When the fall and winter arrives, and the temperatures begin to drop, it is a great idea to think about the impact that frigid, cold weather can have on your laptop. Now, we know heat can seriously impact your computer in a negative way, but far too often we do not think about what kind of impact that the extreme cold can have on our laptops.
What Damage Can the Cold do to My Laptop?
–Corrupt your hard drive
-Damage your battery
-Cause damage to your laptop screen, even potentially cracking it
So How Can You Protect Your Laptop During the Bitter Cold Winter Months?
Here are a few tips to help you keep your computer running as well as possible during the cold weather.
Make Sure that You Always Protect Your Laptop While Traveling in the Cold Weather
Exposure to cold comes most often when traveling. Protect your computer by keeping it in a highly insulated and well-padded laptop case. Especially when moving around. In addition to protecting your laptop when the temperature drops, it will also provide additional protection should it get dropped for whatever reason.
Allow Time for Your Laptop to Warm Up
When you move your laptop from being outside in the cold temperatures and bring it back indoors, it is important that you wait a few minutes for the laptop to warm up. If you do not wait long enough (professionals suggest about 15 minutes), you run the risk of damaging the hard drive or the screen (or both) so badly that it will not be salvageable.
If You Think Your Laptop Might be in Trouble, Act Fast!
If you think that your laptop might be on the verge of being frozen, there are a few things that you can do to try and stop it. You will, however, have to act quickly, and with special care. If your laptop is about to freeze, the first thing to go will be the liquid crystal on the LCD panel laptop screen. This can happen if your laptop is left exposed to the cold for too long, or if you turn it on too quickly once you have gotten inside. If the screen is about to freeze, it can easily crack as it begins to thaw and expand. If you are facing this situation, your best bet is to leave your computer in a cool (but not cold) place for a while to allow it to warm up on its own slowly. Be careful though – if you do not allow your computer to warm up slowly and at room temperature, the screen can completely shatter.
Do Not Keep Your Laptop in Sleep Mode
To a lot of people, it might make sense to keep a laptop in sleep mode when carrying it from place to place. After all, it reduces time starting it back up again – right? Well…that isn’t always the case. When you leave your laptop in sleep mode, it will generally keep your laptop turned on, however, your hard drive will continue to spin. This means that if you travel over any bumps, you risk causing serious damage to your computer.
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