The lifespan of a business laptop hangs around the five-year mark. In most cases, it depends on the users, and you must have already noted that heavy office work use drastically reduces the lifespan of any business machine.
Office work aside, a business laptop use frequently goes on the road and will probably stop performing at its best as early as three years. No matter how great the laptop brand is.
But there is good news.
The longevity of a well-kept and carefully used laptop can be increased by up to six years.
Along with the user’s manual, a few understood tricks of the trade ensure the longevity of any business machine. We have compiled many foolproof ways to make your business laptop last longer.
On this page
1. Proper Handling and Care
All of us are either victims or witnesses to one case of water spills on laptops. Avoid food or drinks around your laptop; even a small spill of water on it can cause unrepairable damage.
Use a protective case or sleeve for safe transportation and storage.
These are some common sense points to consider around laptops or any electronic devices; laptops also need more or less precise handling and care methods. Be extra careful not to manhandle it, and do not drop or slip your laptop off a table.
If you carry it in a backpack or bag, don’t squish it too tightly or toss it around the same way you would if the bag had papers.
Keeping the laptop clean
The dust and dirt that collects in the machine can also push up the laptop’s temperature, making it work harder and decreasing its lifespan.
Without spoiling the components, you can remove much of the dust with a can of compressed air from keyboards, ventilator holes, speakers, hinges, and ports.
Regular cleaning of the keyboard, screen, and ports
No matter the make or model, it takes a little while for a laptop to look worn out, from a cluttered screen and a gross keyboard to dirty, dusty vents and ports.
Some business laptops, especially the latest Macbooks, have keyboards that are very sensitive to dust and debris, and keeping your keyboard clean is one way to reduce the chances of a problem.
I keep the spray in my office to keep my machine clean!
Use compressed air to clean dust
We recommend using compressed air, also known as canned air, as it is the best and most effective way to dust off the innards of your business machines.
Don’t use a vacuum, be extra careful if you use an air compressor instead of a can of compressed air.
After it’s open, take the laptop somewhere you don’t mind getting dusty — like your service area or outside. You can easily clean the internals of your laptop using a can of compressed air. Ensure you’re blowing the dust and debris out of the laptop’s case, not just spreading it inside.
Blowing air close to the laptop vents and outward would clean your laptop of any internal dust.
Be careful when blowing air toward the fans in the laptop — if you make the fans spin too fast, they could be wasted. Blow at the fans from many angles, using short blasts of air.
Avoiding extreme temperatures and humidity
The climate directly impacts the function and lifespan of electronic devices. Laptops are not excluded, and being portable, they are more affected by the effects of heat and cold.
Know the safe temperature range. Protect the laptop from direct sunlight, and beware of high humidity.
2. Maintenance
One of the most common issues that a laptop face is software degradation or software rot. Over time, this can cause a significant decrease in computer efficiency.
Regular maintenance of your laptop is essential to keep it functioning correctly. It helps your computer run at peak capacity and allows it to last longer without running out of battery.
Software Maintenance
The software and OS of your business laptop may need maintenance for many reasons – to keep it up and in excellent condition, improve features, reboot the system for future changes, move to the Cloud, or any other alternates.
Whatever the reason is for software maintenance, it has a fundamental part in the prosperity of your business. It is more than simply detecting and fixing bugs. It keeps the backbone of your business up and running.
Many options are available to safely back up your data, which is necessary with any laptop or computing device. In case of any data breach or malware, you have one less thing to worry about.
Hardware Maintenance
PC hardware maintenance is the procedure of auditing, updating, and conserving a computer’s physical parts to guarantee the components perform optimally.
Hardware maintenance involves cleaning and maintaining keyboards, CD drives, hard disks, batteries, and other attachments.
3. Upgrades and Replacements
Real upgrades always require some expense; this is one of the final steps you’ll consider. But minor, gradual upgrades can make a big difference.
Many laptops do not hold up internal memory or storage upgrades as they used to before.
Laptops with changeable batteries are even less so, but you can take advantage of the option as you start hitting limits. One of the benefits of keeping an older laptop in use is it’s more likely to be upgradeable.
As long as you are okay with opening your laptop up to fix things, find an upgrade or maintenance guide for your specific system to confirm that it is up to your plan before starting down this path.
You should also make sure that it doesn’t need expensive nonstandard upgrades.
Finally, when you’re at the end of your rope, you have nothing to lose by replacing the operating system with something new. Suppose your laptop at least switches on, and most of the keys work.
In that case, it can be converted into a Chromebook to run Google’s Chrome OS to give it a little more useful life before it is dumped as an old laptop.
4. Security Measures
Browsing unsecured sites exposes a laptop to malware that can damage the operating system and drain the battery. It is recommended to avoid unreliable sites and avoid pursuing areas the web browser suspects as insecure.
With cybercrime at an all-time high, investing in good security suites to tackle viruses, malware, and intrusions is mandatory.
5. Employee Training and Education
Laptops are a crucial resource for employees. They can accomplish tasks, collaborate with co-workers, and research data. Businesses should customize laptops for employees to get the best results.
This includes adding shortcuts to frequently used programs so they are easy to access from the home screen and folders where your office personnel can store documents that will only be accessed by a selected few people.
Employers should also ensure plenty of storage space is available on laptops. So, workers have enough room for all their files without worrying about running out of memory halfway through an important project or presentation.
If there is the threat of a break-in into your system or in case of misplaced laptops, you can label each laptop with the employee’s name and the department name for easy identification in case of any lost and found claims.
Conclusion
Many factors can extend or shorten the lifespan of laptops. Laptops can last many years if properly handled and maintained, but other elements can restrict their productivity and usability in a business environment.
Latest business machines are very tough to upgrade, but many laptops can be given a new lease of life by changing a hard disk with an SSD, getting a new battery, or even alternating the hinge on the screen.
Whatever suits your company dynamic the best, investing in good quality business laptops can save you plenty of finances and headaches. Which, in return, enables you to run a smooth business and not worry about random upgrades on your laptops.