best laptop battery shop: Notebook Guide to Extend Your Laptop's Life

"The laptop revolution started about two years ago, and I'd say the war was won last Christmas,"

notes Derek Meister, a Best Buy Geek Squad Double Agent based in Cleveland. "But laptops absolutely decimated desktops this Christmas. It's actually rare for me to go out on a call and set up a desktop. Why? I think people who are looking for desktops either have a very particular

reason for it or are only comfortable with it. Laptops are comparable in price and in functionality now, which wasn't always the case."

A survey completed in early February by the Pew Internet and American Life Project found that desktop computers are most popular with adults ages 35-65, while millennials (defined as 18-34) are the only generation that is more likely to own a laptop computer or netbook than a desktop. That being said, laptop owners tend to really beat their computers up – taking it to work, to the coffee shop, perhaps to school or even to bed. It becomes imperative then that you take the proper steps to protect and extend the life of your investment.

Yes, hundreds of stories have been written about extending laptop life (just do a simple Google search). But in this guide, we'll explain the biggest mistakes most users make, simple tips you can take to fix them and also help you to navigate the vast options available as accessories by determining what matters and what you could easily avoid, all with an eye towards business owners and entrepreneurs.

How to Extend Your Laptop's Life: Biggest Mistakes Laptop Owners Make and How to Fix Them

There are plenty of steps you can take to help extend the life of your laptop, but first it is important to recognize what you may be doing wrong. Among the most common mistakes are not adjusting factory settings, charging your battery too often, backing up and memory, overheating and cooling issues, cleanliness and normal wear and tear from all of the transporting of the machine.

Factory Settings: Much like your smartphone, factory settings (namely brightness) are often much higher than necessary for any normal user. By adjusting the settings on your computer to a level that you are comfortable with, you will drain less battery and help your eyes.

"With so many people using computers before they go to bed, brightness is a big issue," Thibodeaux says. "It's really bad for your eyes to stare at a bright computer screen and then go to sleep."

Charging Your Battery Too Often: Laptop batteries, perhaps the most often discussed item on the portable device, is built to function without being plugged into a power source. Batteries are built to have a certain number of "charge cycles" or fully used and then recharged cycles in their lifetime (for an Apple Macbook, anywhere between 350-400). You see plenty of people who use laptops as their main device in the office or at home who leave the computer plugged in constantly while they are working on it, but it's much better practice to drain the battery life before plugging it back in.