Don’t place your laptop on soft, fuzzy, or shaggy surfaces that can block its vents. Most laptops have fan vents located on the sides and bottom that should be left unblocked for the laptop to run.
If the laptop won’t open, don’t try to force it! Look for a latch instead. You shouldn’t have to force the screen open. Do not pull back the lid too far. A 45-degree obtuse angle is the most the laptop should be open to. The lid or hinge mechanism may be damaged or broken if pulled back any further.
Many touchpads are multi-touch - using multiple fingers will produce different user interface actions than using just one. Experiment with your laptop by dragging one, two or three fingers across it and trying different ‘gestures’ or movements with your fingers. Lenovo laptops may use a small, red joystick-like button called a “trackpoint” located in the middle of the keyboard between the ‘G’ and ‘H’ keys. Use it just like a very sensitive joystick for just your finger. Some older laptops may have a trackball. Rolling the ball on a trackball will cause the mouse pointer to move around. Some laptops are equipped with a pen interface. A pen will be attached to the laptop in these cases. Hover the pen over the screen to move the pointer and press the pen to the screen to click. Do you find laptop pointing devices tiny and difficult to use? You can always attach a mouse to a laptop. Locate the laptop’s USB port and attach a mouse if you’d like to use one. The laptop will automatically recognize the mouse and make it ready for you to use.
Some touchpads may allow you to tap lightly on the pad surface to click. Experiment - you might discover additional functionality to your laptop you didn’t know you had.
In Windows and Mac OS, you can open the optical drive by pushing the small button on it, or by right clicking the optical drive icon in your operating system and selecting “Eject”.
You will need to update your laptop’s version of Windows if your laptop is Windows-based. Your Windows-based laptop might use Windows Update or the manufacturer’s own software to update Windows. If you are using a Mac laptop, use MacOS’s built-in upgrade option. On a Mac laptop these are usually easy to find.
OpenOffice can do word processing, spreadsheets and presentations, similar to proprietary software like Microsoft Word - but for free. Use Google Docs as an online alternative to office suites. Google Docs is ‘cloud-based’ office software that offers a lot of the same functionality as OpenOffice or Microsoft Office. It’s free to use and very powerful, in particular if you have to share documents with others. If you simply have to use Microsoft Office, you might be able to get it for free or a discount if you’re a student. Check before you go down to the store and buy a copy.
Use Photo Stream to organize and share your photos. If you have an iPhone or if your laptop is a Mac, you can follow our basic setup instructions to get Photo Stream up and sharing your photos. You can use Picasa to organize and share your photos. Picasa is made by Google and provides you with a lot of the basic tools you’ll need to work with photos like cropping, retouching and even recoloring and making panoramas.
Your laptop may be able to connect to your car’s audio system. Follow our how-to on connecting to car audio, but be careful - driving down the street at the same time that you’re trying to click a tiny button on your laptop to change the music is a really easy way to get into an accident.
Gaming laptops with powerful graphics cards and processors are particularly prone to overheating. Treat these laptops more carefully. Try not to use your laptop in a brightly sun-lit or hot setting. Not only will it wash out your screen and make it hard to read, but it’ll also heat it up a lot faster. Consider purchasing a laptop cooler if your laptop runs especially hot. These devices have a fan that blows cooling air on the bottom of the laptop, reducing heat buildup.
