff

Free software, music, pictures, or video generally means that the security of your computer is lowered to a point where attackers can access your computer. For example, we believe that 1 in 1000 pieces of music online – contains attacking code such as a virus or a trogon. Illegal programs may also attack your computer. Peer to Peer networking and torrent sites are all renowned for carrying attacking software.

Security online

Keep your software and virus checker up to date. I recommend using an internet security program such as ‘Kaspersky internet security’. An internet security program provides more coverage over a whole array of potential attacks such as email and website spoofing. Check out www.getsafeonline.com for good advice. Be careful not to click links on social networking websites like BeBo, Facebook or links within email you may receive in case they lead you to attacking websites.

IF YOU GET AN EMAIL LINKING TO WHAT SEEMS LIKE A VALID SITE, HOVER YOUR MOUSE OVER THE LINK TO SEE WHAT IS ACTUALLY BEHIND IT. I RECOMMEND THAT YOU AVOID CLICKING ON LINKS CONTAINED WITHIN EMAILS AND WEBSITES, INSTEAD, RETYPE THE LINK INTO YOUR BROWSER.

Taking care of your computer

Avoid liquids on your laptop. Insert CD/DVD’s carefully – the mechanisms are designed for light weight and small size – not durability. Use only clean CD/DVD’s as dust from them can accumulate in the mechanism. Regularly blow out the vents to ensure there is a good cooling airflow through the system. A laptop keyboard is much more delegate than a desktop one so be extra cautious when using or cleaning. If a keycap is accidentally removed, it may be very difficult to repair and it is not likely to be covered by warranty. See your warranty details for further information. If the keyboard gets wet – dry it vary slowly and NAVER use direct heat (Hairdryer) to dry the keyboard as the keys can melt. Avoid any sort of dropping as hard drives which have become damaged due to a drop are not likely to be covered by warranty. Accidental damage is normally covered by house insurance.

Taking care of the screen

It’s always a good idea to take great care cleaning any flat screen because they are easily marked, and liquids may enter the electronics at the edge of the screen. We have found the safest way to clean a flat screen is with compressed air. A lint free cloth may be used to clear of the dust but for stains you can use a TFT screen cleaner. The corners of the screen can be brushed out with a light toothbrush. Never press down on the screen too much as the pressure may damage the electronics below.

This is by no means an exhaustive list and if you would like to contribute to future versions of this document, please send an email to service@megganet.com.

Finally, the best piece of advice of all, ‘If you take care of it, it will take care of you’.