Desktop computers are made to be sturdy, reliable, but they occupy a lot of space, and, plus, you cannot take them with you when on a business trip or a vacation. On the other hand, a laptop does all that and even more. A laptop is light - compared to your desktop computer - , its performances are good and you can use it wherever you want. However, there are situations when the laptop can prove to be not so handy.

Battery life is certainly an issue; if you don’t have an extra battery or you’ve no way to charge it back up, you’re pretty much out of luck until you find a way. And because of the tiny size of laptop computers, many dishonest people will not think twice about stealing one. So now that we’ve established the cool factor of laptops, let’s go through some tips that’ll make your laptop experience even better.

Tip: Prolong the Battery Life

As said before, laptops work with batteries that are not fit for long runs. Still, you can enjoy your laptop for a longer time, if you know how to squeeze your battery juice to the fullest. This strategy that we are about to show you can save you a few hours of stress until you reach a place with an outlet where you can recharge the battery.

One method you can use to keep your battery from dying too quickly is to dim your screen to its lowest configuration. Your laptop’s screen sucks up the most power, so if you don’t need a super bright screen, dim it down to conserve battery juice.

Making Backups

Portability is the greatest feature of laptops, but these gadgets are also more fragile than your desk computer at home. A little mistake and your precious laptop crashes on the sidewalk, when you least expect it. Oh, no! What a disaster! Even when nothing seems to have happened on the outside, always check the status of your hard drive, after an episode like this one. While you can buy another hard drive or send the laptop into service, your data, that was stored on that hard drive, is lost forever. Avoid these nuisances by saving it often on USB portable drives or CD-R and DVD.

Guard Your Laptop

Always take care when connecting to an open wireless network. Install a robust firewall, like ZoneAlarm, and make sure that you set its security settings high to get the best protection. Folder sharing on an open network is just asking for trouble, so make sure you turn this setting and others like it off.

There are even more threats to deal with concerning the documents you carry on your laptop. There is more than virtual danger, as laptops can be easily stolen. People that you do not want to rummage through your files will have instant access to all of them, if they steal your laptop. The solution is to protect the files by encrypting them and protecting them through a password that only you know about.

Fend Off the Heat

Laptops can get hot after a few hours of usage and can get very uncomfortable if its sitting on your lap. They sell laptop sleeves that’ll keep the heat away from your skin. If anything, get an old shirt and place it under so your skin isn’t in direct contact with the escaping heat.

Desktop PCs take up desk space, and even with flat LCDs quickly replacing all CRT monitors, flat screens still take up precious desktop space. The portability and compactness of laptops make them so convenient; follow the tips above to make your laptop experience more enjoyable.