Laptop shopping can be tricky. For most of us, the new laptop is an investment of hundreds if not thousands of dollars. You want to know it’s going to be worth it! So how do you check that the new laptop is free from issues? Below are some tips from the best gaming tips on checking your new laptop for any hardware or software problems before taking it out of the box and setting up your favorite operating system.
Removing Password
The first thing I would recommend doing when opening any computer is removing all passwords and writing them down somewhere safe. On many laptops, there is a pre-installed power-on password (POP). This prevents others from simply turning on the machine by pressing the power button; they need to know this password to enter the BIOS and use it. After removing this password, it is wise to write it down somewhere safe, as you will need to re-enter it later when setting up your laptop. If there is no power on the password (POP) or it has already been removed, proceed with booting up the computer.
Managing Password
It is also a good idea at this point to create a list of all passwords that have been set on your new system before turning it on. For example, suppose someone had created a BIOS user name and password. In that case, a pop-up window may appear asking for these details during boot before accessing anything else on the system – unless you know what they are, you would not be able to get past this point. This is a crucial step to take if you are considering selling your laptop in the future or even giving it away as someone else may have set passwords on your system, which you are unaware of. For example, many laptops have a motherboard user name and password, so without knowing these details, you would not be able to open the case to install new hardware such as an upgraded graphics card!
If you cannot find or remember any passwords, try using Google or visiting forums specific to your laptop model. You can also leave the machine running for 30 minutes with no disk activity taking place – at this point; most systems will revert to defaults allowing access to everything again. Of course, every manufacturer implements its security measures differently, so your mileage may vary.
System Run
The next thing I would recommend doing is to check the system runs cool without any unusual noises coming from the built-in fans within the chassis of your laptop. This is important as, with time, fans can become worn out and therefore run slower than they initially did or even stop altogether, causing further damage to other components on your motherboard due to overheating.
If anything sounds abnormal, consider opening up the machine and cleaning it out with compressed air (do not spray onto any sensors around the case). Also, keep an eye out for any dust build-up in hard-to-reach places that could restrict airflow over time which again leads to overheating problems. Also, make sure you are running all available updates for your hardware and any software you intend to use on your new laptop. Most manufacturers will release updates for the different components at some point after a machine has been launched, so keeping everything up-to-date is essential.
Checking Internet Connection
If you have been using wireless internet from home or at work, there is a good chance this would have been set up via an Ethernet cable plugged in directly to one of the built-in LAN ports on your router/modem/switch device. It is worth checking these cables if they are not already installed when you buy a new laptop as many machines come with USB versions that don’t support Gigabit speeds, only 10/100 capable interfaces. If this is the case, connect one of your computers directly to your router and run a speed test (try several different ones to ensure accuracy) against these ports to see which is the fastest. Once you know this, you can easily purchase new Ethernet cables online that meet your requirements and also use them with any additional computers in the future if needed.
By following these steps, you should end up with a reasonably fast machine capable of browsing the internet without too much interference from software running in the background which will provide a noticeable performance increase compared to when it was brand new out of the box!