theyre a lot more iffy when it comes to problems than desktop comps. Ive never really understood why.

My current laptop has served me well for almost four years, but it’s really falling apart now. It crashes sometimes for no reason, the keys are popping off, and the screen has really taken a beating. I’m ready for a new one!

have not had my laptop long and am dissappointed to hear that they have a lot of problems.  what seems to be the main problems with them?

Oh dear, that’s not what I want to hear.  My husband has relegated me to our laptop for my school work and such because our home computer has more memory and a better sound card for his online games.  If our laptop goes kaput I’ll be in a BIG bind.

I’ve had my laptop for around two years and just recently I have started to have some serious problems with it.  This is not the first time I have had problems with it either.  About a year ago the thing where the power cord plugged got messed up so the computer wouldn’t charge and it would just overheat in that area.  I had to send it off and wait a couple of weeks for it to get fixed, because of course I live in South Carolina and I had to ship it to California.  It seems that laptop computers will almost always develop problems eventually.

I just got my laptop yesterday, its pretty awesome, going to use it for school and such. My router is suppose to arrive any moment…

Hopefully with some good care my laptop can last my awhile, since I intend on using it for awhile.

Anyone know any small things which can help keep a laptop going strong for a longer period time, something that has been proven though..?

I have had my laptop for going on 5 years now. I origionally bought it for school, and I have never had any major problems with it. I used it strictly for school work (reports, notes, presentations, etc.) up until about a year and a half ago, when my desktop crashed and my laptop became my workhorse. the only thing I can say that has ever gone wrong is the fact that is slows down as the years go by. but with regular maintenance, virus and adware/malware scans, I have been able to maintain it at almost peak performance.

With proper care, a laptop should last as long as a desktop, if not longer.

the thing with laptops is, they’re not built for the sort of abuse that desktops can usually take, that’s what i have seen ... my desktop computer, i treat it basically like *beep*, but this thing is sturdy like anything! even if it does start giving me problems, its no difficult to sort them out, all it takes is a re-installation, or some tweaking here and there ... another major plus point is that i can mess with the hardware, add things, take out things, without help form anyone, AND without the fear i might damage something which no one would then be able to track! with laptops, the most limiting factor is their upgradability!

then again, the laptops these days are MUCH better than the ones before. they’re much more sturdy, can handle much more abuse, but their is still no comparison with desktops! so, in short, desktops for abuse, laptops for the important stuff ::-p:

@ insideout - I agree with your rule of thumb and the fact that laptops are hard to upgrade without voiding some warranty or something.
Another problem is the screens. If you don’t take care of them, they can break, and in some cases it costs as much to replace a screen as it would to buy a totally new laptop with better specs.

i remember my first laptop a few years it was a toshiba if not mistaken 300Mhz of power…
i remember the batteries died on me
stucked keyboard
screen go flashing every 5 minutes

i have tried to fix it but just i give up cost lot more than buying a new one

I highly agree with this comment. My parent’s desktop has lasted them/us 6 years while I bought my laptop just over a year ago and I am already ready to sell it and upgrade. This may just be because I made a bad choice and went with the lowest level laptop upgraded to full extent, but in all of my computer history, this comment has been true. I think it could be any one of the following reasons:

1) People tend to just leave laptops on without shutting them down very often. They will just close the lid and walk away (not that people don’t leave their desktops on)

2) The components in a laptop have to be condensed to be small and light so they fit in the laptop. This could make them less sturdy and wear out quicker.

3) Finally, it could just be that people are tough with laptops. They constantly are moving them around while they are on, and they seem to use them a lot more than someone would use a desktop. Many people replace their desktop with a laptop that they carry everywhere with them. Why do you think they do this? So they can use it everywhere they go!

There ya have it!

ComputerNerd53 - 01 June 2008 05:19 AM

I highly agree with this comment. My parent’s desktop has lasted them/us 6 years while I bought my laptop just over a year ago and I am already ready to sell it and upgrade. This may just be because I made a bad choice and went with the lowest level laptop upgraded to full extent, but in all of my computer history, this comment has been true. I think it could be any one of the following reasons:

1) People tend to just leave laptops on without shutting them down very often. They will just close the lid and walk away (not that people don’t leave their desktops on)

2) The components in a laptop have to be condensed to be small and light so they fit in the laptop. This could make them less sturdy and wear out quicker.

3) Finally, it could just be that people are tough with laptops. They constantly are moving them around while they are on, and they seem to use them a lot more than someone would use a desktop. Many people replace their desktop with a laptop that they carry everywhere with them. Why do you think they do this? So they can use it everywhere they go!

There ya have it!

You’ve got it basically nailed there, I’ve just got a few things to add:

1)  As crazy as it sounds, electricity destroys electronics.  The more current you have in a circuit and the longer it’s in there the more it’s going to be worn down.

2)  I think it has more to do with heat than flimsy components.  While laptops aren’t cooled nearly as well as desktops to begin with, a lot of people make it worse by putting their laptop on a poor ventilating surface, such as their lap.  As with electricity, the more heat you’ve got in your computer the faster it’s going to wear down.

3)  Taking any electronic device from hot to cold or humid to dry with obviously have some adverse affects, and that’s usually what happens to a laptop when a person takes it with them.  A desktop’s environment rarely changes rapidly, so there’s no extra strain on the components.

All that considered, it makes sense that the average laptop will last a shorter then the average desktop, but there are a few simple things you can do to keep it around longer:
1)  Hibernate.  It won’t start up as fast as Sleep mode, but it also won’t keep electricity running through your RAM 24/7.
2)  Always make sure your laptop is on a hard, flat surface and no vents are blocked.  Even though it’s called a “lap"top, a desk is still the best place for it.
3)  Limit your laptop’s exposure to the elements by getting a good quality laptop bag with a weather-proof (or at least resistant) seal.  Lowepro is my #1 recommendation for great carrying bags of any kind (http://products.lowepro.com/catalog/Notebook-Cases,12.htm)

@ComputerNerd53:  They also have a good selection of Laptop/SLR bags.  I’ve got a CompuDaypack and love it.