Laptops are replaced every few years. We crave fancier hardware, novel features, and maybe our old device has become unresponsive and suffered some damage over time. Consequently, most laptops get thrown out prematurely.
Unless you are looking for a silly excuse to buy a new and shiny device, you will love to hear that there are many ways to make your laptop last longer. Apart from delaying the headache of setting up a new computer and moving all your files over, this will also save you money in the long run. So let’s see what you can do to turn your laptop into an electronic Methuselah.
1: Treat Your Laptop With Care
Laptops can be fragile. I should know; not long ago I broke my laptop screen (and fixed it). Besides this unfortunate accident, I have had my fair share of worn out keyboards, broken power supplies, and failed hard drives. Most components can be easily replaced, but something like a broken hard drive, with all your precious files on it, is a whole different story.
Hard Drive
Some wear and tear can be avoided simply by handling your hardware with care. Next to the display, the hard drive is the most fragile part of your laptop. As Matt writes in his article on how to utterly destroy your laptop, move your laptop gently and try not to move it when the hard drive is performing intensive operations. Your hardware will thank you and last longer.
Even modern computers require some care to stay in tip-top shape; here’s our straightforward guide to keeping yours running like new and problem-free.
lenovo_ideapad_u330In this guide we’ll review tasks that should be run on a regular basis including file backups, software updates, malware scans, hardware health and computer cleaning. Performing these regular maintenance items will improve your computer’s health in the long run and have the added bonus of helping make you aware of any problem areas before they become a potential show-stopper. This guide is organized by time period: daily, weekly, monthly and yearly.
Before You Start…
This guide is aimed at users of Microsoft Windows 7/8/8.1 based computers. You, the reader assume all risk of following this guide.
Daily
Task: Backup files
The largest concern on a daily basis is making sure your files are backed up. Data loss can occur for any number of reasons – hardware failure (either from manufacturing defect or an accident, such as spilling water on your notebook or dropping it); losing the computer (or worse, having it stolen); and the hardest to prevent, accidental deletion.
The good news is that you can back up your files for free using a downloadable utility from Microsoft called SyncToy, available to download here.
Use our easy-to-follow guide to install and setup SyncToy. This guide also shows you how to choose and buy an external storage device if you don’t already own one. It’s important to have an external storage device because a backup isn’t really a backup unless you’re storing your files independently of the computer.
Once you have SyncToy installed and setup, simply plug in your external storage device, open SyncToy and run it once daily (or more often as needed; personally I back up my files each time I create or modify an important document).
Every Week
CCleanerTask: Clean up temporary/unneeded files
For this part, we’ll use Piriform’s CCleaner, a freeware utility designed to clean up temporary and unnecessary files on your computer. This can positively affect performance and free up storage space. Download the software here.
Open CCleaner once it’s installed; leave all settings at default and click the Analyze button to get an idea of what CCleaner will do. My example above is a particularly bad case; I have over 13GB of space being used up unnecessarily. If you’re satisfied with what you see, click Run Cleaner. The software’s default settings are generally safe but you might want to perform a backup ahead of time just in case – see how to do this under the Daily section of this guide.
Task: Restart computer
This one’s simple: fully restart your computer. Theoretically the computer should be able to run for more than a week without issues but a full restart on a regular basis has the positive effect of freeing up memory space and improving stability. Close all open programs and files prior to doing the following.
Windows 7: open the Start menu; click the arrow next to the Shut down button and click Restart.
Windows 8/8.1: open the Charms (press the Windows Key + C keys simultaneously or swipe in from the right side if you have a touch-enabled display); then click Settings; finally click Power and then Restart.
ComputerScanTask: Scan for malware
You’ll need to have an antivirus product installed to perform this; see our software reviews if you’re in the market. Note free software is available. Open your antivirus program and perform a full system scan. You’re best off scheduling this to be done automatically if possible (nearly all modern antivirus solutions can do this).
Unless you are looking for a silly excuse to buy a new and shiny device, you will love to hear that there are many ways to make your laptop last longer. Apart from delaying the headache of setting up a new computer and moving all your files over, this will also save you money in the long run. So let’s see what you can do to turn your laptop into an electronic Methuselah.
1: Treat Your Laptop With Care
Laptops can be fragile. I should know; not long ago I broke my laptop screen (and fixed it). Besides this unfortunate accident, I have had my fair share of worn out keyboards, broken power supplies, and failed hard drives. Most components can be easily replaced, but something like a broken hard drive, with all your precious files on it, is a whole different story.
Hard Drive
Some wear and tear can be avoided simply by handling your hardware with care. Next to the display, the hard drive is the most fragile part of your laptop. As Matt writes in his article on how to utterly destroy your laptop, move your laptop gently and try not to move it when the hard drive is performing intensive operations. Your hardware will thank you and last longer.
lenovo_ideapad_u330In this guide we’ll review tasks that should be run on a regular basis including file backups, software updates, malware scans, hardware health and computer cleaning. Performing these regular maintenance items will improve your computer’s health in the long run and have the added bonus of helping make you aware of any problem areas before they become a potential show-stopper. This guide is organized by time period: daily, weekly, monthly and yearly.
Before You Start…
This guide is aimed at users of Microsoft Windows 7/8/8.1 based computers. You, the reader assume all risk of following this guide.
Daily
Task: Backup files
The largest concern on a daily basis is making sure your files are backed up. Data loss can occur for any number of reasons – hardware failure (either from manufacturing defect or an accident, such as spilling water on your notebook or dropping it); losing the computer (or worse, having it stolen); and the hardest to prevent, accidental deletion.
The good news is that you can back up your files for free using a downloadable utility from Microsoft called SyncToy, available to download here.
Use our easy-to-follow guide to install and setup SyncToy. This guide also shows you how to choose and buy an external storage device if you don’t already own one. It’s important to have an external storage device because a backup isn’t really a backup unless you’re storing your files independently of the computer.
Once you have SyncToy installed and setup, simply plug in your external storage device, open SyncToy and run it once daily (or more often as needed; personally I back up my files each time I create or modify an important document).
Every Week
CCleanerTask: Clean up temporary/unneeded files
For this part, we’ll use Piriform’s CCleaner, a freeware utility designed to clean up temporary and unnecessary files on your computer. This can positively affect performance and free up storage space. Download the software here.
Open CCleaner once it’s installed; leave all settings at default and click the Analyze button to get an idea of what CCleaner will do. My example above is a particularly bad case; I have over 13GB of space being used up unnecessarily. If you’re satisfied with what you see, click Run Cleaner. The software’s default settings are generally safe but you might want to perform a backup ahead of time just in case – see how to do this under the Daily section of this guide.
Task: Restart computer
This one’s simple: fully restart your computer. Theoretically the computer should be able to run for more than a week without issues but a full restart on a regular basis has the positive effect of freeing up memory space and improving stability. Close all open programs and files prior to doing the following.
Windows 7: open the Start menu; click the arrow next to the Shut down button and click Restart.
Windows 8/8.1: open the Charms (press the Windows Key + C keys simultaneously or swipe in from the right side if you have a touch-enabled display); then click Settings; finally click Power and then Restart.
ComputerScanTask: Scan for malware
You’ll need to have an antivirus product installed to perform this; see our software reviews if you’re in the market. Note free software is available. Open your antivirus program and perform a full system scan. You’re best off scheduling this to be done automatically if possible (nearly all modern antivirus solutions can do this).
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