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Laptops on the Go 

Undoubtedly, the portable computing power of a laptop can be an incredible productivity boost. When you are on the go, be sure to take steps to ensure the battery does not run low and your data is secure. 

Extend Battery Life 

Has your battery gone down in a place where electric outlets are not to be found? There are ways you can extend the life of your laptop's battery. 

•  A laptop's LCD screen requires a lot of power. Lower the brightness to a level that is comfortable for viewing the screen. Better still, use black and white mode. Set the monitor to go off after five minutes of inactivity.

•  Remove unused devices and peripherals. Modems, USB devices, external drives and wireless LAN devices put an unnecessary burden on the laptop battery. Turning them off when you are not using them will result in a lower battery drain.

•  When you are not using a PC card, close all applications using the card and pop it part of the way out of the slot or remove it altogether to save power.

•  If you are not using the built-in Wi-Fi, turn it off.

•  Increase the laptop's memory (RAM). Memory requires less battery power than a hard disk drive, which requires disks to be spun at high speed.

•  Avoid running multiple programs and close all unused or unnecessary programs. This frees up some of the memory and the processor does not have to work as hard. Consider using smaller, simpler programs whenever possible such as WordPad instead of Word.

•  Reduce the frequency of background processes such as auto-save in your word processor and other software so that your system can shut down the hard drive for longer periods.

•  The hardware program Bios Setup that comes with a laptop computer allows you to view and set system parameters. Check the Bios to see if power management is enabled. Set it to maximum to save battery power.

•  Use standby when you are not actively using your laptop such as when you are taking a five minute break or talking on the telephone. Standby puts your system into a low-power state. When you will not be using your laptop for a longer period of time, use the hibernate or suspend mode. Hibernate puts the laptop into an even deeper sleep than standby but uses less power than shutting the system off and restarting it.

•  Make sure your battery is fully charged before you leave. Of course, the best tip is to buy an extra battery and keep it fully charged and ready to pack as a back-up. 

Take Steps to Prevent Theft 

Your laptop is vulnerable to theft whether you are taking it with you on the road or using it in your office.  

Presumably your laptop is insured, so the more critical concern is that someone could access the personal, financial and private information that you have stored on its hard drive. The data could be of more value to a thief than the laptop itself and may indeed be the primary reason for the theft. Consider the rising incidences of identity theft. 

•  The free built-ins found on many systems, such as passwords or operating system logons, are designed mainly to deter casual prying. All a thief has to do is remove the hard disk and install it in another PC as a secondary drive and the drive can then be read without a password.

•  You can protect the data stored on your laptop by using encryption software that codes your documents so only authorized users can read it. Some encryption programs use both a password and special USB tokens that resemble a memory stick.

•  Do not store highly sensitive information such as passwords, credit card numbers, the activation code to your home alarm system or your SIN or passport numbers on your laptop.

•  Back up your data on alternate media, such as a thumb drive, USB memory key or some other removable storage medium, all of which are relatively inexpensive. Set the automatic back-up feature of software such as your word processing and financial management applications so that these back-up files are also stored on the removable medium and not on your hard drive.

•  If possible, send the data to a remove data storage site. Once you have transferred the data, delete the files from the laptop and then make sure that you empty the recycle bin, trash or equivalent.

•  Do not compute sensitive information online while traveling unless absolutely necessary and you know the link is safe; for example, you are connected through virtual private network (VPN) software that requires an extra level of log-on passwords and encryption.

•  Carry your laptop in a bag that is not too obvious. For example, there are bags shaped like backpacks that are specifically designed to carry laptops and have the right padding.

•  If you leave your hotel room for the day, take your laptop with you or check it at the front desk.