Laptop Care

Even though your laptop is a pretty robust piece of kit, you still need to look after it and make sure you do everything to prolong its life. Below is some information on how to make sure your laptop functions at its best at all times, along with some basic “do’s and don’ts”:

First and foremost always keep your laptop in its protective case when not in use and whilst being transported to, from and around school. This will protect against damage whilst you move around and prevent dust and other unwanted substances such as water from entering your laptop.

Don’t walk around school or home with your laptop open and balanced on one hand. Not only can you easily drop your laptop but you should never move your laptop whilst you are logged on as this can cause damage to your hard drive and ultimately your school work.

Use the back-up program provided by the IT department to back-up your school work, there’s nothing worse than losing a terms worth of coursework because you “forgot” to back-up.

Make sure when you close your laptop lid that your laptop hibernates or sleeps, this prevents overheating and maintains your laptops optimum performance.

Never lift or carry your laptop by the screen, tempting though it is, as this will eventually cause damage to your screen and laptop casing.

You should aim to restart your laptop at least once every couple of days, or if you know you’re not going to be using it over the weekend give it a few days off by shutting it down completely.

Try not to consume food of drink over your laptop, not only can they cause damage to components but there’s nothing worse than a keyboard full of crumbs and coffee!

Try not to leave your laptop power cable connected if your laptop is fully charged, they can be a trip hazard and are often the cause of damage to laptops and unamused parents!

If when browsing online you see a window telling you you’ve won a brand new Smart phone, don’t believe it and close the window immediately! These are scams and can leave your laptop infected with viruses and malware.

If you regularly use a USB memory stick or any other protruding device, remove it before moving your laptop as these can be easily broken causing damage to the memory stick and laptop.

If you think there’s a problem of any description with your laptop, don’t ignore it this will only make things worse. Come and see us in the IT Support Office, we’re always happy to help

These are just some of the tips and advice you should follow when using your laptop at in school and at home, if you require any other advice please come and see a member of the IT Support team or email help@sghs.org.uk.