Anything that is machine
requires maintenance. Your laptop is one of the crucial machines that
require tweaks from time to time. There are many things you can do to
keep it in good shape. Some may involve even replacing the parts but it
is still economical than getting a new laptop.
Here are some tips that will extend your laptop’s age.
1. Take Hold of your toolkit – Your toolkit should have -
• Screwdriver set
• Can of compressed air
• Alcohol wipes
• Rubbing compound
• Non-ammonia-based cleaner
• Paper towels, cotton swabs
• Synthetic cleaning cloth
• New clock battery
• Thermal paste
• Tri-Flow spray lubricant (that contains
Teflon)
• CD cleaning disc
• Replacement rubber feet
• X-Acto knife
• Small bowls to hold parts
• Burn-in and battery health software
• Fine-grit sandpaper (both 320- or 400-grit and 600-grit)
• Fine steel wool
2. Opening Your Laptop - Single back panels – You can begin by taking the battery out and turning the machine over. In case of a single back panel, once the locking screw is taken out and the latch is opened, the entire panel slides right off. Take a close look out for burn or scorch marks. You must replace any scorched wires or ensure to wrap them individually in electrical tape or heat shrink tubing.
3. Opening Your Lapton- Multiple back panels – There are some laptops that come with individual trap doors lying beneath the laptop for RAM, the hard drive and other parts. You can look for Phillips-head screws around the place where the case of the laptop has a square or rectangular cutout. There may be two or three of these hatches with small logos to display what it contains. Once you have loosened the screws, you can take the panel off. You can now look out for burn or scorch marks and follow the same step as stated in point number 2.
4. Blowing Air into the ports – You can work your way to the edge of the system with a can of compressed air and start blowing air through all the ports, vents and openings for the audio, USB, networking, DisplayPort, modem, etc. Finally, ensure that the system's cooling vents bringing in cool air expelling heat. You must clean it to ensure passage of fresh air.
5. Keeping the fan quiet – If you have a fan that’s squeaking, it can lead to the system getting overheated and shutting down. You can make it quiet by putting oil. Once you have taken the fan's label off, you need to keep it aside – as it has the part number for finding a replacement. You can then spray the tip of a cotton swab with lubricant and dab it around the fan's center axle while turning the fan blade to get the lubricant in.
6. Replacing the fan – You can order a new fan online. It can cost something like $15. Once you have removed the pair of Philips head screws from the fan's bracket and unplugged its power cord, you can take out the fan. You can now blow out remaining dust from the fan assembly and its nearby areas.
7. Checking if the heat (sink) is on – Once the fan has been removed, you can check the CPU's thermal paste, that is responsible for transferring heat from the processor to the heat sink and can dry out with time. Once you have loosened the four heat sink bolts, you can slip the heat sink and the copper heat pipe out. In case the paste is dry, take it out with an alcohol wipe. Put a little thermal paste over the surface spreading it out and putting the heat sink back on top of the processor. You can then wipe away an excess paste with a fresh alcohol wipe, putp the heat pipe back into its place near the side vent. Tighten the screws ensuring that everything fits securely.
8. Making contact – Once all the components are out, you can wipe every place that the component makes an electrical contact with the use of pre-moistened alcohol pads. You can also use a cotton swab and isopropyl alcohol for doing this. You need to now sequentially go through the RAM, hard drive, battery and CD drive, and clean all the contacts.
9. Cleaning the keypad – You can use a can of compressed air to blow out dirt and dust that's settled over time under the keypad. You must also take extra care to clean the space bar and blow away as much stuff as you can. You can finish by wiping the keys and nearby plastic components with a synthetic cleaning cloth.
10. Installation of a new keyboard – Once you have removed the three Philips head screws in the back that hold the keyboard in place, you can pry the keyboard loose and take out its ribbon cable connector. You simply need to connect the new keyboard now and put it in place by tightening the screws.
11. Changing the clock battery – Before replacing the keyboard, you must change the button battery powering the system's internal clock. You can take the keyboard out, pull the yellow battery free of its adhesive and take out its cable. Finally, press the new battery pack to the motherboard, plugging its cable in and putting the keyboard in place.
12. A Shining screen – You can coat the screen with a non-ammonia-based window cleaner and carefully wipe the screen's surface with a paper towel. You must also ensure to clean the webcam and any other visual part.
13. A general cleaning – Once you are done cleaning the screen, you must wipe the touch pad and its rim with a cotton swab soaked with the cleaner. At the time of cleaning the bottom panel of the unit, you must ensure that the panel is taken off and away from the system to prevent spraying cleanser into the works.
14. Smoothing out scratches – You can start this process by gently working a mildly abrasive rubbing compound like Turtle Wax into the scratches in a circular motion. Once it is wiped clean, you can repeat the process with a less aggressive polishing compound.
15. Removing plastic scratches – You can remove these by using a little amount of elbow grease. You can begin with some 320- or 400-grit wet sandpaper. You need to keep the paper wet for if the paper dries out, the sanding will leave scratches. You should softly sand around and over the scratches, smoothening the depression until it vanishes. You can then repeat this process using a 600-grit paper for finishing up.
Here are some tips that will extend your laptop’s age.1. Take Hold of your toolkit – Your toolkit should have -
• Screwdriver set
• Can of compressed air
• Alcohol wipes
• Rubbing compound
• Non-ammonia-based cleaner
• Paper towels, cotton swabs
• Synthetic cleaning cloth
• New clock battery
• Thermal paste
• Tri-Flow spray lubricant (that contains
Teflon)
• CD cleaning disc
• Replacement rubber feet
• X-Acto knife
• Small bowls to hold parts
• Burn-in and battery health software
• Fine-grit sandpaper (both 320- or 400-grit and 600-grit)
• Fine steel wool
2. Opening Your Laptop - Single back panels – You can begin by taking the battery out and turning the machine over. In case of a single back panel, once the locking screw is taken out and the latch is opened, the entire panel slides right off. Take a close look out for burn or scorch marks. You must replace any scorched wires or ensure to wrap them individually in electrical tape or heat shrink tubing.
3. Opening Your Lapton- Multiple back panels – There are some laptops that come with individual trap doors lying beneath the laptop for RAM, the hard drive and other parts. You can look for Phillips-head screws around the place where the case of the laptop has a square or rectangular cutout. There may be two or three of these hatches with small logos to display what it contains. Once you have loosened the screws, you can take the panel off. You can now look out for burn or scorch marks and follow the same step as stated in point number 2.
4. Blowing Air into the ports – You can work your way to the edge of the system with a can of compressed air and start blowing air through all the ports, vents and openings for the audio, USB, networking, DisplayPort, modem, etc. Finally, ensure that the system's cooling vents bringing in cool air expelling heat. You must clean it to ensure passage of fresh air.
5. Keeping the fan quiet – If you have a fan that’s squeaking, it can lead to the system getting overheated and shutting down. You can make it quiet by putting oil. Once you have taken the fan's label off, you need to keep it aside – as it has the part number for finding a replacement. You can then spray the tip of a cotton swab with lubricant and dab it around the fan's center axle while turning the fan blade to get the lubricant in.
6. Replacing the fan – You can order a new fan online. It can cost something like $15. Once you have removed the pair of Philips head screws from the fan's bracket and unplugged its power cord, you can take out the fan. You can now blow out remaining dust from the fan assembly and its nearby areas.
7. Checking if the heat (sink) is on – Once the fan has been removed, you can check the CPU's thermal paste, that is responsible for transferring heat from the processor to the heat sink and can dry out with time. Once you have loosened the four heat sink bolts, you can slip the heat sink and the copper heat pipe out. In case the paste is dry, take it out with an alcohol wipe. Put a little thermal paste over the surface spreading it out and putting the heat sink back on top of the processor. You can then wipe away an excess paste with a fresh alcohol wipe, putp the heat pipe back into its place near the side vent. Tighten the screws ensuring that everything fits securely.
8. Making contact – Once all the components are out, you can wipe every place that the component makes an electrical contact with the use of pre-moistened alcohol pads. You can also use a cotton swab and isopropyl alcohol for doing this. You need to now sequentially go through the RAM, hard drive, battery and CD drive, and clean all the contacts.
9. Cleaning the keypad – You can use a can of compressed air to blow out dirt and dust that's settled over time under the keypad. You must also take extra care to clean the space bar and blow away as much stuff as you can. You can finish by wiping the keys and nearby plastic components with a synthetic cleaning cloth.
10. Installation of a new keyboard – Once you have removed the three Philips head screws in the back that hold the keyboard in place, you can pry the keyboard loose and take out its ribbon cable connector. You simply need to connect the new keyboard now and put it in place by tightening the screws.
11. Changing the clock battery – Before replacing the keyboard, you must change the button battery powering the system's internal clock. You can take the keyboard out, pull the yellow battery free of its adhesive and take out its cable. Finally, press the new battery pack to the motherboard, plugging its cable in and putting the keyboard in place.
12. A Shining screen – You can coat the screen with a non-ammonia-based window cleaner and carefully wipe the screen's surface with a paper towel. You must also ensure to clean the webcam and any other visual part.
13. A general cleaning – Once you are done cleaning the screen, you must wipe the touch pad and its rim with a cotton swab soaked with the cleaner. At the time of cleaning the bottom panel of the unit, you must ensure that the panel is taken off and away from the system to prevent spraying cleanser into the works.
14. Smoothing out scratches – You can start this process by gently working a mildly abrasive rubbing compound like Turtle Wax into the scratches in a circular motion. Once it is wiped clean, you can repeat the process with a less aggressive polishing compound.
15. Removing plastic scratches – You can remove these by using a little amount of elbow grease. You can begin with some 320- or 400-grit wet sandpaper. You need to keep the paper wet for if the paper dries out, the sanding will leave scratches. You should softly sand around and over the scratches, smoothening the depression until it vanishes. You can then repeat this process using a 600-grit paper for finishing up.
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