I bought my first ever laptop a few weeks ago.

[Mutley]

It was on sale at Best Buy for $250, and it's a pretty damn good laptop for that kind of money. It has Windows 7, which I'm sure will have issues like all the Microsoft OS software, but so far I like it much more than Vista. And of course, I had to buy the wireless router, because what is the point of a laptop if you're still stuck to your desk? ;)

Anywho... I'm just excited and wanted to share. Any advice from seasoned laptop owners on how to take care of it? Besides the normal stuff I already know about desktops. :P I only buy a computer every four or five years (I bought my desktop in 2004), so this baby needs to last.

[blogslut]

1. Dont' drop it

And keep it away from liquids.

:)

[david13]

16. Fer shure. It won't bounce. dc

[HopeHoops]

2. Don't use it in the bathtub or shower.

Also, keep your fingers off of the screen. It isn't as easy to clean as a glass CRT tube.

[skygazer]

3. No one has said, "You should have gotten a Mac" yet?

You should have gotten a Mac. :P

[Mutley]

5. I considered it.

But, $1,000+ wasn't in my budget.

:P ;)

[Richardo]

4. Let the battery run all the way down occasionally

If you leave it plugged in all the time you'll shorten the battery's life and charging capacity. And batteries = expensive.

My battery mfr says to let it run down every three weeks or so.

[skygazer]

6. That's interesting

I didn't know that.

[PeaceNikki]

14. Also

Activate your new laptop battery with an initial charge of 12-16 hours before use. Your battery will need to be fully charged and discharged up to five times before it will perform at full capacity. Do not leave batteries discharged. Charge after every use. Leaving a charger connected with the battery installed for long periods can shorten the battery life.

If battery life is poor after periods of low usage, let it charge and discharge three to four times to restore the charge.

[Heidi]

7. Congratulations! I love my Acer Aspire 1640; it's a workhorse!

I bought my first laptop in 1996--a Gateway, custom built to my needs--and I paid about three times what I paid for my lovely, hardworking, three-year-old Acer. Do what Richardo says: let the battery run ALL the way down about once a month. Also, be careful how you clean the monitor (new monitors are expensive--I just got one this summer, about $500 with labor), don't eat or drink near the keyboard, don't leave the laptop on 24/7, and above all, if you're gonna carry it around, get a good laptop bag. :)

By the way: :hug:

[Mutley]

11. Hey Heidi!

:hug:

Thanks for the advice. How have you been?

[City of Mills]

8. Windows 7 doesn't have any of the problems Windows Vista had.

Trust me.

[Pavulon]

9. Heat kills machines..

so be sure not to use it on your lap where its vents are blocked. There are lots of accessories that go well with laptops (wireless mouse / keyboard, external monitor) that make them great for extended use as well.

Enjoy and keep an eye out for cheap RAM memory. Adding memory and a faster hard drive are good ways to extend the life of a laptop.

Obviously liquids and dirt are a problem so resist the urge to eat and drink during use.

[Moondog]

10. To follow up on the heat post -

Laptops, despite their name, really aren't designed to sit in your lap, because it tends to block ventilation and cause heat to build up. Try and find a flat, hard something or other (such as the top from one of those folding tables that people use to eat from when they watch TV), sit that on your lap, and the laptop on top of it. You'll get much better heat dispersal and your laptop (if it could speak) will thank you for it.

[david13]

12. Only once have I seen anyone with a laptop in their lap. And I

did mention the heat issue to them.
dc

[david13]

13. Read the directions in the books that come with it. (Users Manual?).

And do not let it out of your site, do not leave it visible in the car. They are stolen quite regularly.
Post in the computer help, du groups section on this forum. (Donation required).
dc
Oh, you did donate.

[Odin2005]

15. Windows 7 is nice.

I got a cheap $400 desktop PC to replace my 4yo old computer that died on me and it works great.

[texanwitch]

17. Think about buying a cool pad.

They don't cost very much.

I would never go back to a table top computer.

[liberaltrucker]

18. Congrats. Welcome to the laptop family!

Bought my first in 2000. Never owned a desktop.
Basically, just treat it with a little TLC and
you'll be richly rewarded.

:toast:

[quakerboy]

19. Echoing others: heat is your worst enemy

Past the obvious ones like liquids and impact damage. Those should go without saying, but I managed to spill a nalgene full of gingerale over my second laptop about 2 months into ownership, then in the proscess of flipping it over to let as much as possible drain, I managed to overbalance and kneel on the screen. Luckily I had gone all out on the spendiest laptop i could find, and had spend the extra for the no questions asked waranty.

But heat is the long term laptop killer. All those fancy electronics inside are held in place by solder, and when it gets hot enough, that gets lose, and pieces pop out, fry off, short across, etc. Don't block the vents, and do your best to disperse heat. Keep it away from blankets. Blow it out with canned air on occasion so that dust dosn't get too clogged up inside.


And when something goes wrong with it, don't panic. I don't know how many times I bought laptops that were tossed in the back of someones closet because they were "broken", only to fix them with half an hour of troubleshooting, or a few dollars in parts. That was where most of my college spending money came from- fixing and building systems to sell.