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Archive for the ‘Laptops’ Category

A laptop is a high-maintenance gadget. You will need to exert the extra effort to protect it from all sorts of abuses if you want your laptop to last longer. Sticking a laptop skin onto your computer’s lid is one of the many ways to make sure that it stays scratch-free for a longer time.

Laptop skins come in different types and designs. Aside from their common protective function, skins work to improve a computer’s aesthetic beauty. Instead of having an impersonal and dull-colored laptop lid, you can personalize your gadget by sticking an interesting print laptop skin on it. With this accessory, the possibilities are endless. You can select a skin in the design of your choice – a replica of a popular artwork, retro or animal prints or even your own photo. If you’re no-frills type of person, you can just opt for a plain skin in a color that you want.

Laptop skins are available in office supplies stores and computer shops. You can even buy one online or, better yet, make one yourself. When buying a print laptop skin make sure to go with a product that can easily be removed from the lid without leaving any nasty adhesive marks or even causing damage to the original color of your laptop. As a general rule, a skin that is made of high-quality vinyl is a good choice. The material should be effective in protecting your laptop from dust and abrasions. Remember that while you want your gadget to look unique, aesthetics is only a secondary priority. The main reason why you’re getting a laptop skin is because you want to sufficiently protect your precious gadget.

It goes without saying that before you pick out your print laptop skin make sure that it is made of high quality materials to make sure that it wouldn’t cause damage on your laptop.

Laptop display scratches are highly annoying. They interrupt in your work. A single scratch requires immediate laptop screen repair. Any neglect on your part can damage the screen display and cost heavy on your pocket. Hence, an intelligent user should mend the screen as soon as a scratch occurs. After all, who likes to work on a laptop which has damaged screen display.

Ideally, you should appoint an experienced and competent technician to conduct the laptop screen repair task. Don’t avail into cheap technicians who use second hand or pirated parts for laptop repair. Remember, cheap repairing techniques can deteriorate your laptop display. Hence, you’ll be left with the option of buying a new laptop which would have serious impact on your budget.

If you can’t avail into a technical expert, then you can use this technique to repair the screen yourself. This is known as petroleum jelly method. This technique works with small cuts. Take a cotton ball and dip it in some petroleum jelly. Now, apply it on the scratched area. Take a new cotton or damp cloth to rub the petroleum jelly across the screen. Rub till the scratch blends with the laptop display.

If this technique doesn’t work, then buy a laptop screen repair solution. This solution is rarely available hence you can also use a CD cleaner. You can also buy the screen repair kit for yourself. It has the necessary solution and instructions to repair the laptop screen. You can follow them step by step and repair the laptop yourself.

This technique works in most of the cases. You can also check Internet laptop repair websites. Several websites provide tips and tricks to repair the laptop display. These websites and tool kits are alternatives to solve the issue with minimum investment but the safest mode is to appoint a technical expert for the task of screen repair.

So, don’t neglect the scratches on your laptop screen. Get the laptop screen repair immediately.

A laptop is essential for students and working individuals. Because of its portability, users can write important papers, connect to the Internet via wireless modems, and can even watch movies anytime and anywhere. But without proper care, this machine can break down, and especially, there can be problems with the LCD monitor. Here are some tips that can help you in troubleshooting your laptop’s LCD monitor.

Is there something wrong with your screen? If this is so, then there is a possibility that the LCD (liquid crystal display) backlight of your laptop is broken. The LCD backlight is the source of light that gives you a clearer visual of your screen. Symptoms of LCD damage include:

- Dim laptop LCD

- Flickering screen

- Faint images on your LCD

- No video image

- Faded laptop LCD

A laptop backlight is composed of four parts and these are:

- Laptop inverter

- LCD lamp

- Inverter cable

- Toggle switch

Damage to any of these parts may result to the symptoms stated above. Unfortunately, there is no other way to be sure if one of these parts are damaged without using a tester. Some of the main causes of damage to these parts include age and excessive use of your laptop. Parts such as the LCD lamp usually last for two years minimum.

Aside from the blacklight, it is possible that your LCD screen itself is damaged. This problem can be very serious because the LCD is the most fragile and expensive part of your laptop. Symptoms of LCD damage include:

- Decolorization of your screen

- Appearance of stripes or lines on your screen

LCD damage is usually caused by hard impacts to your laptop. Remember, the LCD is a very sensitive and fragile piece of equipment. Even the slightest amount of pressure on your LCD can cause it to break.

The only way to repair the backlight and the LCD monitor is to replace them. Replacing the LCD monitor alone can cost you around $250 and that is apart from the $120 service fee that most laptop repair companies charge.

Laptop major parts are: processor, memory, hard drive, video card and display screen. Now let’s see what kind of which do you need for your laptop.

Part 1 — Processor
Processor performance is determined by following parameters: number of cores, core speed, front side bus speed and amount of cache.

Number of cores. Processor with multiple cores does a way better job in multitasking than a single core one. Usual modern computer runs many tasks same time (browser, email client, antivirus, etc…), so dual core processor gives a very noticeable performance boost comparing to single core. From the other point processor with 4 cores and more is usually overkill, because current state of software does not allow using four cores to the full power. Usually dual core processor is the best in terms of performance for money. Core speed. The more GHz processor has the faster it is. For simple tasks like browsing, checking email, watching videos, listening to music and creating documents you don’t need a powerful processor. 1.7 GHz dual core is enough. If you are going to play games, encode video/music, use photo or video editors, then you need a faster processor. Depending on tasks 2.0 GHz dual core or better. Front side bus speed. You probably have seen something like 667 MHz FSB in laptop processor specifications. Now you will know what does this mean. The more speed FSB has the faster data between processor and memory could be transferred. Faster FSB does not have such a great impact on processor performance like core speed does, but with same core speed 800 Mhz FSB processor maybe 5-10% faster than 667 MHz FSB processor. Depends on tasks a lot too. Amount of cache. That’s the amount of internal memory processor has. Like FSB speed it also does not affect processor performance that much, but still, the more the better. Typical values for modern processors are 512KB–3MB.

Choosing which laptop computer to buy can be confusing, especially with the myriad of options currently available on the market today. It seems that almost every day, newer and faster models are being introduced and you have the task of deciding which one of these hundreds of laptop computers to purchase.

While we all like to have the newest model with the latest features, the fact is, most of us will never use a computer to it’s fullest capabilities. Still, each and every time you visit the big box electronics retailers, they will try to convince you that you need the top of the line machine.

The Truth Is, You Don’t Need The Latest Laptop Computer

If you can find a laptop computer that does what you need it to do, then that’s all that matters. Whether it has the fastest video card or the biggest hard drive is of little consequence to most computer users. As long as you can connect to the internet, use email, social networking programs, word processing and store photos and music, beyond that the average user just doesn’t need anymore. Most entry-level computers available for a low price of less than $500 will suit most users and those that need a little more power, likely know enough about computers to know what they need. Graphic designers, website designers, computer programmers or those involved with music and video editing will need to have a more substantial computer, but this does not affect most users.

Here’s a perfect configuration for most average home users.

Intel Dual Core processor or AMD Athlon Processors
80GB Hard drive or larger
2GB of Ram or more
Integrated video card
Wireless internet card

Beyond the statistics above, a regular home user just does not need much more than this. Of course we all like to say that we have the latest and best electronics, in tough economic times saving money on a new computer is important.

Often buying the low end computer that a major manufacturer like HP, Acer or Dell offers will be fine, but there is also the option of buying a factory refurbished laptop computer. These are computers that have been returned either from a lease, or returned from a store. They get sent back to a manufacturer and then cleaned, tested and parts are replaced to return the computer back to new condition. This is a great way to save money and get a good laptop at the same time.

Here’s what you need to know (and do) to connect your laptop to a wireless network and get Internet access.

First off, let’s talk common sense. Before you access any wireless network, especially one in a public place, you must have anti-virus software installed and up-to-date on your laptop. Your laptop should also be current with all Windows Operating System Updates.

That said, the next thing you need is to have a laptop with wireless networking capabilities. If you’re not sure whether yours does, do the following to check it out: Click on Start | Connect To | Show all connections, or Click on Start | Settings | (Control Panel) | Network Connections Under “LAN or High-Speed Internet” you should see a wireless connection icon. (If not, see below about installing a wireless network card). Assuming you have wireless capabilities, continue on doing the following: Right-click on the wireless connection icon. In the pop-up menu, select “View Available Wireless Networks.” In the “Wireless Networking Connection” window, click on the appropriate wireless network. Check the box that says “Allow me to connect to the selected wireless network.” An icon in the lower right hand corner of your desktop should eventually appear stating that you are connected. Open your browser and visit any website you want. If authentication is required on the wireless network, you will be redirected automatically to a login page where you’ll have to log in using an approved Network User Name/ID and the correct password.

That’s all it takes.

Note: If your laptop does not already have built-in wireless networking, you will need to purchase and install, or have installed, a Wireless Networking Card. There are many brands of wireless networking cards. Just make sure you buy a card that is 802.11b or 802.11g compatible. Linksys cards are an excellent choice and I recommend them highly. If you choose another brand, be certain that the card is WiFi Certified. (For a list of 802.11b and 802.11g certified cards, please visit the WiFi Alliance website.)