General Solutions to Laptop Problems

Although laptops are not perfect systems, they do offer tremendous advantages. Fortunately, what problems they do have can be ameliorated to a surprising degree. Table 1.13 summarizes the common problems and solutions covered in the following sections.

Table 1.13. Common Notebook Computer Shortcomings and Possible Solutions

Notebook Problem	Possible Solution
Expensive relative to an equivalent desktop	Actually, on a per-hour basis, a notebook may be more inexpensive.
Increased risk of damage, loss, and theft	Laptop insurance, extended warranties, frequent data backups, theft-deterrent locks, and encrypted hard disks.
Slower performance relative to high-end desktops	Buy a desktop as a notebook peripheral.
Difficult to upgrade and repair	No true solution. You must perform either limited upgrades or replace the notebook.

Possibly Cheaper Than Desktops

A simple comparison of price tags suggests that desktops are less expensive than laptops. A more intensive examination on a cost/benefit basis may suggest otherwise. Because a laptop may be used more often than a desktop, it could actually be less costly on a per-hour basis.

Laptop Insurance

Physical damage to laptops can be lessened by following two simple rules dictated by common sense. First, always transport your laptop in a well-cushioned bag specifically designed for that purpose. Second, never leave cables attached to your laptop in a place where someone can trip over them.

Even the most careful person, however, will occasionally subject the laptop to an environmental stress for which it was not designed. This could involve the system being dropped, dropped upon, run over, dunked, or a dozen other catastrophes. The only way to combat these mishaps is to be sure you're covered by either some form of insurance or an extended warranty that covers such disasters.

Protection from System Loss

Just as with desktops, frequent disk backups are a must. In fact, because the rougher environment that the laptop has to endure, backups are even more vital. Unfortunately, many people don't take backup seriously. Despite the difficulty, laptop users must make a habit of connecting to some type of storage device and backing up their data.

The increasing popularity of CD-RW and DVD+-RW disc drives on laptops may make this easier. It is a fairly simple task of popping in an inexpensive CD-R or DVD+R disc and copying the My Documents portion from one's hard drive to the optical disc. A good rule of thumb is to do this backup every time your antivirus software requires an update of its virus definitions. Other backup choices include copying data to flash memory drives and high capacity external USB hard drives.

People who have sensitive information on their laptops need some additional protection. Windows 2000 Professional and Windows XP Professional offer a decent encryption facility, along with secure password protection. Most laptops also offer secure passwords for both the system (booting) and for the hard drive contents as well. Using one or all of these features can protect your data should the system be lost or stolen.

Upgrades Are Indeed Possible

Because of their small size, laptops are more difficult to repair or upgrade than a desktop system. The components are often so small that you may need special tiny tools to access them. And, without the right guidance, you could really get into trouble. But despite the challenges involved, it is indeed possible to upgrade or repair a laptop as long as you have the proper guidance. And that, of course, is what this book is all about.