Tip of the week: How to extend the life of a laptop
Provide shelter; Store with care; Unplug before moving; Check the temperature
Provide shelter. Don’t carry the machine around in just a briefcase or suitcase. A laptop case is a necessity. “Even a basic case will provide a good level of protection.”
Store with care. Make sure your laptop is turned off or at least asleep before storing. If you close a computer with a program still running, “a system can get hung up.”
Unplug before moving. Even if you’re just moving across a room, unplug any devices, such as iPods or cameras, that are plugged into the USB ports. “Tugging at a USB port” could do “damage internally.”
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Check the temperature. “High and low temperatures are a computer’s enemy.” Never leave one exposed on a “100-degree day in Houston or a 5-degree day in New England,” because those extremes can do serious damage to a hard drive.
Source: Chicago Tribune
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
The ‘swag gap’: are you better than your partner?
In The Spotlight The viral terminology sheds light on power dynamics in modern relationships
-
Climate change is getting under our skin
Under the radar Skin conditions are worsening because of warming temperatures
-
The ‘Shakespearean bitterness’ of the thermostat wars
Talking Point ‘Genuine physiological differences’ mean women and men are at odds over temperatures at home