With the rapid technology growth and increasing demand ,laptops are becoming very common to use in this generation. But a very few of us are aware of the things that to keep in mind for its effective use. Though one can Google about it and know the tips, it will be very boring (for some of us) to go through all the sites that the google search lists and it will consume most of the useful time of us(ofcourse I did not find anything useful to do than this, to kill my time when I was writing this) J.By keeping all these things in mind I am providing some of the tips.
Basic Tips:
1. Make sure that you always use a surge protector
2. Don't get into a habit of leaving your laptop on the floor
3. Never leave your laptop in a cold environment.
4. Never keep your paperwork between the screen and keypad
5. Avoid placing your laptop on soft surfaces
Laptop battery tips for power users:
1.Use the operating system's power-management features (in Windows XP, under PowerOptions in the Control Panel; or in Vista, under Mobile PC in the Control Panel) to set aggressive targets for when the display will go dark (say, after five minutes of inactivity) and when the machine will slip into sleep mode (no longer than ten minutes of inactivity). And if you can spare the extra time it takes for the machine to resume, set the PC to hibernate, not just sleep, when you close the lid.
Standby mode
Use standby to save power when you will be away from the computer for a short time while working - your monitor and hard disks turn off, all applications and open files are stored in RAM. When you want to use the computer again, it comes out of standby quickly, and your desktop is restored exactly as you left it.
Hibernation Mode
Use hibernation to save power when you will be away from the computer for an extended time while working - your computer shuts down to save power but first saves everything in memory on your hard disk. When you restart the computer, your desktop is restored exactly as you left it.
When you choose Start, Turn Off Computer in Windows XP, your options are Stand By, Turn Off, and Restart. To Hibernate, place the cursor over Stand By, then hold down Shift and click.
2. Don't Be Performance Hungry
Unless you're running high-order mathematical calculations on that long plane ride,chances are you don't need all the processing power your CPU is capable of giving.So in Vista, select the "Power saver" power plan (found in the Control Panel, inthe Power Options section) to extend battery life when on DC power, and leave the 3D gaming for when you're near an AC outlet.
3. Dim the Lights
Turn down the brightness of the LCD panel (via the Function-key combo, or in the Control Panel's Display Settings dialog) to the lowest level you can tolerate. The backlight sucks power like the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree.
4. Banish Non-Essential Components
When you aren't actively using the Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and IR radios, turn them off (via the hard switch, if your PC has it, or in the appropriate utility set), so they don't trickle you dry trying to connect. Also, use USB-attached devices only when absolutely necessary. They aren't getting their power from positive ions in the air, you know.
5. Watch Scheduled Tasks
Be sure that your periodic virus scan is set to a time when you're usually plugged in; running a full-disk virus check keeps the hard drive and CPU fully engaged for the better part of an hour.
6. 6. Save battery power by minimizing use of the CD drive, and particularly the DVD drive.
7. 7. Remove all PC cards from their slots when not in use
8. Preserve battery life by allowing your battery to fully drain before you recharge it
How to extend laptop battery life?
1. If you do not use your laptop for extended periods of time (a week or more), remove the battery pack from the laptop.
2. Do not expose the battery to high heat or freezing temperatures. Do not leave your battery in your car in the summer. Hot batteries discharge very quickly, and cold ones can't create as much power.
3. Make sure to plug your laptop charger adapter into a UPS and not directly into a power outlet or surge protector.
4. If you have a nickel-metal hydride battery, completely drain and recharge the battery once a month to maximize its capacity to hold a charge.
5. Fully charge new battery packs before use. New pack needs to be fully charged and discharged (cycled) a few times before it can condition to full capacity.
6. For laptops that work as Desktop Replacement, the battery should be re-installed every 3-4 weeks and allowed to fully discharge.
7. Leaving a battery in a laptop while using an electrical outlet for long periods of time will keep the battery in a constant state of charging up and that will reduce the life cycle of the battery
Other tips:
Ø Keep your laptop well away from magnetic sources like television sets.
Ø Keep the keyboard and mouse at the edge of the worksurface that is set 1" below or equal to your sitting elbow height.
Ø Move the laptop close enough so you do not hold your head forward to see what is on the screen.
Ø Raise the laptop so the top of the screen is at your straight-ahead vision.
Ø Sit back in the chair and keep your head directly over your shoulders.
Ø Do not lean on the worksurface while typing; keep your elbows in line with your shoulders, hanging loosely at your sides.
Ø Never drop your wrists on the "wristrest" of the laptop.
Ø Use keyboard commands whenever possible.
Some Shortcuts:
Ø Windows-D: Minimizes all open windows so you can see the desktop. A second tap restores them.
Ø Windows-E: Opens Windows Explorer (the file-management tool, not the browser). This is much quicker than right-clicking the Start button and then Explore, or trying to find Explorer in the Start menu.
Ø Windows-F: Launches Windows' search tool (remember "F" for "find").
