4 Tips to Keep Your Laptop Working Out of the Office

hardware, ,
18
Apr 2017

ATIV-Book-9-2014-Edition-Front_Black

Laptops make remote working a real possibility for your employees, but this also means they need to be maintained correctly to remain effective.

Obviously, any issues with a desktop PC in the office can quickly be rectified by your IT team. However, when employees are away from the office with their laptop, it makes any necessary fixes that little bit harder to implement. And the delay in addressing these issues could put a real dent in your employees’ productivity.

Therefore, it’s essential that you know every little trick for keeping your laptop productive when IT support is out reach. And that’s why I’m going share 4 tips to keep your laptop working out of the office.

  1. Get a New Battery

After a couple of years, lithium-ion batteries struggle to be as effective as they once were. Where your battery would once hold enough power to keep your laptop running for three hours, now it may only work for an hour. And this is no use to an employee working on the move.

Many businesses make the rather kneejerk reaction of scrapping the laptop and purchasing a new one. Whilst this also provides a number of other upgrades, it’s also an expensive move as the cost of a battery will be a fraction of the cost of a new laptop. Not only is a new battery more cost effective, but it will also prolong the life of the laptop.

  1. Always Install Updates6-installing-updates

As those employees with laptops will be working off site for long periods of time, it puts them at risk of security threats much more so than those working from a central location. And this is why it’s imperative that laptop users install ALL updates as soon as possible, this provides the best protection from having their laptop compromised.

  1. Protect Your Keyboards

There’s nothing worse than losing a key from your keyboard or suffering a non-responding key, especially when – with a laptop – it’s your only typing option to hand. Thankfully, there’s a preventative measure you can take to prolong the life of your keyboard.

Silicon keyboard protectors are a relatively cheap solution which fit over your keyboard and helps to protect the keyboard from knocks, dirt and grime. And, believe me, it’s a lot less labor intensive than taking a laptop keyboard to pieces to repair!

  1. Prevent OverheatingThermaltake-Massive-V20-Laptop-Cooling-Pad-Effective-cooling-performance-with-high-quality-material

Whilst laptops are, naturally, suited to sit in your lap, this position should always be restricted to short periods of time. And this is because, nestled in your lap, your laptop’s air vents can become blocked and this causes overheating which can soon lead to system failure.

The simplest solution, of course, is to invest in a laptop stand which will hold your laptop a few inches off the ground and provide plenty of airflow. They’re simple devices which fold up quickly and provide the minimum of fuss whilst protecting your laptop.

For more ways to secure and optimize your business technology, contact your local IT professionals.

Read More

5 Most Important Considerations of a New PC

hardware, Office IT, ,
18
Dec 2014

Computers_on_shelves

Whether you’re buying a new PC for the office, your business or personal use, here are the features you should focus on to get the most bang for your buck.

We’re going to highlight the 5 most important features to look for in a new PC. But before we delve onto our list of five important features, let’s discuss a preliminary checklist:

  • What are you going to use your PC for? You’ll need to determine if you’re going to be using to for work, where potentially, data protection and backups will be crucial. Even if it’s for personal use, you’ll still want to consider securing your data and backing up your documents, photos, emails and so forth, periodically.
  • What software will you use? General word processing and other similar office applications are not so resource intensive. On the other hand, if you are planning on using a resource hungry program, such as a graphic design software, or anything that requires a PC with a fast processor and plenty of memory, you’ll need to take note of the minimum specifications. Even the minimum specifications on a PC for any given software will not guarantee the best performance. 
  • Optical CD drive, anyone? If anyone remembers the phasing out of the floppy disk drives in the mid nineties, the same thing is happening to optical CD drives. They are fast becoming a legacy component, thanks to this age of digital downloads, portable USB storage and online video streaming sites. You’ll need to consider whether you’ll want one with an optical drive or not. Alternatively, you can purchase an external CD/ DVD drive if you really needed one for any intended purpose.

With all these preliminary requirements covered, let’s now dive into our checklist for the 5 most important features to look for when shopping for a new PC

  1. Customer support.

customer_support

When it comes purchasing something new, you’ll want peace of mind and know that you can call a phone support line and have a warranty to replace faulty parts. Also, some PCs may require registration in order to activate its warranty, so if you’ve any questions, you know where to call.

  1. Opt for reputable brands.

Lenovo-HP-Dell

Brands like Dell, HP or Lenovo, have a well-established community which also means that finding replacement parts is easy and less of a struggle.

  1. Double-check the preloaded software.

30_days_free_trial

Never feel too afraid to ask the sales rep about the software that comes pre-loaded with the PC. If you need a full version of Office software, make sure it has that and not just trial versions or 90 days’ worth of the full version. This is important if you heavily rely on using such software, as you won’t appreciate a break in your productivity whilst acquiring the full version!

  1. Watch out for unnecessary software.

Too_many_programs

Be sure to find out if it comes loaded with junk software from the manufacturer pressuring you to sign up to their services. This is often a sales pitch, and from our experience, a complete waste of time, money and digital space! Just focus on what you really need and stick to your requirements.

  1. Check the PC’s specifications.

fast-computer

You’ll want to look for a PC that has a fast processor and plenty of RAM. Many store sales brag about sub $300 systems, when in reality they are cutting corners like memory and processor speed.

Too often people have been mis-sold the wrong type of PC and software that comes with it.  Don’t be afraid to ask how systems you are comparing stack up against others in the market.

For more tips and advice on deploying the right PC workstations for your business or home office, contact your local IT professionals.

Read More

HP Power Adapter Overheating Recall

hardware, Office IT, Repairs and Upgrades, , , ,
27
Aug 2014

 HP Laptop Power Adapter Whole

HP has recalled an estimated 5.6 million power adapters for their laptop line.  If you have an HP laptop, here’s how you can check if you are affected.

How to Check Your HP Laptop

The faulty power adapters could possibly overheat, causing damage to the adapter casing or causing a fire.  Here’s how to check if your HP laptop power adapter is affected:

1. Did you purchase your laptop between September 2010 and June 2012?

2. Does the end of the cord going from the wall to your adapter have “LS-15” printed on it as shown here?:

HP Laptop Power Adapter Recall

What to do if You’re Affected

If the answer to bother questions is yes, you should register your adapter to be replaced on HP’s website. The recall will only replace the power cord section of your power adapter as shown here:

HP power adapter cord

HP suggests using a temporary power cord in the meantime until your replacement arrives.  These adapters can be purchased at most electronic stores and are often referred to as “mickey mouse” cables as shown here:

Mickey Mouse Cable

 

Since laptop components are built into such a small space, overheating can become an issue for the laptop itself as well.  We suggest clearing out your laptop air vents at least once a year to reduce overheating.

For more information on how technology can affect your business, contact your local IT professionals.

Read More
Common causes of computer problems
Common causes of computer problems

Common Causes of Computer Problems

Repairs and Upgrades, , ,
16
Sep 2013

Common Causes of Computer Problems

Working with a slow or malfunctioning computer can feel like using a typewriter with keys missing. Somehow you are able to make it work but it can be a slow and painful process. Computers, servers, laptops and these days even tablets need routine maintenance to run smoothly.

If you want your computers to work for the long haul it’s important to take the time to maintain them. Before delving into some of the most common solutions to these issues, it’s important to understand why your computer or office network is performing poorly. Issues can be caused by hardware, software or sometimes related to both. Here are some of the most common causes to our modern computer headaches:

Reading through this list may have triggered for you some possible reasons that you are experiencing system slowness or some other problem. In the next series of blog posts we will go into some basic steps you can take to remedy some of the above computer issues.

Read More