Taking care of my new laptop... HOW??

Hi everybody... :mmm:

I just bought a new HP ZT3000 series notebook, and I must say that I'm really satisfied about it... Its essential specifications are: 1.6 Dothan, 256 MB RAM, 60 GB 4200 rpm, Radeon 9200 64 mb, 1280x800 Widescreen..

Now, in order to maintain it as good as possible, I'd like to ask some general questions about how to take care of it:

1) General Usage

This laptop will be used as my main pc for some time, so I can say that it will "work hard"...

One thing that always make me thought is whether I should treat a laptop more "gently" than a regular desktop PC or not... I always have the feeling that laptops are much more fragile, not just mechanically - which they surely are - but also in regular usage.... Is this tue??

For example, Is there any problem by keeping it on for many hours consecutively, like a normal desktop pc??? Sometimes I keep it on for 15 + hours...
Should I make some regular breaks, or is it ok to continue doing so??

Also, I'm using it mainly for internet browsing, chatting, and normal office work, so it's not that intensive work on it, but I also intendusing it sometimes for designing and heavier tasks..
should I think twice before running "heavy" programs on it, such as Photoshop, or running many program simultaneously, like I regularly do my desktop pc??


2) Battery
I've read lots of threads and posts about this issue, but I must say that the more I read, the more I became confused ... It seems that many people have truly different opinions on how to avoid fast degradations of the battery..

Some said that there isn't that big effect on whether you charge it too much or not, some said it should be charged only when it's almost totally empty, and some even said to take the battery out when it's plugged in !!! I've read somewhere that the battery's degradation begins instantly after it gets manufactured, even if you don't use it at all!!! Now THAT'S confusing

Now, since I'll be using my lap most of the time as a desktop pc, and there will be no problem to plug it in , what is the best way to conserve the battery's life as much as possible in this specific situation ???
Right now, I'm keeping it plugged in all the time, for several consecutive hours, and I use the battery only when I'm using it as a mobile unit... Should I continue doing so, or maybe it'll harm the battery??? should I take out the battery during thse long periods???



3) Hard Disk

in general, do 2,5" hard disks perform as normal 3.5" desktop pc hard disks??? Are they more senstive in general???
Do they tend to crash are make problems more than desktop hds??


To conclude, I might seem a little too worried, but it's simply tht I want to keep it working as much as possible...Any advice on how to take care about this laptop will be greatly appreciated..

Cheers [ ]

 

Congratulations!

Good laptops (like HP) are designed with abuse in mind. HD should be very resistant as well as the laptop case. I dropped my first HP on the floor with no probs. The second one I already dropped twice. Nothing other than a cosmetic effect.

Don't hit it deliberately and try to be nice with it.

 

<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Originally posted by alekkh

 

Kamal -

Congrats on your new Notebook! I just bought the HP ZT3000US (3340 to be exact) and am very happy with it, also. Even though it's designed to take a bump or two, it's not as durable as a regular desktop.

A good rule of thumb to keep in mind is: 1. Don't use harsh chemicals to clean it (go to HP.com if in doubt with what to use on it), 2. Keep your battery fully charged as often as possible and calibrate it once a month or once every two months. 3. It is a newer laptop so it can handle several programs running at the same time, if you're not sure, try running the applications you want to and see how it handles it. [8D]

If you are going to have your laptop running for that long, it's an excellent idea to buy a "chillpad" (Targus Chillpad: $20-$35) to set underneath your laptop (while on your lap, desk, table, etc.) to keep your underside and internal components cool. This will also help lengthen the life of your laptop in the long run as well as allow it to run for long periods. I have one and my laptop doesn't get warm (to the touch) at all.

To make sure that your battery has a long life and that you are getting the most out of it's charge (and for others who are concerned with battery care) calibrate your battery once every 1-2 months (4-8 weeks) for best performance. You can be using your laptop during this time (if you're not using it while draining your battery in step 2, make sure to disable Hibernation.)

To Calibrate your battery:

1. Plug your laptop into your A/C adapter (battery connected to laptop) and fully charge your laptop 100%.
2. Unplug your laptop from the A/C adapter and use battery power until your laptop shuts down/off (battery is completely drained).
3. Plug in your laptop into your A/C adapter, again, and fully charge the battery 100%.

This ensures a long battery life. Hope this info helps.

Liquid620 - HP.Pavilion.ZT3340US.Widescreen

 

<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Originally posted by Liquid620

 

A rechargeable battery has positive and negative ions inside of it; calibrating the battery ensures that all of the cells are being used and charged with a positive charge. If you allow a rechargeable battery to remain at a half-way, partial or semi-positive charge for too long, the cells that are negative will not charge/hold the charge (in a sense, the cells will become "dead",holding only a negative charge) causing the battery life to diminish and, eventually, not hold a positive charge at all. However, even with a 100% positive charge, cells are known to lose the charge over time with use.

This occurs with cordless phones, as well.

If you keep your laptop plugged into your A/C adapter at all times (which is not likely - defeating one of the comforts of wireless) you will have a 100% positive charge and wouldn't need to calibrate the battery but once every 4-6 months. Calibrating at this point would be to ensure a full, healthy charge.

I calibrate mine once a month only because I rely on my battery 40-70% of the time, depending on comfort, travel, etc. Someone who uses their laptop at home more often, sitting on the couch with it on their lap (with access to a wall outlet) only needs to calibrate it every 2 to 3 months.

I hope this helps.

Liquid620 - HP.Pavilion.ZT3340US.Widescreen

 

Never heard of a Chill pad. Must have a look into it.

My HP at the time came with a thin soft cloth kind of thing between the screen and keyboard. I kept that and put it in between whenever I was travelling.

Prevents the keyboard from rubbing (scratching) on the screen when it gets squashed in a bag and especially on a plane.

I started doing that when I noticed co-workers screen with a keyboard pattern etched on.

 

Yeah, most chillpads are thin, lightweight, 2-4 fans, can be plastic or metallic. I got mine from Targus and it connects into one of my USB ports and works wonders. It's awesome for those of us who like to lounge and need something to keep our laps and laptops cool. Chillpad works wonders.

Liquid620 - HP.Pavilion.ZT3340US.Widescreen