Laptop (or Notebook) computers have replaced conventional Desktop or Tower computers for a vast segment of the computing society. The reason is obvious: Instead of having one computer for your home or office and another when traveling, why not just have the one, compact, quieter computer for both? This makes perfect sense, and if you can live with the smaller screen and less-than-ideal keyboard of a laptop, why not spend a little more and get rid of one computer? As long as you're aware of the risks / feature differences, a laptop is an excellent choice for your only computer.

Some of the considerations are:

The Name, Itself:

Calling these devices "Laptops" is a misnomer. You should never put one directly on your lap. Here's why:

1. When you set a laptop computer on your legs, you block airflow to the fans that keep the computer cool, causing the processor to run too hot, damaging the processor and other internal components. At a minimum this causes premature component failure. At a maximum, depending on the processor model and case design, you can actually cause the system to crash from processor overheating, losing all your work.
2. Placing the computer on your lap with any connectors (keyboard, mouse, power cord, USB drive, etc.) is very dangerous. As the computer sinks in, the connectors are pressed up, stressing the connections. Eventually they break, causing very expensive repairs (see below.)
   By the same token, using your laptop computer on a bed or on a carpeted floor causes the same problem with new additions. The cooling fans in the bottom of the case suck fibers into the computer off your floor or bedding, clogging the heat sink that is part of the processor cooling mechanism. When your laptop starts shutting down on its own, this may well be the cause. Fixing this requires completely disassembling the computer to remove the "carpeting" that has clogged the heat sink.
3. The simple solution is to set your laptop on a cutting board, TV tray, drawing / drafting board or other flat surface that provides support (and even a place for a "real" mouse to be used) and allows air flow around the case.

Fragility:

While it's true that laptop computers are made to be moved around from place-to-place on a more-or-less regular basis, there are components of these computers that simply don't tolerate a lot of abuse. First, foremost and most expensively on the list is the display. The LCD display in any laptop computer is the most expensive component. If you break it, don't bother calling around for a quote, (seriously, don't call us. It's a waste of your time and ours)  just connect an external monitor, back up your data and scrap the computer. The cost of LCD replacement is typically $600 - $1,000 after you factor in the parts and labor. This isn't factoring in the loss of use, and it's common for this type of repair to take over a week due to simply waiting for parts (almost no one stocks LCD panels for every possible make and model.)

Proprietary Components:

All laptops are unique unto their specific make and model. Parts, with few exceptions are not interchangeable, so when you break a case component, lose a key, pour coffee into the keyboard, have your touch pad fail or break off a thumb drive in one of your USB ports, it's going to be an expensive problem.

Power Supply Connectors:

Sooner or later, unless you're incredibly careful, you're going to break the power supply connector on the back or side of your laptop. The exceptions to this rule are MacBook and MacBook Pro users, as Apple in their infinite wisdom, engineered a magnetic power connector which is nearly impossible to break. We see several laptops a week with broken connectors. It'll cost you over $200 to band-aid this problem and it will always be fragile from the point of repair on. No matter who replaces this connector, (assuming you haven't broken the main circuit board in the process) the end result will be a connection not nearly as robust as the original factory-installed jack. To avoid this problem, never push the laptop up against any solid surface, do not move the laptop with the power cord (or any other device) plugged into the computer and always insert and remove the connector in a straight motion (don't wiggle it from side to side.) On this same topic, never lift the front of the notebook. When you lift up the front, it pivots at the back, bending the connectors plugged into the back (USB devices, keyboard, mouse, power connector) and eventually they break the motherboard or connectors -- a very expensive problem. Lift the entire device straight up to increase its life span.

Transporting Your Notebook:

Treat your laptop gently. Don't drop it, bang it into anything, and don't transport it with wireless adaptors or cables connected. We've had dozens of computers come into our shop with wireless adaptors sticking out of the housing. Most of them are bent if not broken. Anything that protrudes from the case is at risk of being broken off. In the process, the internal connector in the computer is frequently broken as well -- not repairable -- don't bother asking.

We also get a lot of notebooks coming in with the power cable plugged in, and usually, the reason the laptop is in our shop is for an intermittent power connector. Think there's a "connection" between these two situations? The power connector is the single highest failure component in a laptop computer because it is the one connector that gets the most use. Plugging in and unplugging these connectors on a regular basis creates a lot of "normal" wear and tear. When it's done in a hurry or in frustration, actual damage occurs in the process. Treat all notebook connectors gently and they'll last a lot longer.

Get the best case you can afford for your notebook. Targus makes excellent cases and leather seems to be better padded than Cordura. Never transport your laptop without the case zipped shut. We've had laptops sail right out of unzipped cases, and while they seem to be pretty aerodynamic, they fall short on landing capabilities...

Wireless adaptor breakage:

While this only applies to older laptops without integrated Wi-Fi and computers with Wireless (Cellular) adaptors, it bears mention based on the number of times we've seen customers transporting their laptop with these PCMCIA devices plugged into the computer. This is a very dangerous practice, as it's incredibly easy to inadvertently bump the protruding adaptor into a solid object, breaking the adaptor (and the Cellular devices are fairly pricey) and, in some cases, permanently damaging the PCMCIA connector. When this happens, the cost of repairs frequently exceeds the value of the computer. Always remove any devices that extend beyond the edge of the laptop housing before transporting it. Be sure and keep the anti-static bag the device came in and use it for storage. A small static discharge can destroy one of these expensive adaptors.

USB port breakage:

Along the same lines as wireless adaptors, with the popularity of thumb drives, usb wireless mice in both bluetooth and radio wave, we've seen quite a few damaged USB ports in laptops. When this happens, it's simply not something you can repair, as the port is soldered onto the motherboard and repair costs are very high. Again, always remove any devices that extend beyond the edge of the laptop case before transporting it.

Hard Drive damage:

Simply shutting the lid too hard can destroy a spinning hard drive. Likewise, moving the computer while the drive is in motion can result in drive damage, data loss and an expensive repair bill. Unfortunately, most PC laptops (Apple uses magnetic catches) use mechanical latches to hold the lid closed. Over time, they can become touchy to operate, requiring more force to close the lid. This can be bad for your hard drive if you don't shut the computer down before closing the lid. With most laptops, when you close the lid, Windows saves your work in a hibernation file and spins down the drive. However... This does not happen immediately, so give the computer a minute or two to accomplish this task before whisking it away to its new location.

Moving the computer while the drive is spinning:

Did you ever play with a gyroscope as a child? Remember the centrifugal force you felt when you picked it up and waved your hand around while holding the gyroscope? You'd feel the exact same thing if you picked up a spinning Hard Drive and waved it around. This creates incredible G-Forces in the drive, which can physically damage the drive in the process. This is exactly what happens when you carry your laptop around while its running. This is a very risky activity if you care about any of your data. Another sure-fire way to destroy a Hard Drive is to close the lid too hard while the computer is still running -- or in the process of shutting down. The Hard Drive is, in most cases, under the front edge of the laptop. When the lid is closed with too much force, that force is imparted straight to the spinning Hard Drive directly below. We've had quite a few Data Recovery projects as a direct result. Again, be nice to your Laptop and it will last a lot longer.

Cleaning the screen:

Most people don't seem to clean their notebook screens from what we can tell. Generally speaking, when any laptop computer comes in for service, the entire screen is covered with dust and fingerprints (sometimes jelly and other food bits) making it difficult to use in bright light. I assume this is because most users are afraid to damage the screen by cleaning it -- not an unreasonable position to take. Here's my recommendation: To keep from having to actually "clean" the screen, regularly take a feather duster to the surface and get rid of the dust build-up. When actual "Cleaning" is necessary, find a large electronics supply house and ask them for LCD screen cleaner. There are products made specifically for cleaning plastic. The product you want is in an aerosol can and dispenses a foaming cleanser that won't soak into or run off into the electronic components. It's a good idea to turn off the computer while doing this -- and use a soft cloth -- and don't press too hard. Be gentle.

Sony Partitions:

If you have a Sony VAIO Notebook you're going to run out of drive space sooner or later. You can thank Sony for this problem, as their installation disks REQUIRE you to partition the drive into two partitions -- a C: (boot) partition and a D: partition. During the installation process you can choose from (typically) 3 sizes for the C: partition, but even the largest partition is too small to last most users more that a year or two. We've had lots of clients with this problem. You can buy yourself some time by moving your Temporary Internet Files to the D: drive and relocating your My Documents to that partition as well, but if you're like most people with roughly a zillion applications installed, you'll run out of space eventually.

Liquids in the keyboard:

If you spill ANYTHING in the laptop keyboard (or anywhere else in the computer) pull the power plug immediately and remove the battery. Don't do anything else! Call a repair shop immediately so the damage can be mitigated. If you spilled water into the laptop, this advice will likely save your computer and your data. If you spill anything other than water into your laptop (coffee, milkshake, soda, etc.) it needs an immediate cleaning and it will be an expensive repair bill, so prepare yourself for that eventuality. The best approach is to keep all liquids far away from your laptop.

Password Protection:

While we certainly don't discourage password protection of something as easily stolen as a laptop, you need to know the ramifications of enabling password protection. When you password-protect your login, the process of getting your data off the hard drive (when your display breaks or your motherboard fails) becomes much more costly, as it takes a lot longer to remove all the permissions on your folders to get to the data. If you maintain regular and complete backups, this won't be an issue. If you don't...

Another issue altogether is a CMOS or Boot-level password. If you forget the password you assigned in CMOS, in some cases you MUST send the notebook back to the manufacturer to get the computer unlocked. With some systems, the hard drive is unreadable. Most laptops have an option to remove these CMOS passwords (we have to disassemble the computer to do it), but not all, so carefully consider the decision to setup a boot-level password on your computer. We've had clients who, out of sheer paranoia, changed their boot password -- then forgot it the next day. This was a very expensive mistake that involved Fedex and a lot of stress.

Warren Paul Harris

Warren Harris owns and operates The Computer Wizard in Plano, Texas

The Computer Wizard
3131 Custer Road, Ste 175
Plano, TX 75075
972.781.0011
www.thecomputerwizard.biz