Results 1 to 4 of 4

Thread: Some general topics every laptop user should be aware of…

  1. #1
    Administrator Real_Light's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2016
    Location
    Islamabad
    Posts
    813
    Rep Power
    10

    Some general topics every laptop user should be aware of…

    Initial Setup

    From software point of view there are almost no differences between a desktop PC and a laptop, except the better power saving options. So these tips apply for all Windows computers.

    Most new laptops come with Windows preinstalled, however it has probably the worst security settings out of the box. Of course all Apple laptops come with MacOS X that is far more secure. On top of that there are tens of thousands of viruses, trojans, worms, spyware and other malware (malicious software) that attack a Windows PC. Being the most popular OS, almost all malware targets Windows (as it would have the most impact). All these threats are almost non-existent on MacOS or Linux.

    The single most important security improvement on Windows is very easy to implement. Just make an user account and run the computer from it. Of course you will need an admin account to install software and updates, and to change some of the Windows’ settings, but it will be used only for that and never for running programs, browsing the Internet or doing work. As simple as that!

    Setting a brand new Windows installation.

    In Control Panel -> User Accounts create a new user and set it to be a “Limited User”. That’s it! This is the first thing to do on any new XP installation, reinstallation or system restore.

    Then create a password for your current (admin) account, but don’t select the check box when it asks you if you want to make this account “private”. There is no point in hiding your files on this account since you will only use it to install software and updates.

    Now every time you start the computer, log on to your user account and do whatever you need to: web browsing, email, typing, games, CDs, DVDs, etc. If you need to install or update a program, log off (Start button -> Log Off -> Log Off) and log on the admin account. After finishing the installation/upgrade, log off the admin account and log back on your user account to continue working.

    Converting an existing admin account.

    After you have used your computer for a while and accumulated settings, bookmarks, documents, photos, etc. making a new user account will mean transferring all files and settings over from the existing account. That can be cumbersome and hard to do, and in some cases even impossible. To avoid that, make a new admin account and convert your main account into “Limited User” account.

    To do that:

    Create new account (Control Panel -> User Accounts) for a “Computer Administrator” (the default setting).
    Set a password on the new account.
    Log off (Start -> Log Off -> Log Off) and log on the new account (you will see it on the blue login screen). This will make Windows finish creating the account.
    Log off the new account and back into your main (old) account.
    Go to Control Panel – User Accounts, click on your main account’s icon and choose “Change the type of my account”, then select “Limited User” and click “OK”.
    Restart.
    There may be some older programs that don’t like to run in a Limited User account. Best thing to do is to either update them or replace them with more contemporary software. However if you are stuck with a program like that and you have to use it, you can still run it from the user account but give it admin privileges. To do that:

    Create a shortcut to that program

    Right-click on the desktop and select “New -> Shortcut”, then navigate to the program and select it, usually in “C -> Program Files -> [program’s folder]” and click “OK”.
    Set the program to run as the admin user

    Right-click on the newly created shortcut and select “Properties”. Then click on “Advanced…” and check “Run with different credentials” checkbox. Then click “OK” and “OK” again to save the changes.
    Now every time you start that program from the shortcut, it will ask you to select the account and enter the admin password and the program will run as if you are in your admin account. There is also a way to run any program as administrator while logged in as a limited user. Just hold down the “Shift” key, right-click on the program and select “Run As…”

    Set Administrator passwordAnother important security setting that many people miss is creating a password for the Administrator account.
    This account is build in XP and is accessible only from safe mode. To set the password (from your admin account) go to Control Panel -> Administrative Tools -> Computer Management, then double-click on “Local Users and Groups”, then click on “Users” just underneath, and finally right-click on “Administrator” on the right and select “Set Password…”. Dismiss the warning about changing the password and proceed with typing it in both boxes (the password can be the same as for your other admin account).

    Antivirus. Windows just can’t live without it. There are a lot of good antivirus programs. Most of them also come in so-called “Internet Security Suites” bundled with a personal firewall, antispyware, email and anti-spam filters, parental control and what not. Most cost about $40-$70 and require yearly subscription at $30-$50. There are also a completely free antivirus programs, with free daily updates. I’ve been using AVG Free at home for over two years and haven’t had any problems so far. Regardless of which one you choose, make sure it is updated regularly (every day) and run the on-demand scanner about once per week.

    Antispyware. If you are going to use Internet Explorer, you will need to invest in a good antispyware program that has real-time monitoring. If you use Firefox or Opera, you don’t need to worry much about spyware for now. The only way to get spyware in this case is if you actually download and install it yourself. Many “free” programs offered for downloading on the Internet contain spyware components. If in doubt, go to Google and type the program’s name followed by the word “spyware” and see what comes back.

    Firewall. You actually need two of them. One at the router and a personal firewall on your computer. All recent routers have built-in NAT firewalls, you just need to get one. Windows XP has a built-in software firewall too, but it’s too basic and lacks outgoing connection control. For the last few years I’ve been using the free ZoneAlarm at home. It is somehow basic, but very easy to use and asks for permission every time when a new program is trying to access the Internet.

    There are a lot of websites and forums on the Internet discussing the antivirus, antispyware and firewall programs available. There are also more specialized programs like antitrojan, antiexecutable, intrusion detection, etc. The bottom line is that if you use a limited user account, have recently updated antivirus, update Windows regularly, have router and personal firewall and are not using Internet Explorer, you are 99% safe. Of course if you use p2p file sharing to download programs from who-knows-where, you will eventually get infected.

  2. #2
    Administrator Real_Light's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2016
    Location
    Islamabad
    Posts
    813
    Rep Power
    10

    Re: Some general topics every laptop user should be aware of…

    Drinks

    Laptops hate drinks, any kind of them. Some may tolerate a small sip of vodka or scotch on the rocks, but that’s about all. Any other kind of drink – coffee, tea, wine, pop or any soft drink will kill them almost instantly.

    I’ve been dealing with laptops for quite a long time but have seen just a couple of mainstream laptops that are spill-resistant. This is one of the biggest design flaws of all laptops. How hard is it for the manufacturers to put a plastic or metal tray under the keyboard that will prevent any liquids from entering the laptop? It doesn’t even have to be completely waterproof, just spill-resistant. Well, it’s not hard at all and very inexpensive to implement, but… Nobody does it.

    Another “thing” is the keyboard. Many years ago some laptop keyboards had a plastic membrane under the keys, covering the actual contacts and preventing any dust, debris or liquids from damaging the keyboard. Unfortunately all newer laptops come with pretty much the same keyboards that have absolutely no protection from liquids. Just a few drops will usually kill a keyboard and it will have to be replaced.

    What to do if you spill something on your laptop? Act quickly! Unplug the power cord and any other cords, turn the laptop upside down and remove the battery. Don’t try to shut down the laptop, that takes time… The damage you may do to the operating system by removing the battery while the laptop is running is insignificant compared to the damage the liquid will do to your laptop when it penetrates to the motherboard.

    After removing the battery, keep the laptop upside down for a while, allowing the liquid to drain as much as possible. Don’t even think about turning it back on to see if it still works! It has to dry completely first. That takes at least 48 hours. After the liquid has drained, remove the hard drive, usually held in place by one or two screws, the CD/DVD if possible, and all small covers on the back that are held by screws (there is at least one, covering your RAM expansion slot, and possibly another covering the Wi-Fi card).

    The next step is removing the keyboard. That is usually not very hard but unless you can get a service manual describing exactly how to do it on your laptop (the procedure varies for different models and brands), I would suggest letting a technician do it. It is important to remove the keyboard because it is most likely damaged and will need to be replaced and because that will expose the area where most of the spillage occurred, allowing it to dry.

    The important thing to remember is not to turn the laptop back on before it is completely dry. However trying to speed up the process with a hairdryer is a very bad idea, as the temperature of the air is too high and may damage the laptop. I’ve seen a few melted laptop cases from a hairdryer.

    If that was your business computer and you need to continue working, the best thing to do is to transfer the hard disk to an external USB enclosure, providing that it wasn’t damaged from the liquid (in 99% of the cases the hard disk is not damaged). That way you will have access to all your files (but not to your programs) and will be able to continue working on another computer.

  3. #3
    Administrator Real_Light's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2016
    Location
    Islamabad
    Posts
    813
    Rep Power
    10

    Re: Some general topics every laptop user should be aware of…

    Heat and Dust

    The most important part of your laptop that needs to be clean is… the heatsink. Yes, heat is the “cause of death” for most laptops. The heat not only causes all components to expand and contract a little (as you turn it on and off), but will also reach dangerously high levels and make your laptop crash or shut down if the fan(s) and the heatsink(s) are clogged with dust.

    Dust!
    Completely blocked…
    All computers work a little bit like vacuum cleaners – sucking air form one side and blowing it out from the other. Unfortunately they don’t come with filter bags to catch all the dust and debris. After just a few months the fans and heatsinks are well coated with dust. If not cleaned, their effectiveness quickly drops and eventually goes down to zero when the heatsinks get fully clogged.

    For desktop PCs this process is somehow slower and less noticeable as there is a lot of air circulating inside the case, hopefully with both intake and exhaust fans pushing it through. Also the CPU heatsink and fan are quite bigger and more powerful. There are also fans on the power supply, on the video card and probably on the chipset, for a total count of up to six fans making sure your PC stays cool. However laptops usually have just one or two smaller fans that have to do it all.

    I would suggest a little experiment. Look around you for a lamp with an ordinary 100W light bulb. Now turn it on for five minutes and hold your hand about an inch away from it (be careful not to touch the bulb, it will scorch you!). Do you feel it? Yes, that is the heat generated inside that shiny new powerful laptop you just bought.

    The cure? It’s easy: get yourself a can of compressed air and blow away the dust off the fan and heatsink. This has to be done every couple of months or after about 50 – 60 days of using your laptop. The compressed air is quite handy for the keyboard too, blowing away all the debris from between the keys. This is not a very well known fact, but it is the most important part of maintaining your laptop.

    heat1.jpg
    Yes, it can get that hot. The laptop case is melted!
    However if the heatsink has already been clogged, this won’t help. The compressed air will not be enough to unclog it. If you have never cleaned the heatsink and you had used your laptop for over a year, chances are that both the fan and the heatsink are clogged with dust and debris. The solution in this case is to remove the heatsink, clean it and install it back. This is best done in a laptop repair shop, as it takes quite a lot of experience and dexterity. One slip of the screwdriver may kill the laptop!

    Some newer laptops have a special removable cover on the back for easy access to the heatsink. But most laptops have to be disassembled to reach it. Another problem is that the thermal paste between the heatsink and the CPU hardens with higher temperature, so if the laptop has been overheating, chances are that the heatsink is stuck solid to the CPU, making it very hard to remove. The process also includes removal of the old thermal paste from both the CPU and the heatsink and applying a small dab of fresh thermal paste, preferably silver filled for better heat transfer.

    Another good overheating prevention is to ensure that the rubber feet on the bottom of the laptop are intact. Unfortunately they are usually just glued to the plastic and tend to fall off quite easy. They are very easy to replace and are available as spare parts for most laptops.

    And lastly – don’t use your laptop while it’s on a soft surface, like bed cover or sofa. That will block the fan and the laptop will overheat. Try using something with a hard surface under the laptop, like a large hardcover book or a tray.

    Simply put, heat is the biggest enemy of all laptops. By maintaining the cooling of your laptop at peak efficiency, you are doubling its lifespan.

  4. #4

    Re: Some general topics every laptop user should be aware of…

    very nice and informative sharing.
    nice every laptop user should read to avoid damages.
    WebTycoon

Tags for this Thread

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  
page counter