How to keep your laptop in top condition: inside and out

Computers are expensive and in this economy keeping our technology in great condition should be top priority. Read the tips below to make your laptop last.
1. Wipe the exterior frequently with computer wipes, such as “Kensington dust guardian”. Keeping the screen, keyboard and other parts of your laptop clean will prevent the gunk from accumulating.
2. Be gentle when opening and shutting your laptop. While laptops are not exactly flimsy, they are not meant for rough play.
3. Take good care of the keyboard. Keyboard is probably the most sensitive part of your laptop’s exterior aside from the screen. Don’t get it sticky, don’t let younger children play with it and please, please, please don’t spill coffee on it!
4. Get a good antivirus. Viruses destroy laptops. They not only infect the software, but can also damage the hardware. If your computer is left unprotected, you can not only lose important information, but leave yourself vulnerable to malware and spyware threats. Investing in a high quality antivirus program that comes with automatic updates will pay off in the long run.
5. Be smart when opening your e-mail. You never know what is inside. Only open e-mails from people and organizations that you know and trust.
6. Limit free program downloads to a minimum and only download free software from trusted open source websites. Downloading random free programs can damage your laptop in more ways than you know as you may inadvertently install dysfunctional or infected programs.
7. Update your computer regularly. Windows updates contain resolutions to various programs and important application updates that ensure that your laptop runs normally.
8. Turn it off! There are a lot of people that leave there laptops running 24/7 and only turn them off occasionally. It is important to turn off your computer on a regular basis to let the updates finish installing and let certain programs finish running.