A laptop is much like the human body. It can get sick, or even die, or thrive and present a sense of life. The laptop battery is the heart powering the rest of the laptop’s organs. Like the human body, a laptop requires a good deal of care and attention. Letting your laptop atrophy will only lead to performance problems. While you cannot feed your laptop chicken noodle soup or give it vitamins, there are still some key things you can do to keep your laptop healthy.

Taking Care of Your Battery

The battery is what powers your machine. While most notebook owners have their machines plugged into AC power frequently, the advantage laptops have over normal desktops is the ability to unplug. Whether you have a Dell or Apple laptop, battery power is what keeps you working. Probably the best thing you can do for your Compaq laptop battery is to get rid of any problems in the immediate vicinity of your laptop. Avoid using your laptop in direct sunlight or anywhere hot. Avoid places with excessive moisture as well. Cool and dry is the way to go. Even older laptops can lose a charge over time. You may consider getting a replacement or a spare that you can swap out on the fly.

Caring For Your Laptop Computer Extends Lifespan

Viruses and Malware

• Viruses and malware are considered diseases to computers. Just about every computer owner gets at least one over the course of the machine’s lifespan. Viruses can be a bit of a sticky business, and the best way to cure them is to prevent them from ever getting onto your computer.
• Avoid clicking questionable links online
• Do not download attachments from emails that you do not recognize
• Install a firewall to keep your machine secure
• Overall, you should be fine so long as you don’t click willy-nilly.

In the event that you do get a virus, removal can be as easy as scanning or as difficult as reformatting your hard drive. The former should work in most all cases. Virus scanners can locate viruses and Trojans in your computer and quarantine or remove them properly. There are numerous virus scanners on the market. Windows provides its own security service on authorized machines running the operating system. For those not running Windows or looking for an alternative, free anti-virus programs, like avast!, AVG, and others are available and can get the job done without breaking the bank.