Cold Weather Care for Your Laptop Computer

How to Keep Your Notebook Safe in Winter Weather

Laptops can stand a fair amount of exposure to cold and even subzero temperatures without sustaining any damage. Even so, transporting and working with a notebook in subzero temperatures, especially if there's rain or snow, does pose some risk to the computer. Here are some tips on cold weather computer care to keep your laptop running smoothly all winter.

Bundle up
If you'll be carrying your laptop outside in subzero temperatures, keep it inside a laptop sleeve or plastic bag within a well-padded, insulated laptop bag. This goes for transporting it in the trunk of your car during cold weather, too. If you're laptop bag isn't particularly well-padded, wrap the laptop in a towel or sweater. Insulation helps keep the laptop at room temperature, but it has another benefit, too. If you'll be walking on ice or heavy snow, your laptop bad should be padded to protect the computer in case you fall and drop it.

Protect your laptop from freezing
Needless to say, very bad things can happen to a notebook and its various components when they freeze. Firstly, you could lose all your data. Secondly, your thawed-out rechargeable battery will have only about half of its pre-frozen battery life and it won't hold a charge for as long as it did. What's more, the LCD screen will probably be damaged, too.

To avoid all this, take care where you store your laptop. Never leave your notebook computer, even in a well insulated bag, in your vehicle during the work day or over night. This is especially true if you live in an area with high humidity or rain and snow. Condensation could be more of a problem than low temperatures.

If you're going to be out for several hours at a time in subzero temperatures, use something to keep your laptop warm. There are specially designed laptop warmers available, but they're not so easy to find. For a quick fix, a hot water bottle can also work. Just make sure it's securely sealed, wrap it in a towel, and put it in your laptop bag next to the battery.