Learn How to Take Care of Your Laptop, Notebook or Netbook and Save on Repair Bills

It should be obvious that a netbook or any other piece of electronic equipment can be damaged by careless use. Consideration is given to many of the causes of damage to your netbook.

The laptop screen can easily be damaged if it is distorted or dropped. The netbook should still be usable if the damage is minor, however the image quality will probably be ruined. If the screen is more severely damaged then a crack or cracks might be seen with what looks like ink leaking from the cracks. The netbook might be unusable as the display will not be complete. If there's a dim display then it is likely that the screen lamp has failed, again rendering the netbook unusable. Be very careful to handle the laptop with care as high g forces or distortion in the lid during opening can render the display useless.

The hard drive can easily be damaged if the netbook is banged or subject to g forces whilst it is turned on. Generally, bad blocks and hard disk drive errors may be created that if minor, will cause occasional errors in programs or Windows, but if severe will prevent Windows from launching. When the netbook is turned off the hard drive parks its heads, safeguarding against minor g forces, so a severe g force or drop would be required to damage the hard disk when the netbook is turned off. When a laptop is running, try to avoid moving it and do not use it on your lap because it is too easy for the netbook to slip resulting in damage to your hard drive.

If fluid is spilt on the keyboard one or more of the keys will usually stop working; isn't usually possible to get rid of the fluid so a brand new keyboard will usually be required. Generally, if more fluid is spilt over the keyboard it'll enter the notebook and damage the motherboard along with the keyboard. In many cases the motherboard will require replacing, however, this may cost as much as the notebook is worth especially if there's other damage. Depending how much and where the fluid enters the laptop any other component parts of the notebook could be damaged. Keep drinks away from the laptop!

Tripping over or pulling the cable from the power pack to the laptop often results in the netbook internal power connector failing. Replacement of the power connector is usually expensive so treat it with care.

Dropping the notebook when turned off may damage the plastic case, laptop motherboard, DVD drive or screen and disk drive as mentioned earlier.

Shutting down the netbook properly is extremely important. Always use the shut down feature of Windows to turn off the netbook. Don't use the sleep or hibe
ate function as it does not always completely turn off the netbook leaving the hard disk susceptible to movement damage. It always takes longer to start the netbook from a full shutdown but has the extra benefit of clearing the RAM such that many programs will operate quicker. Just closing the laptop lid should not be used as a method of shutting down the laptop because the setting could be set to just sleep or hibe
ate when this is done.

Finally, never turn off the netbook by removing the battery/power supply or holding the power button on for 10 seconds. This is a last resort as a forced shutdown will often damage the hard drive.

If you treat your netbook with care it should offer you many years of use.