Wharton Computing Student Support

Caring For Your Laptop

The purchase of a laptop is a big investment; therefore it’s vital that you take appropriate steps to protect it. Laptops are very fragile and can be easily damaged.  You need to take great care in the usage, handling and transport of your laptop.  A damaged laptop can cause loss of important data or programs and it can be very time consuming and expensive to fix. Below is a list of important tips for taking care of your laptop.  Such a list can serve as a constant reminder of steps you can take to keep your laptop safe.

• Do not place your laptop on uneven or unstable work area surfaces.
• Do not expose your computer to liquids or moisture.  Be very careful when eating or drinking near your laptop.
• Take care not to drop or place heavy objects onto the laptop.
• Do not expose your laptop to dirty or dusty environments.
• Keep your laptop off the floor.
• Avoid walking around with the laptop open and running.  You could trip and severely damage the laptop.
• Do not expose your laptop to extreme heat (122°F, 50°C) or extreme cold (below 0°C, 32°F) or direct sunlight.
• Keep your laptop away from strong magnetic or electrical fields.
• Try to not touch, splatter liquids, etc. onto the screen.  The screens are fragile and can get scratched or distorted. Do not use regular window cleaners to clean your laptop screen. You can purchase laptop screen cleaning kits from most computer supply stores.
• Try to always carry your laptop in a backpack, carry bag, etc that has a protective pocket specifically made for laptops.  Do not carry an unprotected laptop in your backpack along with your books etc.  Laptops can be easily damaged being carried around and unprotected in a regular backpack.  If you must carry your laptop in an unprotected backpack try to wrap it with bubble wrap, foam rubber, etc.

If you don’t already have a backpack that has a protective pocket for laptops, we recommend that you purchase one.  More information on protective backpacks can be found at:

http://mobileoffice.about.com/od/packingyourmobilegear/a/bglaptopcase.htm