Today I learned my laptop died...

Perhaps their advice to me will help you:

Laptop Tips and Advice (Don't Say We never told you so!)

There are so many things that you can do wrong it is hard to know where to start, but here is a list of some of common actions to avoid ...

Don't Leave your Laptop on all the time: At least once a day, turn off your laptop and give it a chance to cool off. This is more important for the stability of the Operating System than to save wear and tear on the hardware. Also, I like to go with a complete shut down, not just sleep mode or hibernate.

Don't Download Files from just anywhere: File Sharing Sites are a Virus Superhighway and when you start downloading files from just about any "free" site, you are asking for trouble.

Don't use your Laptop in Bed, or on your Lap: Ironically, using your laptop on top of your lap can lead to poor air circulation and may even cause health problems.

Don't Keep Opening and Closing the Lid: I call em like I see em, and even though a laptop is designed to be opened and closed on a regular basis, the more the lid is opened and closed, the more likely you are to end up with loose hinges that do not hold the LCD in place. This is not to say that you should never open or close the lid, just that you should try to keep it to a minimum.

Don't even Look at the Power Plug the Wrong Way! For sure the Achilles Heal of any laptop, The DC Input Jack, commonly known as the Power Plug, is one of the most delicate parts of a laptop and yet one of the most important. If this dainty jack is bent more than 15 degrees in any direction, you are headed for an expensive repair that most technicians would not want to attempt. Of course, here at Laptops plus we can handle that kind of repair, but it is not cheap.

Keep drinking and computing separate! While it has not been determined what percentage of spills are related to alcohol consumption, I have noticed that wine spills are very common, with beer a distant second.

Avoid installing software just to see if it's something cool: Every application uses resources when running - some even when they're not running. Uninstalling isn't necessarily the answer either --- there are a lot of programs out there that don't remove everything they install.

Use Compressed Air to blow out dust regularly: If enough dust and dirt collects inside of your laptop, you will have poor air circulation and the heat will remain in your laptop, instead of being blown out with the exhaust air.

Keep Your Screen Clean ... Cloths made to clean eyeglasses can be used to gently wipe dust from LCD screens. Finer hotel rooms sometimes have small soft cloths for shining shoes in with the toiletries - these also work well.

Fast is the New Big when it comes to Hard Drives. When purchasing a laptop - don't underestimate the value of a fast hard drive. If you do a lot of operations that access the drive, like multi-media editing, a faster drive will give a performance boost.

Your battery needs exercise too. If you would like your battery to retain its ability to hold a charge, you must keep it exercised. Don't keep it plugged in all the time, and when you do have it plugged in, make sure you let it charge 100% before unplugging it.

Dont leave your laptop in your car. Not only do you run the risk of it being stolen if your car is broken into, but drastic temperatures or temperature changes can actually crack the LCD screen.

If you have Microsoft Vista, make sure you always shut down correctly. Unfortunately, Vista is a lot less fault tolerant than XP, so shutting down correctly is a must. Vista can take some time to shut down, but be patient because you will avoid corrupting Windows.