The thought of damaging your laptop makes your stomach turn. In the era of COVID-19, you need your device to stay in top condition so that you can get through everyday life. You need it to do your work, to talk to your friends, to order your groceries and to entertain yourself while you’re stuck indoors.
The time away from your laptop isn’t the only thing that worries you — you also don’t want to deal with the costs of repairs. It could cost you hundreds of dollars to fix, especially when you’re out of warranty. You’re not sure that you could handle that kind of surprise expense.
What Can You Do?
If your laptop breaks, and you don’t have the savings to fix it right away, you could apply for a personal line of credit to help you cover the emergency expense. This open-end credit tool can allow you to withdraw funds and send them to your bank account. If your application is approved, you could manage the repairs quickly and deal with repayments later on. Click here to see whether you can get a personal line of credit online to have as a back-up plan.
This solution should only be used for emergencies, like when you need to laptop to do your job or attend school. To avoid the repair costs altogether, you should follow these five tips to protect your laptop:
1. Get Some Coverage
Would you leave your smartphone uncovered? Of course not! Your laptop is no different. Get a top-quality screen protector to prevent cracks and breaks. Get a waterproof keyboard skin to protect against spills. And get a sturdy case for when you’re on the go. You don’t want it jostling unprotected at the bottom of your bag.
2. Run Those Software Updates
Do you ignore the notification in the corner saying that your computer is due for an update? That’s not a good idea. The updates are essential for improving your device’s performance and patching up any bugs and vulnerabilities in the software. Putting those updates on the back burner could make you more susceptible to hackers and viruses.
3. Use a VPN
Using a Virtual Private Network (VPN) is an excellent way to protect your data when you’re using a public WiFi network. You may not realize that you’re vulnerable to hacking and spying when you’re connected to a public network. This keeps your browsing and your data away from prying eyes.
4. Use a Strong Password
One of the simplest ways to protect your laptop is to use a strong log-in password. The password should include lower case letters, upper case letters, numbers and characters to make it more challenging to guess. Take a look at some of the worst passwords that are commonly input by tech users — and that are commonly victims of data breaches. Don’t use them.
5. Avoid Suspicious Links
If you get an email or message with a link that looks suspicious, do not click on it. It could force you to download malware.
If you’ve clicked on a suspicious link and you’re not sure whether it was a good idea, look at these common signs that your computer has a virus to see if you can spot anything familiar. You could have unintentionally infected your device.
You can’t live without your laptop. So, do your best to protect it.
