5 Key Tips For Taking Care Of Your Ultraportable Laptop
An ultraportable laptop is designed for traveling, which means they're often more durable and protected against knocks than your average machine. That said, it's still your responsibility to take care of your machine to the best of your ability, so here are 6 tips that'll help you do so.
1) Be Careful When Moving A Laptop Whilst It’s Switched On: When using an ultraportable laptop it can be tempting to move it around frequently. If the laptop is switched off, or is sleeping or hibernating, then there is no problem with this. However, if the laptop is switched on when you want to move it, there is a risk of damaging the hard drive. To prevent this from occurring, avoid jerky motions. Keep the laptop in a level position, rather than allowing it to tilt to one side, and use smooth motions. This will reduce the risk of damaging the hard drive.
2) Wait Before Moving The Laptop After Shutting Down: When shutting down your laptop, or putting it on sleep or hibernation mode, leave it in place for a minute or so after the process is complete. This allows the hard drive time to stop spinning, which helps to reduce the risk of the hard drive becoming damaged. This isn't so important if you have a newer SSD drive, as these don't spin.
3) Backup Data Frequently: No matter how careful you are with your ultraportable laptop, there is always a chance that the hard drive will fail. For this reason, make sure you backup your data regularly. USB sticks, external hard drives, and cloud storage are all suitable methods for backup.
4) Hold Your Laptop The Right Way: When carrying your laptop, it's important to hold it in the correct manner. Holding it at only one point, such as the side or a corner, will place undue strain on the casing and may cause it to bend. When this occurs, there is a risk of damaging internal components. The correct way to hold a laptop is either from the center-point beneath it (as a waiter holds a single plate), or to hold both the left and right side at the same time, minimizing the stress placed on the frame and preventing the casing from bending.
5) Use In A Well-Ventilated Area: Airflow is key to keeping your laptop cool. If the laptop overheats it can crash, and components can even be damaged. For this reason it's advisable to use your ultraportable laptop in a well-ventilated area. This will help prevent overheating from occurring. Above all, make sure that the heat vents on your laptop are not obstructed.