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Hello, I’m Ben Bond, and this is Maintaining Your Notebook Computer.

Performing routine maintenance and taking some common-sense actions can go a long way towards keeping your notebook computer in optimal condition. This is important because just about every assignment, project and exam you complete will be done on your notebook. You cannot afford to have your computer inoperable for any long period of time. That is why performing routine maintenance, as well as securing your computer (which we’ll cover later) is important to perform.

First, avoid keeping food and drink around your laptop computer. Drink spills and food crumbs falling into the keyboard of a notebook computer are much more damaging than if they were spilled in a regular desktop computer. This is because in a desktop computer, you can simply replace the $10 keyboard. But in a notebook computer, the keyboard sits on top of the hard drive, processor, and wiring. Drink spills on your notebook ruin not just the keyboard but all these important components underneath. Keep food away, and try to drink from containers with lids or caps.

Second, keep your notebook temperature cool. Some of the internal parts of your notebook are sensitive to extreme temperatures. Take these steps to avoid overheating your notebook:

1. Keep your notebook away from the Texas heat. That means never leaving your notebook in your car or your car’s trunk for too long. Also, avoid placing the notebook near windows for too long a time.

2. Be sure to keep your notebook on a flat surface. This keeps the fan from being blocked, allowing it to remove hot air from the internal casing of the notebook. Avoid putting the laptop on soft surfaces, such as pillows, because they can block the fan outlet. This can lead to parts of your notebook overheating.

Next, we will cover a couple of helpful tools that are included in the Windows operating system. They can help your computer run more efficiently.