What to know about your laptop to minimise repair costs

Buying a laptop or notebook computer for your business can be a great way to make your work more mobile and flexible. But laptops are not without their own specific issues. Here are some of the more common laptop problems that can occur.

Hard-drive failure

Mechanical hard-drive failure is one of the most common reasons for laptop repair. If your laptop is knocked or dropped while running, the mechanical arm that spins on the plate can damage your hard disk, putting your important business data at risk.

Symptoms of a hard-drive failure include:

• Clunking or ticking sounds
• 'blue-screen' errors
• A slow-running system. 

The average life span of a laptop hard drive is only two years, says Ashley Gilbert of Total IT Australia. "They will all fail," he says. "Some will last five years, some will last six months."

Short battery life

The ability of a laptop battery to hold a charge can diminish after 12 months, hence the ubiquitous one-year warranty. You can extend the life of your laptop's battery by:

• completely discharging and recharging the battery twice per week
• keeping the laptop on mains power as much as possible.

Professional laptop repair

While desktop computers are easily dismantled and serviced, laptops are intricately assembled and more difficult to tinker with. "There are generally no user-serviceable parts inside laptops," Ashley advises.

Anything more than toying with the hard drive and RAM will commonly void a laptop's warranty. If you have a laptop problem, you'll need to contact the manufacturer or an approved repair centre in order to retain your warranty.

Can individual parts be replaced?

 Most parts can be replaced on a laptop, although the ease and cost can vary greatly.

• Screens: Total IT Australia replaces three to five screens per week. 
• Keyboards: relatively simple to replace.
• Track pads: more complicated, but can still be replaced.

Internal hardware such as video cards, processors and motherboards can be costly to replace, making it more economical to replace the entire laptop.

Taking care of your laptop

Take the following precautions to extend the life of your laptop:

• Keep it on mains power where possible, and discharge and recharge the battery often.
• Keep the ventilation slots clear at all times to prevent overheating.
• Keep knocks and bumps to a minimum.

And, of course, backing up should be a regular habit. "It's always important to back-up data because hard drives are destined to fail," says Ashley.

Trust the professionals

When issues arise with your laptop, expertise is essential. To retain your warranty and get your business back in action as soon as possible, consult the IT professionals.