Looking after your laptop

A business laptop should last four to five years. How it is treated day to day makes a big difference, both to how long it lasts and to how well it runs. None of the habits below take more than a few seconds.

Keep it cool

Heat is the enemy of laptops. Use it on a desk or a hard surface rather than a bed, sofa or your lap, where the air vents get blocked. If the fan runs loudly all the time, or the laptop is hot to the touch when you are only doing email, let us know; dust inside or a failing fan can be fixed before it causes damage.

Batteries

Modern laptop batteries do not need to be run flat. Leaving a laptop plugged in at your desk is fine, and many business laptops have a setting that limits charging to protect the battery, which we can switch on. Batteries wear out over time, and our monitoring warns us when one is nearing the end of its life. If a battery swells, the case bulges or the trackpad lifts, stop using the laptop, unplug it and contact us straight away.

Cleaning

Turn the laptop off before cleaning. Wipe the screen with a dry microfibre cloth, or one very lightly dampened with water. Never spray anything directly onto the screen or keyboard, and avoid household glass cleaners, which can damage the coating. Crumbs can be removed by tipping the laptop gently on its side or with a soft brush.

Drinks and drops

Keep drinks away from the keyboard. If you do spill something, turn the laptop off immediately, unplug it, turn it upside down to drain, and call us. Do not switch it back on to check, because that is what causes most of the damage. Carry the laptop in a padded bag or sleeve, and close the lid before you move it.

Cables and ports

Pull cables out by the plug, not the wire, and avoid leaving the charger cable bent sharply. A worn charger is a fire risk, so replace it if the cable is frayed. Use the charger that came with the laptop, or a replacement we recommend.

Let it update

Restart at least once a week so updates can finish (see Why your computer asks to restart). Keep files in OneDrive rather than filling the drive, as a nearly full disk slows everything down.