Laptops have become a necessary part of everyone’s life. Unlike traditional PCs (mainly desktops), today’s laptops are optimized to speed up tasks.
Today’s laptops accomplish the purpose of online communication and direct other activities. Although we now face stiff competition in the portable environment from smartphones, laptops offer many functions that phones fail to provide. Laptops still hold significance, as that’s often the popular choice for uses who edit documents, run financial models, create videos, or even manage a business.
Furthermore, laptops are essential in today’s education, as schools aim to make children early adopters of technology. Universities and college students use laptops as their main medium of accessing resources and submitting assignments. Additionally, adults use laptops to run their daily needs, from paying taxes to scouting new real estate.
Today, you do not need more than a laptop or a smartphone and a solid internet connection to run your business. However, consider it an investment when buying a laptop or a tablet. So you need to be vigilant while buying one as you want to make the most of these devices.
Buying a laptop is like purchasing a car. With proper adjustment, proper use, and regular care, your device will last for years to come. We have some fantastic tips if you want to use your favorite system for as many years as possible. Once you’ve invested, you’d want to know how to maintain your system to keep it running optimally. These tips help you prolong your laptop life and keep them in good condition.
Freshen Up Your System
It’s no new news that your hardware malfunctioning leads to system errors most of the time. However, preventing this is a simple process. Running system checks and scheduling maintenance can extend your system’s life. Even tech experts dedicate a day to run system checks, schedule backups, and scout out new apps that can help monitor the load on your CPU. These experts also recommend cleaning your laptop once in three months.
Regularly cleaning a computer can save your money on constant repairs and replacements. Several apps, such as CleanMy Mac X, help keep your computer running smoothly. Though most apps feature paid features, the freemium functions are sufficient to keep your system safe from spyware, malware, and overclocking the RAM. Cleaning the system will declutter it and keep your system up-to-date.
Avoid Overheating Your Device
Set up your laptop in your office or home area with good airflow, with a two-inch-wide space on both sides. Providing room for air to pass helps prevent overheating, which extends the life of your device. Paper stacks and other items stored on your laptop can also make it very hot. Therefore, you should keep your desk space neat and clean. Also, remove the charging if you are not using the system because it also damages the device.
Moderate Restart And Shut Down
Ignoring the need to reboot or reboot the system too many times is one of many laptop users’ grave mistakes. Experts recommend shutting your system every few days, depending on your laptop use. However, if you’re situated where you won’t have access to power for a while, then shutting down the system is a better alternative than putting it to sleep or hibernation.
For computers that are in use for a while, restarting helps keep the system functioning. Suppose you use an old laptop; in that case, to prolong its life, you need to slow down the device. Rebooting your device every few days gives it time to restart and clean its system registry files.
Keep It Tidy
For daily use maintenance, apps can only improve system performance. You’ll need to clean your system from the outside on your own if you want your laptop/system to run in optimal condition. While you must often clean the system hardware, you should not forget to clean it outside. Keep the screen and keyboard clean. The secret is to use proper tools to clean keys in your keyboard. Use wipes to wipe the dust off the screen and use a soft brush to clean the dirt from the keys. Another idea is to use a cotton swab to clean from difficult-to-reach places and remove the dirt. Keeping your system tidy will add years to the life of your system.
Update Passwords Frequently
One of the easiest ways to maintain laptop performance is to change your passwords regularly. Cybercriminals are becoming smarter as their techniques evolve. They creep into your system and embezzle your login information, giving them access to compromise your sensitive information. As a preventive measure, it’s best to update your password once a month or opt for softwares that keep your passwords encrypted and easily accessible to you.
Configure Your Startup
Another essential aspect that people often ignore is frequent checking of software build or the log of their operating system. The former part of this refers to checking the softwares that have been checked to launch during startup. Your device’s RAM and CPU usage are proportional to the number of softwares it loads during startup.
You can go to startup control and see which unnecessary apps are constantly running. People often do not realize that the bug is somewhere in system software or processes and can be identified using the process monitoring tool. For instance, in windows hitting Ctrl, Alt, and Del will open a screen from which you can access the task manager. This tool highlights the percentage of CPU power a specific software uses. Furthermore, that can help you identify what’s slowing down the system. Configuring the startup can maximize the utility of your device.
Checking the software build log helps understand what new improvements have been added to your operating system. For example, every iOS or android update has documentation updating the user of what’s new in the update. Similarly, when updating softwares on the system, it’s best to read what the update comprises.
Defrag The Hard Drive
Optimize space utilization on your hard drive once a month and see the remarkable effect on laptop performance. Unused software, registry files, and folders might be taking up massive space on your hard drive. Running system defragmentation gives your laptop time to reorganize the system files and remove temporary files. Once you start defragging periodically, you will likely witness fewer crashes and freezes happening on your system. Experts suggest scheduling a defrag your hard drive every three or four months.
Keep Up With The Major Windows Updates
Stop ignoring the popups that notify you about the regular updates!
You can potentially harm your system by avoiding installing the updates. Turning off notifications paves your way to the ultimate doomsday of your system. Regularly updating the operating system keeps you secure from security vulnerabilities and system bugs. What’s worse is that you could miss out on major UI/UX improvements that could make your system operations easier. These updates are significant for long-term laptop performance.
Install An Antivirus
Antivirus must be an integral aspect of your laptop. While you search for antivirus software, go for authentic ones. You connect your laptops to different internet connections, access multiple websites, exposing your system to malware and viruses. Antivirus serves as a shield and can protect your computer from hackers’ attacks. The key is to search for a reputable antivirus and install its updates regularly.
Conclusion
Technological advancements bring new and updated laptops, tablets, and smartphones. Many new types of laptops have come forth in the past few years to expand the needs of this digital age creating new experiences. Since laptops play a vital role in our lives, we have to be mindful of their usage and use some maintenance tips. These tips help our computer work efficiently and faster.
Running these maintenance checks can make the system last longer and handle the increasing requirements of today’s era. If we’ve missed out on any tips, feel free to add them in the comments section below.
