A laptop has unique safety requirements. Learn how to keep your laptop safe and sound.

There used to be a time when desktops were much cheaper and much more powerful than laptops. This was due to the fact that laptops had to squeeze all the functions of a desktop into a very small space. The smaller size limited to power of the components and also made them more complicated to make and therefore more expensive. However, things have changed and modern laptops are very close to desktops in power and price. The Market Oracle indicates that laptop sales have grown to equal desktop sales.

Laptop Safety Issues

The laptop or notebook has special safety issues which are not applicable to a desktop or much less of an issue.

The laptop owner is faced with the following safety concerns:

• physical safety - Since a laptop is ofter carried from place to place it is subject to the danger of being dropped and damaged. Additionally, all the parts are built into one unit and are much more exposed than a desktop. Liquids spilling into laptop keyboard can damage the entire laptop while a desktop's keyboard may be damaged but the rest of the computer is ok.
• theft danger - A laptop is made to be carried and can very easily be carried off by the wrong people. It's also exposed to less secure environments than one's home or business. Notebooks can be found in all travel locations and can easily be left behind on an airplane or taxi seat. To protect against theft, see Laptop Theft - 5 Protection Steps
  
• data security - Since the laptop may be left exposed in foreign environments, it is more subject to snooping and tampering by unauthorized people. People who use laptops very often make them the data and information centers of their lives. If stolen, all ones personal and financial secrets can be used against the owner's will.

Safety Measures

There are a number of things that can be done to deal with the safety concerns mentioned above. Some involve best practices for user handling of the laptop. Others involve software or hardware to alleviate the problem. These will be discussed in following articles.

Summary

A laptop is an extremely useful and powerful tool. However, it is subject to many dangers. Proper management of these issues will provide many years of fruitful use of this valuable appliance.

 
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1/26/2011