From emptying your hard drive to removing a dust blockage, tips to keep your laptop and smartphone running, from the Restart Project
How to keep your laptop running
- Is it overheating?
The fan collects dust and other particles over time. Clean it with a brush or compressed air.
- Has performance degraded?
Always keep at least 10 per cent of your hard drive empty. Consider upgrading to a Solid State Drive.
- Does it often become unresponsive?
Increase the amount of installed RAM: it’s the cheapest way to improve performance.
- Is it slow at startup?
Check settings for apps launched automatically at startup and only keep the ones you actually need.
Image: Christin Hume
How to keep your smartphone running
- Did you spill water on it?
Switch it off! If possible, remove the battery and let the phone dry for 24-48 hours before turning it on.
- Short battery life
Reduce unnecessary notifications, screen brightness, unused apps. Consider changing the battery.
- Headphones not working
Check the audio port for any dust blocking it and gently remove it with a toothpick.
- Phone running slowly
Back up your data, free space on the device, reset it completely and re-install apps.
Tips: The Restart Project
Featured image: Viktor Talashuk
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