Bad Laptop Performance?

Are you experiencing problems with your laptop's performance? The signs of performance loss can be applications freezing, loading up, closing or running slowly. This can deteriorate to a point when it becomes so disturbing that you have to take action. There can be various reasons behind this and there are many solutions for these problems. Here are a few things you can do to improve your laptop’s performance.


Download the latest Windows Updates: All the operating systems require upgrades, patches and updates to run smoothly, be up-to-date and fix errors and bugs that have been discovered since the OS was published. Whether you have Vista, XP or 2000 you can download updates from Microsoft’s website. If you have Windows XP you should definitely download and run Service Pack 2.


Check for Viruses and Spyware: Viruses and other malicious software like spyware and worms can heavily affect your computers performance. They can cause it to slow down, crash or even erase your hard drive. You must have up-to-date anti-virus and anti-spyware software installed on your machine and you have to perform virus scans regularly. There are several good software available for this task. If you don’t mind paying a few dollars for one, than Norton Antivirus from Symantec is an excellent choice. But if you are trying to save some money or simply don’t want to spend extra on your laptop, there are good free anti-virus software available for you. The most mentionable is AVG Anti-virus and Anti-Spyware from Grisoft. It can be downloaded for free from www.grisoft.com. If you already have one installed, than simply scan your computer and follow the instructions to remove these malicious intruders, should you encounter one.


Perform Disk Cleanup on your Hard Drive: Your machine probably has a number of unneeded and unused files that occupy valuable space on your hard drive and can slow down your computer’s performance. Running your Disk Cleanup application can automatically remove these unwanted files. You can access it by clicking on Start --> All programs --> Accessories --> System Tools --> Disk Cleanup and follow the instructions.


Defragment your Hard Drive: With time your machine will store your files in an inefficient way on your hard drive, increasing retrieval time and affecting your computer’s performance. To fix this problem, you have to defragment your hard drive. This can take hours, so do it at a time when you don’t necessarily have to use your laptop. You can access this application by clicking on Start --> All programs --> Accessories --> System Tools --> Disk Defragmenter. First analyze your hard drive and if it requires defragmentation, than follow the instructions to start the process.

Clean your registry: The registry stores all settings and options for your operating system. It contains information and settings for all the hardware, operating system software, most software, users, preferences of the PC, etc. Since the registry is so important in your machine’s performance it is often target of virus attacks and infections. To clean your registry you have to run a scan using a Registry Cleaning Tool. You can find numerous great applications by simply doing a search with your favorite search engine. You can find out how many problems your system registry has for free at http://www.protected-now.com/


You can upgrade your Memory: If you have an older laptop, you might want to upgrade your memory, since today’s software applications require more computing resources. It can be done easily, since the memory modules are usually located behind a door locked by a screw or two, on the bottom of the laptop. Upgrading your memory is an can improve your machine’s performance if you don’t mind spending some money on it.

Refurbished Laptops and Laptop bags

After purchasing your refurbished laptop, you probably start thinking how you are going to carry it around. There are millions of options to consider. From style to material and color you have a great range of options to get the laptop bag of your taste. You can also choose from bags with padding, with different pockets for phones and accessories. The prices for a laptop bag can vary from a low fair price to the craziest amount of money.


First of all you have to decide how you want to carry your laptop. Do you want it on your back, in a nice backpack? Would you want to lug it around on your shoulder? Or you want to carry it messenger style, around your head? There are also health issues to consider, not to mention your physique. If you are a smaller built person, and maybe you have a heavier refurbished laptop, you might want to consider a backpack rather than a heavy messenger bag that can put uncomfortable pressure on your neck. A shoulder bag weighing down one shoulder all the time can also be bad for your back, hips and neck.


After selecting your style, you can actually start looking for one. You can look on your favorite search engines: Google, Yahoo, Msn or any other that you prefer for Laptop Bags and other keywords. You will find different retailers with many different kinds of options. Make sure you know the dimensions of your laptop. If you do not, than don’t be afraid to get the old measuring tape and to write down the numbers. Better to make sure, than to receive a pretty laptop bag that your refurbished notebook can’t fit in. If you want you can also look around what the local retailers have to offer, even bringing your laptop along to make sure you make the right choice. Choose the right one. Make sure you are comfortable with the material and the color. You might not want to show up at the office with the most fun-looking and colorful laptop bag wrapped around your suit. Select the one that has enough storage space and pockets for accessories and padding for protection.


If you’ve already spent hundreds of dollars on a refurbished notebook, you might not want to spend a few hundred more on a laptop bag. If you want to save some money, you can always find good deals on laptop bags on http://ebay.com/ and other auction sites. But here at USAnotebook.com we offer great quality laptop bags for the cheapest available prices. You can get beautiful carrying cases for $20 dollars, and if you are purchasing at least ten computers we will include the carrying cases for free.

Taking care of your Laptop

Protecting and cleaning your Refurbished Laptop

Taking good care of your refurbished laptop is very important. If you clean it, and protect it well, you will be able to increase its life span and performance. And besides, you will always enjoy working with a neat, clean, well-functioning machine. Not to mention if you ever plan to sell your refurbished laptop, keeping it in good shape would raise its value, since people would pay more for something that is in great condition.

Cleaning your keyboard
The part that always gets the dirtiest is the keyboard. Even if you clean your hands before using your refurbished laptop, there is always dust, hairs and other unwanted particles that can contaminate your keyboard. First of all you have to clean the surface with a soft cloth and a light cleaner. (e.g. Simple Green, ArmorAll, Windex, or you can mix rubbing alcohol or dish soap with water) Wipe thoroughly the palmrest, tops and sides of all keys and buttons you can find on you keyboard. You don’t want to get your cloth too wet, otherwise the liquid might drip in between the keys, damaging the interior. After wiping the surface of the keyboard, it’s time to clean the spaces in between the keys. The best method to do that is with compressed air. Start with short blasts from one side and work your way across the keyboard. This will bring all the dust, hairs and other stuff out, before they can work their way down and damage your refurbished laptop. There still might be some unwanted visitors hiding under your keys. In this case try to remove your keys by popping them off of the keyboard, clean them, and pop them back on.

Cleaning your display
Your monitor is the most sensitive part of your machine when it comes to pollution. Even if you just barely touch it, your greasy fingerprint is going to stay there, affecting your view, until you clean it. Not to mention if you sneeze or spill liquid on it. This is why you have to clean your display on a regular basis. The best way to do it is using a mix of half isopropyl alcohol and half water. Use a clean, soft cloth and wipe off your display thoroughly. Don’t try to clean it with other household cleaners, or rubbing alcohol because they might damage your screen. If you do not want to mix your own cleaning solution you can always get special monitor cleaning fluids (e.g. PolaClear, PixelClean etc) or even a microfiber cleaning cloth.

Cleaning the inside of your laptop
Dust, and other particles can get inside your refurbished laptop through the keyboard and through other openings. They can slow your machine down or even damage your hardware. They can cause your laptop to overheat by clogging the fans, disabling the delivery of cool air inside the machine. You can get rid of them by using short blasts of compressed air inside. For that, first you have to remove the keyboard. Get information from the manufacturer on how to remove the keyboard. Make sure by removing it, you will not void the warranty (if there is any) on the machine. It is usually pretty easy: all you have to do is remove a few screws. After removing the keyboard use short blasts of compressed air to get rid of the unwanted visitors. Be careful with the hardware, the inside of the machine, especially the motherboard is very delicate. You can also blast some air in the opening of the ventilation system. This will get your fan to start spinning, getting rid of the dust caught inside. Maintaining your refurbished laptop this way, will give it a better performance and increased life span.

Cleaning the optical drive
It is also important to clean your CD or DVD drive. You can use the same method with compressed air or a Q-tip. When doing so, make sure you do not touch the little eye of the optical drive, the one responsible for reading the discs. It can cause serious damage to your hardware.

Protecting and cleaning your refurbished laptop is very important. It will help to make your computer run better and live longer. If you don’t mind spending a little money on the matter, you can get excellent laptop cleaning kits that will help you do your cleaning job more efficiently.