Laptop Repair Tips

Follow these recommendations to maintain and prolong the life span of  your laptop and also protect it from potential physical damage or data loss.

To Protect Your Hard Drive

Hard drives, as well as other internal components, are not indestructible and can easily be damaged by inappropriate handling and operation.

• Avoid bumps or jolts.

• Do not operate the laptop while traveling over bumpy terrain.

• Put the laptop in Standby or shut it down before transporting it. This turns off the hard drive. A drop of a few inches onto a rigid surface while the hard drive is operating could destroy data or damage the drive.

• Carry the laptop in a padded case to protect against bumps and jolts.

• Set down the laptop gently.

To Maintain Your Laptop

• Provide adequate ventilation around the laptop. Always set the laptop on a flat surface, so that air can flow freely around and underneath it.

• Always shut down the laptop or put it in Hibernation mode before putting it in a carrying case or other enclosed space.

• Do not pick up or carry the laptop by its display.

• Do not use the laptop outside in the rain or snow (inclement weather). If the laptop is cold, warm it gradually to avoid condensation.

• Maintain your battery pack for best performance.

To Safeguard Your Data

• Do not use a pointing device or activate any other device that interrupts operation while the system is starting or stopping.

• Back up your work regularly. Copy files to flash drives, CDs, DVDs, and other media, or network drives. For a detailed explanation on how to back up your data click here

• Use a virus-scanning program to check your files and operating system.

To Extend the Life of the Display

• Set the display brightness to the lowest comfortable level.

• When working at your desk, connect an external monitor and turn off the internal display

•  If you are not using an external monitor, set the Turn off monitor timeouts (for both AC and battery pack operation) to the shortest comfortable interval.

• Avoid using a screen saver or other software that prevents the laptop from changing to Display-off or Standby mode after a timeout period. If you use a screen saver, enable the option to shut off the display after a time delay.

• Do not disable Display-off or Standby timeouts.

• If you are using AC power and have no external monitor attached, put the laptop in Standby mode when not in use.

To Clean Your Laptop

• You can clean the laptop with a soft cloth dampened with clean water or with water containing a mild detergent. Do not use an excessively wet cloth, and take care to keep water out of the case.

• Do not use abrasive cleaners, especially on the display. Do not apply any cleaner directly to the display. Instead, apply the cleaner to a soft cloth, then gently wipe the display.

Battery Packs and Power Management

When you are running your laptop on battery power, you can maximize operating time without compromising performance. Your laptop is designed to help you reduce power consumption and extend battery life. During idle periods, the laptop automatically enters power-saving modes after specified timeout periods. You can adjust these timeouts to suit your working habits.

To Check Battery Status

From the battery status light » Check the battery status light on the laptop.

From the Windows taskbar

The Windows taskbar can display a power icon that provides detailed battery status information The icon resembles a battery when a battery pack is the laptop’s sole source of power.

• Place the pointer over the power icon to display the remaining battery charge. This value is shown as either a percentage of charge remaining or as time remaining.

• Select the power icon to open the Battery Meter window.

Battery Packs and Power Management

From the Windows Control Panel » Select Start > Control Panel > Performance and Maintenance > Power Options, then select the Power Meter tab to see the battery status.

On the battery pack

1. Remove the battery pack from the laptop.

2. Press the contact pad on the side of the battery pack. The number of lights that turn on indicates the remaining charge (each light represents 20 percent of a full charge).

To Respond to a Low-Battery Warning

The laptop automatically alerts you when the battery power drops to a critically low level. The laptop first emits a high-pitched beep or displays a warning message. Then, if you do not restore power within a short time, the laptop goes into Hibernation. After the laptop enters Hibernation in this way, you will not be able to turn it on again until you restore power by doing one of the following procedures:

• Replace the battery pack with a charged one.

• Plug in the AC adapter.

To Recharge the Battery Pack

CAUTION: The AC adapter is normally warm when plugged into an AC outlet. The laptop is normally warm while recharging. Do not recharge the laptop in a briefcase or other confined space, or the battery pack could overheat. Plug the AC adapter into the laptop. Charging can take several hours. If you continue working while the battery pack charges, the charging time may increase. The operating time for a fully charged battery pack depends on the laptop model, power management settings, and level of use.

To Get the Most from Your Battery Packs

Follow these suggestions to make your battery power last as long as possible:

• Plug in the AC adapter, especially when using a CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive, or any external connections such as a PC Card or a modem.

• Set the display brightness to the lowest comfortable level.

• Put the laptop in Standby when you will not be using it for a short while.

• Put the laptop in Hibernation whenever you want to save your current session but will not be using the laptop for a day or more.

• Set the automatic timeout settings to emphasize saving power. If your laptop has a multi speed processor, use the lower speed on battery power (the default settings conserve battery power).

• If your laptop has a wireless on-off button, turn off the wireless function when you are not using it. Press the wireless on-off button to turn off the light.

• If you have a PC Card, such as a network card, remove it when you are not using it. Some PC Cards use significant power even while they are inactive.

• If you work with an application that uses the serial port or a PC Card, exit the application when you finish using it. In addition, follow these suggestions to extend the life of your battery packs:

• Do not leave battery packs unused for long periods. If you have more than one, rotate them.

• Unplug the AC adapter when the laptop is not in use.

• If the laptop will be unused and unplugged for more than 2 weeks, remove and store the battery pack.

• To prevent damage to the battery pack, do not expose it to high temperatures for extended periods of time.

• High temperatures accelerate the self-discharge rate of a stored battery pack. To prolong the charge of a stored battery pack, place it in a cool, dry location.

• To maintain the accuracy of battery charge displays, calibrate a battery pack that has been stored for one month or more before using it.

• Avoid using or charging battery packs at high temperatures.