Quick Reference Guide

CHAPTER 7: Maintaining Your Notebook
66
Cleaning the keyboard
You should clean the keyboard occasionally by using an
aerosol can of air with a narrow, straw-like extension to
remove dust and lint trapped under the keys.
If you spill liquid on the keyboard, turn off your notebook and
turn the notebook upside down. Let the liquid drain, then let
the keyboard dry before trying to use it again. If the keyboard
does not work after it dries, you may need to replace it. A
replacement keyboard may not be covered by your warranty.
Cleaning the notebook screen
Use a soft cloth and water to clean the LCD screen. Squirt a
little water on the cloth (never directly on the screen), and
wipe the screen with the cloth.
Maintaining the battery
The life span of a notebook battery is about 1.5 to 3 years,
under normal conditions. As the battery begins to die, you will
have to recharge the battery more frequently because it
cannot hold a full charge.
Do not expose the battery to high heat or freezing
temperatures. Hot batteries discharge very quickly, and cold
ones cannot create as much power. Short battery life is more
likely to be caused by heat than by charge/discharge patterns.
Keep your lithium-ion battery cool. Avoid a hot car, for
example.
Charge often, but do not try to fully discharge the battery
frequently. This only adds strain. Several partial discharges
(regular use), with frequent recharges, are better for
lithium-ion than one total discharge. Recharging a partially
charged lithium-ion battery does not cause any harm because
it has no memory.
Batteries with fuel gauges (notebooks) should be recalibrated
once every 30 charges. If ignored, the fuel gauge becomes
increasingly less accurate and in some cases will cut off the
device prematurely. For more information about recalibrating
the battery, see “Recalibrating the battery” on page 50.
Caution
A notebook LCD screen is made of specially coated glass and can be
scratched or damaged by abrasive or ammonia-based glass cleaners.