We can imagine the distress an owner feels when a laptop starts to malfunction at random times. It could be a telltale sign of corrupted hard drives or the incoming death of a beloved device. 

It’s okay though if your laptop has been with you for years then it’s definitely understandable but, if you feel like you haven’t breakeven from the price and its hardware failed, it can be quite a difficult pill to swallow. 

To make your laptop last longer, here are helpful tips to make purchasing one worth it! 

Keep it updated

Keep your operating systems, applications, and anti-virus updated. Sure, they can be quite an inconvenience at times but think of these as tune-ups and vitamins that your laptop absolutely needs. You can set your laptop to automatically update so you don’t forget about it. 

Internal cleaning

For Windows laptops that have a hard drive and not a solid state drive (SSD), keep their best performance by defragmenting using the disk optimization tool. You can do this once a month to keep your device performing efficiently. 

By default Windows 10 defragments weekly but if your device has been performing poorly, you can also do it manually. Another important thing you can do is delete unnecessary files, folders and uninstall apps you no longer need or use. 

No to heat

This is common knowledge but this is often overlooked too! Keep your laptop from overheating. Keep it away from sunlight and don’t block its cooling vents. Always place your laptop on a hard surface to allow it to ventilate properly. Avoid padded or carpeted surfaces, such as blankets, pillows, and clothes. 

Overheating reduces your laptop’s life span so when working, always place them on a hard surface or invest in a high-quality cooling pad. 

Careful transport

The main reason why people prefer laptops over desktops is because of their accessibility. They are compact and small enough to carry outside, which means you can also bring your work with you wherever you go. However, this also means they are more prone to accidents, like being dropped and colliding with other objects. This can lead to damage to the machine. 

To prevent this, invest in a high-quality padded laptop case or a backpack designed to have a cushioned laptop compartment at the back. Don’t carry your laptop by its screen it’s not designed to withstand the weight and don’t set heavy things on top of it. 

Mind your cord

One important laptop component that we often forget to take care of are battery bricks or battery cords. Most of the time, they are rolled up carelessly and fitted to whatever space is available. However, this can easily be the most breakable laptop component there is and you don’t realize how important it is until it starts to break. 

To prevent this, don’t harshly yank and pull at them. Don’t carelessly bend them and treat them with care. 

Immediately correct problems

If you feel something different about your laptop, immediately go into troubleshooting mode. If it’s been poorly performing, behaving oddly, and has been malfunctioning randomly, get it checked or repair. These problems don’t get better by themselves and ignoring them will only cost you in the long run. 

Remember, small problems lead to bigger ones. So if you don’t want your laptop breaking on you at important moments, immediately act on its problems. 

Don’t abuse or overwork

While it’s true that machines can perform more than humans, they too have their limits. Running heavy applications on laptops that cannot withstand the power and the size can decrease the lifespan of the machine. That’s why it’s important to first identify applications you need before purchasing a laptop, just to make sure you are getting the appropriate specs to combat demanding processes. 

There are some applications and gaming software that allows you to change their settings to moderate the amount of power and stress on the computer processor. This is of great help to your device so make sure to take advantage of these settings. 

Away from food and drinks

Sometimes all it takes is a glass of water thrown into your laptop to kill it. So as much as possible, put any vessels of liquids away from your laptop. Not only a glass of water but take note of flower vases, fish bowls, and the likes. 

For food, dropping a crumb or two might not pose an immediate threat but an accumulation of dirt and food crumbs can greatly damage the keyboard. So as much as possible, don’t drink and eat in front of your laptop or while using it.