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27: Caring for your laptop

Your Apple laptop is not to be treated like just another thing that goes into your backpack with you to class. These laptops have sensitive equipment inside and if moved or damaged can cause serious problems to your computer.

Carrying Your Laptop


If you are going to carry your laptop in your backpack, make sure that there are no loose items inside such as pens, pencils, paper clips, etc. These items could accidentally get inside the cd-rom drive and damage the internal parts. We also recommend putting your laptop inside a protective sleeve such as a Neoprene Sleeve (a soft, gel-padded, laptop sleeve) before putting it in your backpack.

Cleaning Your Laptop’s Display


You should shut down your laptop before you clean the screen display. You can use a clean, soft, lint-free cloth with water to clean the screen. Do NOT spray liquid directly on the screen because this will ruin the screen.

Cleaning Your Laptop’s Exterior


You should shut down your laptop and remove the battery. Use the same directions as cleaning its display. Do NOT use aerosol sprays, solvents, or abrasives, as it will damage your computer.

General Use


You should avoid having liquids near your computer. Spilling a liquid on your laptop can cause serious damage and is not covered under the Apple Care Protection. Since it is not covered we recommend getting accident/theft insurance from a third party company like Safeware (http://www.safeware.com/ballst/). You should also avoid dropping, throwing, hitting or any other activity that could cause shock to the laptop.

Do not place your laptop on a pillow or other soft material when it is on because this may block the airflow vents and cause the computer to overheat.

When using your computer or charging the battery, it is normal for the bottom of the case to get warm. For extended use, place the computer on a flat surface. The bottom of the laptop case acts as a cooling surface that transfers heat.

This article was last edited on Jun-06-2006 6:19 pm
This article can be referenced by its article number: 27 or by any of the following keywords: cleaning, care, maintenance, heat issues.