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Laptop - Maintain your new laptop
Saturday, March 24, 2007
Laptop - Maintain your new laptop
ow you just got your great new laptop and you are ready to work with...or play. Congratulations!
But getting it is just the beginning and because you spent money on it, doesn't matter how much, you must ensure that it's life is going to be as long as possible For this I present you a few tips to extend your new laptop's life.
Battery life - we all know that a battery cannot be charged infinitely. So every time you can use a power supply, use it, and take out the battery if it's charged. And when you are on battery, dimmer your screen to the lowest setting, disable auto bluetooth and WiFi network detection. Best way to dimmer your screen brightness is by creating a power scheme(Control Panel/Power options) for maximum battery.
Save your keyboard and screen - the best way to protect your laptop from dust, sand, or crumbs is an iSkin, which keeps crumbs out from between the keys and also protects the screen from keyboard scratches. You can periodically clean your keyboard with compress air from dust and other not wanted things.
Avoid spills on your keyboard...but if you happen to experience this(hope you don't) shutdown the laptop immediately, take the battery out and disconnect all the peripherals. Then lift the computer and turn it to the side and upside down to drain any liquid. Then use a hair dryer to dry the laptop.
Secure your data - always use a secure firewall, use strong passwords and turn off sharing when connected to internet. You may also consider encrypting your personal data in case your laptop is stolen.
Use a laptop bag - is recommended to use a laptop bag special built to protect your precious.
Back-up your data - the risk of hard drive failure is more increased in case of laptops, so backing up your data is essential. You can use an external drive for this...or burn important data on CDs or DVDs.
Safe Surfing
Keep your PC protected from online threats
If you’re going to connect to the internet, you need to protect your computer, otherwise it’s like leaving your front door wide open with a big ‘Robbers Welcome’ doormat on your front step. You’ve probably heard all the terms – such as virus, hacker, firewall, spyware and a million more – but perhaps think that the anti-virus programme that came with the computer, or that your PC-savvy mate downloaded for you is enough to keep you safe, right? Wrong …
First of all, you need a firewall. This is your first line of defence, making it extremely difficult for any hacker or malicious programme to get through. Nothing is 100% impenetrable, however, and an anti-virus programme that will always be on the lookout for anything nasty that manages to find its way in is essential.
But there are things that manage to get onto your pc in the most unlikely of ways: it can be inadvertently added by you as you download music, screensavers or games onto your PC, or it can even be added by someone you know and trust, such as a suspicious spouse or your employer. This is Spyware and is a frightening breach of privacy which allows people or programmes to see what you’re doing, what sites you look at and even log your keystrokes so that they can reproduce everything you type, such as passwords and credit card details.
The only way to truly guard against spyware is to have a dedicated programme that detects and removes it.
So, you have your firewall and your anti-virus programme in place; surely an anti-spyware programme is just money down the drain? Unfortunately not: this will fill the cracks left by your other security programmes, and although it will not make your computer completely impenetrable (unfortunately the people writing these programmes are extremely good at what they do) it will be the equivalent of locking all your doors and windows and having an alarm system armed before you leave your house – someone could still get in if they really wanted to, but they’d probably rather go next door, where they’ve rather invitingly left a downstairs window open.
People are now using their computers for a range of personal and business applications, the loss or infiltration of which could do them serious emotional and financial damage. Taking preventative measures to ensure your online security should be as natural as closing the door behind you when you go out, and there are affordable and easy to use programmes out there to help you do just that.
