If you haven’t done it yet, you probably will. Who knew that your precariously angled cowboy hat could knock over that philosophy book, causing sticky, brown Coke to pour all over your keyboard? And doesn’t everyone illegally download music without consequences? A couple of tumbles down the staircase won’t permanently damage a computer, right?
Well, yes. Breaking your laptop is, sadly, very easy. You should know the basics of what to do when your laptop is suddenly compromised, because you probably depend on your laptop more than you think you do. Weinberg sophomore Caitlin Sherman used to own a Sony Vaio and hated it. “It had a lot of problems and they couldn’t fix it,” she said. This year, she finally switched to a Mac. “I like it so much better,” she added.
Whatever type of laptop you have come to love, back up your hard drive regularly. It saves you trouble if something does go wrong. Gartner, a leading information technology company, says 15 percent of notebook PCs fail in the first year, with the top reasons including spontaneous motherboard failure and spills. Although her computer didn’t have a virus, freshman Shanika Gunaratna’s hard drive spontaneously failed in her practically brand new Mac.
“I hadn’t backed up anything,” she says, “I ended up losing everything.”
Gunaratna sent her hard drive to a data-retrieval company called Drive Savers. The company estimated the cost to be between $300 and $1,700 if it was able to recover anything — which it wasn’t. Even if you don’t have the money for an external drive, Gunaratna discovered there are now Web sites, such as Backup.com, where you can store your goods.
If you spill…
Don’t turn your computer on. Why not? “The internal workings of a computer are a circuit board,” explained a representative from Apple’s support center, “and when you dump any liquid on the computer and then try to turn it on, everything can fry, damaging the motherboard beyond repair. It’s like putting a hair dryer into a bathtub — it does some serious damage.”
If your computer doesn’t turn off on its own, shut it down right away and unplug every cord. Wipe off your display screen and flip your laptop over onto a cloth or paper towel, so your keyboard and screen are both facing down. This will help drain liquid out from underneath your keyboard. CNET recommends that you let your laptop rest in this position for 30 minutes or more, depending on the amount of liquid spilled. If the spill is drastic, don’t touch your computer for at least 24 hours. You can also try blow-drying your notebook on the coolest setting, but this approach has mixed reviews. Apple warns against using heat, which could further damage your computer.
If you can’t avoid sipping coffee or soda while typing, use a lid. You can also purchase keyboard covers or skins that fit perfectly over the keys and can shield against drink disasters.
If it “fell”…
First step: Stop swearing, pick it up, and assess where any damage may have occurred. If the screen is loose or the keys have popped off, don’t worry, says Mackson Maceus, owner of Chicago’s Macksontech Computers. These problems are usually fixable. “Sometimes you can snap [the key] right back in [to the keyboard],” Maceus says. If you have to replace the keyboard, it shouldn’t cost much more than $100.
A more serious side effect of dropping your notebook, according to CNET: significant hard-drive damage. There’s not much advice to give in this situation, except to consult an expert. If you do have to take your computer in, Maceus advises that you be honest about what happened because a pro will assess the damage based on what you say.
Moral: If you’re accident prone, embrace it and realize you can protect your laptop from your clumsiness. First, you can buy both soft and hard carrying cases. Second, you can purchase hard exterior covers for your laptop that may cushion the fall (or at the very least prevent scratches and damage to the exterior). Incase makes all three. Also, though they may sound nerdy, cord organizers can help prevent laptop falls, according to CNET. Many a laptop bites the dust as a result of people tripping over attached cords.
If none of these solutions meets your needs, here’s one last suggestion: look into buying a “rugged” laptop. Most come with magnesium alloy casing and can withstand any potential damage caused by liquids, heat, dropping and more. Dell, Lenovo and Panasonic all make “rugged” laptops.
If you get a virus…
We’ve all been tempted by “special offers” to download songs, movies and software for free. Downloading from untrustworthy sources — or from sources that provide illegal content — can up your computer’s chance of contracting a virus.
“You share music, you download for free, you’re going to get a virus,” Maceus says.
Even if you have virus-protection software, he says, it won’t shield your laptop 100 percent. So unless you have really good luck, use credible sites for your downloading ventures.
No computer is completely safe from a virus attack. Macs, depsite what Apple’s adverstising will lead you to believe, aren’t immune from viruses either. Their small market share just makes it rarer for them to get infected. But a virus doesn’t mean imminent computer death. Maceus suggests you back up everything that’s important on your hard drive as soon as you discover the virus. For PC owners, if you know when you got the virus, you can use the Microsoft Windows XP and Vista Restore function to try to restore your computer to two weeks prior to when you picked up the virus. “This usually works,” says Maceus, “but sometime viruses destroy the Restore utility.”
To prevent viruses, Maceus suggests you scan your e-mail attachments and always check for virus protection updates, preferably “on a weekly basis.”
Moral: Don’t be an idiot; use credible sites for downloading. If you download everything you find, you have a high chance of getting a virus. In order for your virus protection to serve its purpose, you have to check for and install updates on a regular basis. But, don’t be fooled. Virus protection software isn’t safeproof; still, it’s better than using nothing at all.