1. As laptops are portable they may be unknowingly left in places that are either too cold or too hot. In both the cases there is the risk of losing important data or causing damage to the laptop or its components. Leaving the laptop in the boot of your car may expose it to extremes of temperature.
2. Don't eat or drink while you are working with the laptop. Your laptop can get damaged if any liquid or food is spilled over it. If nothing else you may lose your important data which may take a lot of time to reconstruct. If you feel hungry or thirsty then take a break from working on your laptop and return after finishing your food or drink.
3. Don't dismantle your laptop for any reason. Unlike Desktop PCs laptops are delicately constructed involving precision work. You may inadvertently damage the internal parts or lose important data. Don't let your curiosity let you do something silly with your laptop. Leave it to the experts.
4. Don't buy a laptop if you are a hardcore gamer. Games are frequently upgraded and require more advanced graphics cards and you cannot upgrade or add any components to your laptop. Those interested in playing the latest versions of games will soon find that their laptops have become outdated. On the other hand most desktop computers have provision for upgrading and adding latest graphics cards and other components like processor and memory chips.
5. As in the case of gaming if your work involves a lot of multimedia applications you will soon find that your laptop has become out dated. The latest versions of multimedia applications keep pace with the latest computer hardware upgrades. As the laptop cannot be upgraded to match with the latest multimedia applications it is better to go for a desktop computer with provision to upgrade.
6. Because laptops are portable your friends or family members may request to borrow your laptop. You cannot be sure how and where they are going to use your laptop. This is important if you have any vital data on your laptop. The person who borrows the laptop from you may use it to visit unsafe internet sites that may contain malware which can potentially cause damage to your software and hardware. Usually you have to spend more on fixing your laptop than a desktop.
7. The high value and lightweight of laptops make them the target of thieves. It is important to make sure that you never put your laptop out of your sight when you are on the move. Don't ever leave you laptop unattended. If you have to leave it out then put it in the care of someone else who is known to you or officials working in the place you are visiting. Don't leave it in your car if possible. If you have to leave it in your car then make sure it is not visible from outside. Keep it under the seat or at least under something like a newspaper. Even if your laptop is not stolen you can easily lose it by picking up the wrong bag as many laptop bags look similar and it is easy to pick up someone else's laptop by mistake if you are not careful.
8. These days many laptops are being lost or damaged or get exchanged at airports. At the airport X-ray machine put your laptop in a bin first. Put the laptop bag in front of it and then put the bin with your belt, wallet, shoes, etc. behind your laptop and then your carryon bag, so that your laptop is protected in between them. On the other side pick up your laptop first and put it in the bag before the other things come crashing on it. This way your laptop is separated from the belongings of the persons in front and behind you. Avoid carrying the laptop in its standard black bag with the company logo on it as it can be easily identified. Put it in a bright bag and tag it properly so that you can easily recognize it.
9. Because laptops can be used anywhere, people neglect ergonomics and use their laptops using wrong body postures that can result in body aches and pains. It is common to find people lying on bed or slouching in the couch when using their laptops. After using laptops for long hours many people feel tension, tiredness, neck and upper back pain. The inbuilt keyboard and mouse pads may cause soreness, swelling and pain in the wrists after being used for long hours. The solution is to make sure that when you are using the laptop for more than an hour at a time, place it so that the screen is at eye level and use independent keyboard and mouse pad.
10. The life of your laptop can get reduced drastically due to constant overheating. To prevent this you should take the following steps. Clean your laptop's ventilation system with compressed air once every week. Turn it off before putting it in the bag or at least place it in hibernation so that no heat is generated. It should never be placed in a confined space while in operation. Always place the laptop on a hard surface and never on soft surfaces like soft beds, blankets or comforters as these can block fans and air vents causing heat buildup. Before buying a laptop it is advisable to read reviews and avoid those models in which the heat buildup is more. Install software that can monitor the temperatures of the processors, hard drives and other components of your laptop.
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