Correct use of the laptop. Rules for using a laptop - everyone should know this! Using a laptop - types of threats

Anastasia Sergeeva

Do you know how to use a laptop correctly? If you don’t want to spend money on repairs or buying a new battery in the near future, we recommend reading the rules for using a laptop, which we discuss below.

Make sure there is good ventilation

The first rule of how to use a laptop is to not let it overheat. When working for a long time, loading “heavy” games and programs, the internal parts of the laptop begin to heat up, so fans are built into the case to cool them. That is, the computer was originally designed to cool itself, but improper care of the laptop can prevent this. For example, working on a laptop on a bed, on a sofa, on your lap, etc., negatively affects its condition, since it blocks the ventilation holes and allows dust to get inside.

How to use a laptop correctly in this case? Firstly, place it exclusively on the hard surface for which it is intended. Secondly, you can purchase a simple laptop stand in the store that will not block the ventilation holes, or even purchase a special stand that will additionally cool the laptop. As a last resort, you can use a small life hack - place the device on a cardboard egg stand.

Don't keep your laptop charging

Another tip for those who want to know how to extend the life of a laptop and understand how to use it correctly: do not charge it constantly. When using laptops at home, we often leave them charging literally non-stop without unplugging the charger from the outlet, but this makes caring for the laptop very difficult. The laptop battery begins to lose its charge capacity, and after a year or two of use it may not be able to withstand more than 15 minutes of battery life.

How should you use your laptop and charger if you mostly work on it at home? The debate on this issue still continues, but we suggest removing the laptop battery and storing it separately, maintaining a charge of 80%. When you need to work on your computer autonomously, then you will insert the battery back and be fully equipped. Until then, you can use the laptop by simply charging it from the network.

Buy an uninterruptible power supply

The following follows from the previous operating rule - purchasing an uninterruptible power supply (UPS). Of course, if there are no power outages in your area, then you can risk working without it, although no one is immune from a sudden power surge for various reasons. But if it does happen, then you may lose data from the hard drive, and the laptop itself may become unusable, therefore, in order not to pay twice, it is better to take care of the UPS.

Take care of your display

The most vulnerable part of a laptop is the display, so not only should you not touch it with your hands, but you should also not wipe it with anything. Don't even think about cleaning the screen with window cleaner or alcohol! We recommend using either special lint-free wipes for displays, or a soft cloth soaked in a solution of water and vinegar (1:1). The water must be distilled so that there are no stains or sediment left.

Use your bag

So that you have the opportunity to carry your device to school, work, and wherever you need mobile access to a computer, you need to purchase a laptop bag. First of all, it is able to protect the contents from dust, dirt and mechanical damage as a result of crushing, for example - especially important for crowded buses and subway cars. You should also use a bag to prevent your laptop from getting too cold in the cold in winter.

By the way, you shouldn’t use your laptop immediately after you come indoors from the cold. Wait at least forty minutes for the device to adapt to the new temperature, otherwise dangerous condensation will appear on it, and the laptop itself may fail.

Clean periodically

One way or another, over time, the laptop still gets dirty from the inside, since the fans draw dust into it during operation, right along with the air. When a lot of dust accumulates, it begins to seriously overheat, which can lead to breakdowns and data loss. Therefore, you need to contact a service center approximately once every one and a half to two years, where they will clean the “insides” of your electronic assistant from dust and, if necessary, replace the thermal paste.

You can disassemble and clean your laptop at home, if you approach it wisely - an example is shown in this video:

Take it for yourself and tell your friends!

1. Correct connection

It is important to note that you should not connect a power supply (the charger itself) to your laptop that is already turned on. It is more correct to do the opposite - first connect these devices, and only then connect the plug to the outlet.

Rice. 1. First, connect the plug to the laptop, then insert the plug into a 220 V socket

2. Avoid soft surfaces

Never place your mobile computer on any soft surfaces - carpets, beds, mattresses, etc. This leads to its overheating and also contributes to the rapid collection of dust, which in turn leads to failure, for example, a hard drive. disk, and may also require cleaning of your electronic friend.

Rice. 2. Laptops don't like contact with soft surfaces or pets.

It is important to ensure that the ventilation surfaces are not blocked by any obstructions. It is worth adding that the ventilation grille is often located not only on the sides of the laptop, but also on the bottom side under the keyboard. For laptops, appropriate plastic stands are made that perfectly solve this problem.

Something similar to the desk from the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum is now available for laptops:

Be sure to turn off your laptop when moving in any way. This way you will not only protect your hard drive, but also avoid the danger of overheating your equipment.

As for the operation of the battery itself, it is better not to charge it to 100% charge. Ideally, the battery charge should begin at 40% of its capacity and end at around 80%. Thanks to this simple recommendation, you can significantly extend the life of your laptop battery.

9. Cleaning the vents

Periodically pay attention to the condition of the laptop's ventilation holes and carefully clean them of dust.

If you notice that your laptop is overheating unreasonably quickly and severely, you should immediately carry out preventative maintenance on the cooling system. Overheating the processor will not lead to anything good.

10. Be careful with liquids

Never keep water or other liquids near your laptop. One awkward move can “kill” your laptop forever.

Rice. 7. Be careful with liquids, pens and other objects near your laptop

11. Additionally, you can connect a keyboard, mouse, monitor

If you want the built-in data input device (keyboard) of your mobile computer to last as long as possible, connect an additional keyboard to it via a USB port. So, the same accidentally spilled cup of coffee or sweet tea on your laptop will cost you 400, not 4,000 rubles. It’s just that keyboards that connect via USB are inexpensive now, but (or anywhere else) they’re not cheap.

In general, for working at home, you can make a system unit from a laptop, to which there is an additional mouse and keyboard.

Rice. 8. Function keys work with native operating system

In a laptop, the most vulnerable and often very user-friendly keys are its function keys F1 to F12. Manufacturers of each model integrate the convenient functionality of such keys into the laptop. This is both good and bad, because when you reinstall the native operating system, which was when you bought the laptop, onto a non-native system almost forever.

People often ask where to download programs for function keys. You can, of course, look at the official website of the laptop manufacturer, but in reality you can forget about the convenience of working with such keys, or you will have to return the laptop to factory settings.

It's a good idea to invest in an uninterruptible power supply (UPS for short), especially if your home or business has old wiring or frequent power outages.

Rice. 9. Uninterruptible power supply

Unfortunately, our electricians are not yet up to par in many cities and towns. And the price of a UPS cannot be compared with the costs that you may incur when buying a new battery or repairing power controllers.

A UPS will be especially relevant if you often work on a laptop without using its battery, because the battery is essentially the same as a UPS, and without it the laptop becomes more vulnerable to electrical wiring failures .

Now you know how to properly handle your laptop to ensure its long life. Try not to forget about these simple recommendations, and then your equipment will serve you faithfully for many years.

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Rules for using a laptop - everyone should know this!
Attention! Improper storage or use of the laptop may void the manufacturer's warranty.
terms of Use

Operating the laptop is permissible only under the conditions recommended by the manufacturer (appropriate operating temperature, storage temperature, relative humidity, altitude, etc.).

Liquids and damp areas

It is not recommended to use the laptop in damp rooms, near sources of moisture, except for cases when the laptop is intended for use in conditions of high humidity, outdoors during rain, snowfall, and fog.

Power adapter

Before plugging the adapter into a power outlet, you must make sure that the power plug is firmly connected to the power adapter. The adapter must be connected directly to a power outlet. Use only the power adapter that came with the laptop or a power adapter approved by the manufacturer and compatible with the laptop to operate your laptop. The power adapter may become quite hot during operation.

You must disconnect the power adapter, all cables, and the battery when doing any of the following:

Opening the case to replace RAM or hard drive;

Cleaning the case or screen;

Damage to the cable or power plug;

Being in conditions of high humidity, liquid entering both inside and on the surface of the laptop case.

Turning on the laptop

It is recommended to turn on the laptop only if all its internal and external components are installed correctly. Operating a laptop with missing components can be dangerous and may damage the laptop.

I would like to draw your attention: before connecting the adapter to the network, you need to make sure that it is connected to the laptop. The adapter's no-load voltage is higher than the operating voltage, and if you connect first to the network and then to the laptop, a voltage surge occurs. I once inadvertently connected it this way and it destroyed the system.

Turning off the laptop

All laptops are designed for 24/7 operation, subject to operating instructions. But you should remember that turning off the laptop incorrectly can lead to its inoperability.

You may only use special functions provided by the installed operating system. If you still had to forcefully shut down the laptop, be sure to perform a system check using the built-in system utilities the next time you turn it on. Unresolved system errors that occur when the system shuts down incorrectly can lead to unstable operation of both the OS and the laptop.

Operating a laptop

It is recommended to place the laptop on a flat, stable work surface. The laptop must receive enough air to cool itself. When working with a laptop, do not place it on soft surfaces - this may impede the passage of air through the ventilation holes, place foreign objects on the keyboard, or insert foreign objects into the ventilation holes of the laptop.

It is worth keeping in mind that some parts of the laptop case can become quite hot during normal operation of the laptop.

Using connectors and ports

Do not force the connector into the port. When connecting the device, you need to make sure that the port is free of debris or dirt, the connector matches the port, and they are correctly positioned relative to each other. When connecting or disconnecting any device, you must make sure that it is hot-swappable, i.e. it can be connected and disconnected without turning off the power of the laptop. Otherwise, you should first turn off the laptop.

Using optical media

Optical media built into laptops comes in two different types depending on how the disk is loaded: vertical (regular) or front-loading (slot). Slot-loading optical media often only supports standard 4.7-inch drives. Attempting to place irregularly shaped discs or discs smaller than 4.7 inches in size may damage the optical media.

Laptop battery care

If the computer is equipped with a Ni-Mh battery, then it would be a good idea to “train” the battery (full charge-discharge cycle) once a week (for Li-Ion batteries this procedure should be done once every two to three months). It will also be useful to calibrate the battery by completely discharging and charging it. Before this, you need to disable (in the operating system's energy saving settings) the option to force the laptop to shut down at a certain battery level. You can also use special utilities for this purpose, which are sometimes posted on manufacturers’ websites. When using a laptop with the power adapter turned on, the battery charges automatically. There is no need to disconnect the battery when connecting the laptop to the network via a power adapter. This does not affect the battery life of the laptop.

Handling other laptop components

If the display, touchpad, case, battery or power adapter are damaged, it is recommended not to use the laptop until it has been repaired by the manufacturer's authorized service center.

Transporting a laptop

When carrying a laptop in a bag or briefcase, you should make sure that there are no objects in the same compartment that could damage the surface of the laptop, accidentally get inside through the ventilation holes, the optical drive slot, or get stuck in one of the ports.

It is not recommended to transport a laptop in sleep mode. This can lead to premature hard drive failure. Before you take your laptop on the road, you need to turn it off completely by “shutting down” or using the “hibernation” mode.

Laptop storage

Long-term storage of the laptop should be carried out in accordance with the temperature and battery charge recommended by the manufacturer (see the operating manual).

Laptop care

To clean the surface of the laptop and its components, you must first turn it off and disconnect the power adapter. Use a soft, lint-free cloth moistened with special products to clean your laptop. Do not use aerosol sprays, solvents or abrasives that may damage the finish.

Cleaning the laptop screen

To clean your laptop screen, you must first turn off the laptop and unplug the power adapter. Then, after moistening the lint-free cloth with special means (just water is allowed), wipe the screen without spraying liquid directly onto it. It is convenient to use special disposable wipes to clean the screen.

User habits that are harmful to your laptop

Very often, the cause of laptop failure is the bad habits of its owner. For example, a glass of champagne or cola standing next to the laptop, as well as coffee and other rich liquids. If spilled, these liquids cause almost inevitable destruction of the electronic components of the laptop, even if you immediately turn it off.

If any liquid gets inside the laptop case, you should immediately turn it off, disconnect the power adapter and battery, and contact the manufacturer’s authorized service center as soon as possible. Of course, in this case you cannot count on warranty repairs.

Also, when working on a laptop, it is not recommended to eat food, which, if it gets on the keyboard, can damage it, and sometimes lead to the death of the entire laptop.

A pen, pencil or other foreign object left on a laptop keyboard can cause damage to the screen, which will inevitably lead to expensive repairs, wasted time and nerves.

Anything can happen in life, but don’t forget the main thing - the more careful you treat your laptop, the longer it will last.

Attention! Improper storage or use of the laptop may void the manufacturer's warranty.

Rules for using a laptop

terms of Use

Operating the laptop is permissible only under the conditions recommended by the manufacturer (appropriate operating temperature, storage temperature, relative humidity, altitude, etc.).

Liquids and damp areas

It is not recommended to use the laptop in damp rooms, near sources of moisture, except for cases when the laptop is intended for use in conditions of high humidity, outdoors during rain, snowfall, and fog.

Power adapter

Before plugging the adapter into a power outlet, you must make sure that the power plug is firmly connected to the power adapter. The adapter must be connected directly to a power outlet. Use only the power adapter that came with the laptop or a power adapter approved by the manufacturer and compatible with the laptop to operate your laptop. The power adapter may become quite hot during operation.

You must disconnect the power adapter, all cables, and the battery when doing any of the following:

Opening the case to replace RAM or hard drive;

Cleaning the case or screen;

Damage to the cable or power plug;

Being in conditions of high humidity, liquid entering both inside and on the surface of the laptop case.

Turning on the laptop

Turning off the laptop

All laptops are designed for 24/7 operation, subject to operating instructions. But you should remember that turning off the laptop incorrectly can lead to its inoperability.

You may only use special functions provided by the installed operating system. If you still had to forcefully shut down the laptop, be sure to perform a system check using the built-in system utilities the next time you turn it on. Unresolved system errors that occur when the system shuts down incorrectly can lead to unstable operation of both the OS and the laptop.

Operating a laptop

It is recommended to place the laptop on a flat, stable work surface. The laptop must receive enough air to cool itself. When working with a laptop, do not place it on soft surfaces - this may impede the passage of air through the ventilation holes, place foreign objects on the keyboard, or insert foreign objects into the ventilation holes of the laptop.

It is worth keeping in mind that some parts of the laptop case can become quite hot during normal operation of the laptop.

Using connectors and ports

Do not force the connector into the port. When connecting the device, you need to make sure that the port is free of debris or dirt, the connector matches the port, and they are correctly positioned relative to each other. When connecting or disconnecting any device, you must make sure that it is hot-swappable, i.e. it can be connected and disconnected without turning off the power of the laptop. Otherwise, you should first turn off the laptop.

Using optical media

Optical media built into laptops comes in two different types depending on how the disk is loaded: vertical (regular) or front-loading (slot). Slot-loading optical media often only supports standard 4.7-inch drives. Attempting to place irregularly shaped discs or discs smaller than 4.7 inches in size may damage the optical media.

Laptop battery care

If the computer is equipped with a Ni-Mh battery, then it would be a good idea to “train” the battery (full charge-discharge cycle) once a week (for Li-Ion batteries this procedure should be done once every two to three months). It will also be useful to calibrate the battery by completely discharging and charging it. Before this, you need to disable (in the operating system's energy saving settings) the option to force the laptop to shut down at a certain battery level. You can also use special utilities for this purpose, which are sometimes posted on manufacturers’ websites. When using a laptop with the power adapter turned on, the battery charges automatically. There is no need to disconnect the battery when connecting the laptop to the network via a power adapter. This does not affect the battery life of the laptop.

Handling other laptop components

If the display, touchpad, case, battery or power adapter are damaged, it is recommended not to use the laptop until it has been repaired by the manufacturer's authorized service center.

Transporting a laptop

When carrying a laptop in a bag or briefcase, you should make sure that there are no objects in the same compartment that could damage the surface of the laptop, accidentally get inside through the ventilation holes, the optical drive slot, or get stuck in one of the ports.

It is not recommended to transport a laptop in sleep mode. This can lead to premature hard drive failure. Before you take your laptop on the road, you need to turn it off completely by “shutting down” or using the “hibernation” mode.

Laptop storage

Long-term storage of the laptop should be carried out in accordance with the temperature and battery charge recommended by the manufacturer (see the operating manual).

Laptop care

To clean the surface of the laptop and its components, you must first turn it off and disconnect the power adapter. Use a soft, lint-free cloth moistened with special products to clean your laptop. Do not use aerosol sprays, solvents or abrasives that may damage the finish.

Cleaning the laptop screen

To clean your laptop screen, you must first turn off the laptop and unplug the power adapter. Then, after moistening the lint-free cloth with special means (just water is allowed), wipe the screen without spraying liquid directly onto it. It is convenient to use special disposable wipes to clean the screen.

User habits that are harmful to your laptop

Very often, the cause of laptop failure is the bad habits of its owner. For example, a glass of champagne or cola standing next to the laptop, as well as coffee and other rich liquids. If spilled, these liquids cause almost inevitable destruction of the electronic components of the laptop, even if you immediately turn it off.

If any liquid gets inside the laptop case, you should immediately turn it off, disconnect the power adapter and battery, and contact the manufacturer’s authorized service center as soon as possible. Of course, in this case you cannot count on warranty repairs.

A pen, pencil or other foreign object left on a laptop keyboard can cause damage to the screen, which will inevitably lead to expensive repairs, wasted time and nerves.

Anything can happen in life, but don’t forget the main thing - the more careful you treat your laptop, the longer it will last.

A short introduction

So, you finally bought a laptop and want it to last as long as possible. Practice shows that in most cases the cause of malfunctions is improper operation. Below are recommendations on how to use your laptop correctly.

Basic rules

I don’t think anyone needs to be told that laptops don’t like sharp impacts and shaking. First of all, the hard drive suffers from this. The fact is that the head of a hard drive hovers at a very small distance (several tens of nanometers). With sharp impacts and vibrations, it touches the plate, damages it and damages itself. A strong impact can damage the hard drive. It is also worth noting that the heads are parked when turned off. This allows it to withstand higher shocks and vibrations.

The cooling system also suffers from shock and vibration. Often it is pressed against the chips with springs. This is necessary primarily to avoid chipping the crystals due to misalignment. A rather non-plastic mass is used as a thermal interface. When shaking and shocking, it is likely that the cooling system may move back a little due to its relatively large weight and be pressed back by the springs. This results in a very small air gap being formed between the heat sink and the chip, which significantly reduces cooling efficiency. Also, impacts can damage the cooling system itself. The fact is that it is usually soldered from many parts (heat pipes, heat sinks, radiators, etc.). If the soldering is not done very well, then it may break due to shocks and vibrations. In this case, the cooling efficiency drops sharply.

Important Note: If you bought a laptop and it turns off within a few minutes, then you should take it straight to service. Sometimes it happens that during transportation, the box with the laptop fell or was subjected to strong shaking. As a result, the cooling system was damaged (see above). If the laptop does not turn on, then you should also take it to the service. This usually means problems with the southbridge. Solved by replacing the motherboard.

Sometimes there are cases when, due to strong impacts, microcracks can form in the laptop motherboard. This can also lead to the laptop not turning on or behaving incorrectly.

The bumps and shaking were dealt with. Let's consider another very important recommendation. The laptop should not be left for long periods of time on soft surfaces such as a sofa or bed. This is due to the fact that most laptops suck in the bulk of the air to cool the internal components through slots and holes on the bottom. If you block them, the laptop will become very hot until the processor overheating protection is triggered. When it is triggered, it will simply turn off. What could be the consequences of overheating?

Usually nothing bad happens, but in some cases the video card, north and south bridges may fail. The hard drive may also fail, leading to loss of information. This happens because chips have a maximum temperature, after which their structure begins to deteriorate. Usually it is 110-125 degrees. At this temperature, both the chip itself and the contact between the chip and the board are damaged. As a result, the laptop may either not turn on at all due to problems with the chipset, or display various artifacts on the screen due to problems with the video card chip or video memory. The processor fails very rarely.

More details about overheating and methods for cooling a laptop are described in this material:.

If we talk about overheating, then it is worth highlighting one more recommendation: do not close the lid when the laptop is on. Despite the fact that the bulk of the air is sucked in through the bottom of the laptop, some of it is sucked in from the keyboard side. When you close the lid, almost no air is drawn in from the keyboard side and the laptop overheats. A heated keyboard transfers heat to the screen and streaks appear on it. Screens generally don’t like overheating. It's better not to joke about it.

Let's summarize this part:

The laptop should not be beaten or shaken;
The laptop cannot be placed on a soft surface such as a carpet, sofa, bed;
Do not close the lid while the laptop is on.

Now let's look at battery operation.

Battery operating rules

The vast majority of laptops use Li-Ion batteries. This type of battery is quite finicky and requires certain conditions to be met. Let's look at how to use a laptop battery.

First of all, it is worth noting the temperature regime. The operating temperature range for Li-Ion batteries is from 5 to 45 degrees, optimal for operation is 15-25. At such temperatures, the loss of capacity is minimal. If a Li-Ion battery overheats or overcools, the loss of capacity occurs much faster. It is also worth noting that Li-Ion batteries can ignite and explode when overheated.

Battery heating often occurs along with heating of other laptop components. The battery is located not far from them. To reduce the heating of the battery, you need to put something under the rear end of the laptop as described in the first paragraph of this material:. This method works great.

Let's move on. Let's consider the question of how to store the battery. There is an opinion that it is better to remove it from the laptop when working from the network. In practice this doesn't matter much. The best option is to store the battery in the laptop when running on mains power. When designing the laptop, it was taken into account that the battery would always be in it.

Let's look at a few more nuances of using Li-Ion batteries. The main factors that affect battery capacity are the number of charge-discharge cycles and temperature. Li-Ion batteries, unlike NiCd and NiMh, do not have a memory effect. In other words, they do not need to be completely discharged and charged from time to time. Also, do not completely discharge the battery. Li-Ion batteries really don't like this. With a strong discharge, there is a risk that the battery controller simply will not start due to low voltage. As a result, it will be very difficult to restore the battery. Don't get carried away with battery-powered games. The fact is that batteries do not tolerate rapid discharge very well. And if you take into account that during games the laptop along with the battery heats up intensely. The result will be accelerated degradation.

Let's summarize the operation of batteries:

Batteries do not like high or low temperatures. The working range is from 5 to 45 degrees;
The decrease in battery capacity depends on the number of discharge-charge cycles and temperature;
When working from the mains, it is better to store the battery in the laptop;
Playing on battery is not recommended;

Discussion on the forum: Problems with laptop batteries are discussed in this forum thread:

Cleaning your laptop

It is only natural that a laptop will get dirty over time. Let's look at how to properly clean a laptop.

LCD monitor cleaning kits are perfect for cleaning your laptop screen. This usually includes a bottle with a spray bottle and cleaning liquid, as well as a set of napkins or a special microfiber cloth. The latter is more desirable. It is important that the cleaning fluid does not contain solvents. They may damage the screen coating.

The same liquid and cloth can be used to wipe the entire laptop, except the keyboard. It is better to wipe the keyboard with a cloth slightly dampened in regular warm water. The fact is that water in most cases poses minimal risk to the keyboard. Various cleaning solutions, especially if they contain solvents, can easily damage the keyboard. Will have to buy a new one

In addition to external cleaning, do not forget about internal cleaning. Once every few months, it is advisable to clean your laptop from dust. Described in more detail in this material.