Whether it's your first year at university or you're heading back for another year of high school, a laptop that's unreliable, slow, or out of date will cost you more than just time. A few hours of preparation now can prevent a lot of frustration when it actually matters — mid-assignment, mid-exam, mid-lecture.
Here's the complete checklist we recommend at PC Madness before every school and university year.
1. Battery Health Check
Battery degradation is one of the most common and overlooked laptop problems. A laptop that could run for 6 hours when new might only last 2–3 hours after a couple of years of charging cycles. That's fine at home near a power point — not fine in a lecture theatre or library where you might not have a seat next to an outlet.
On Windows, you can generate a battery health report by opening a Command Prompt as administrator and typing:
powercfg /batteryreportThis creates an HTML report showing your battery's design capacity versus current full-charge capacity. If your current capacity is below 70–75% of design capacity, your battery is noticeably degraded. On Mac, hold Option and click the battery icon in the menu bar — it'll tell you if the battery condition is normal or if service is recommended.
Battery replacement is one of the most cost-effective laptop repairs available. A new battery typically costs $80–$150 installed and can give the laptop another 2–3 years of reliable portable use.
2. Storage Cleanup and Space Check
A laptop running low on storage slows down significantly — especially if it's running Windows with a traditional HDD or an SSD that's over 80% full. SSDs perform best when they have at least 15–20% free space. If yours is nearly full, you need to address it before term starts.
Start with the basics: empty the Recycle Bin, clear Downloads, and use Windows Storage Sense (Settings → System → Storage → Storage Sense) or the Storage Management tool on Mac to identify large and redundant files. Delete programs you no longer use. Move photos and videos to an external drive or cloud storage.
If you're consistently running out of space and can't delete enough, consider:
- Upgrading to a larger SSD — this is often cheaper than buying a new laptop
- Using an external SSD for media and large project files
- Setting up cloud storage (OneDrive or Google Drive) to offload files you don't need locally
3. Operating System Updates
Running an outdated OS is a security risk. Windows and macOS updates include patches for security vulnerabilities that are actively exploited by malware. An unpatched machine connected to a university network is a target.
On Windows: Settings → Windows Update → Check for updates. Install everything, including the optional driver updates if your hardware is relevant. On Mac: System Settings (or System Preferences on older macOS) → Software Update.
If your laptop is running Windows 10 or earlier, be aware that Windows 10 reaches end of support in October 2025. After that, no more security patches. If the machine supports Windows 11, now is the time to upgrade. If it doesn't meet the requirements, it may be time to consider replacement or a fresh install of a lightweight Linux distribution.
4. Antivirus and Security Software
University students are frequent targets for phishing, fake software, and credential theft. You'll be dealing with a lot of new accounts, new logins, and connecting to public and university Wi-Fi networks — all of which increase your exposure.
At minimum, make sure Windows Defender is on and up to date (it's built into Windows 10 and 11 and is genuinely capable). Consider adding Malwarebytes Free as a second-opinion scanner — run it monthly. On Mac, macOS has built-in protections that are solid, but Malwarebytes for Mac is still worth having.
More importantly: be alert to phishing. Most successful attacks aren't about bypassing antivirus — they're about tricking you into handing over credentials. If an email asks you to log into a system urgently and the link doesn't match the official domain, it's a phishing attempt. When in doubt, go directly to the website rather than clicking a link in an email.
5. Screen Check
You'll be staring at your laptop screen for hours every day. This is a good time to check for issues that are easy to ignore until they get worse:
- Dead pixels — small permanently black, white, or coloured dots on the screen. Run a full-screen single-colour display to spot them (search "dead pixel test" for free tools)
- Backlight bleed — bright patches bleeding in from the edges in dark environments
- Screen flicker — subtle pulsing, especially at low brightness settings, can cause eye fatigue
- Cracks or pressure damage — even small cracks tend to spread
- Hinge condition — if the screen wobbles or won't stay at your chosen angle, the hinge is worn and should be fixed before it cracks the casing
Screen replacements are one of the most common laptop repairs we do. Depending on the model, a new screen costs between $150–$350 installed. It's much cheaper than a new laptop.
6. Keyboard and Trackpad
With the amount of typing you'll be doing, a sticky key, a dead key, or a malfunctioning trackpad is a real productivity problem. Test every key in a text document and check the trackpad for smooth tracking, correct click response, and multi-finger gesture support.
If keys are stiff or sticky from a past spill, don't try to "wash" the keyboard — bring it in. Keys that are physically damaged or non-functional can often be fixed by replacing just the keycap or the key mechanism. If the damage is more extensive, full keyboard replacement is the solution.
7. Backup Your Data — Before Anything Goes Wrong
This is the single most important item on this list, and the one most commonly skipped. Your assignments, notes, research, and personal files have no automatic protection unless you set up a backup system.
The 3-2-1 rule: keep 3 copies of important data, on 2 different types of storage, with 1 copy offsite (or in the cloud). In practice for a student, this means:
- Files on your laptop (copy 1)
- Cloud backup via OneDrive, Google Drive, or iCloud (copy 2, offsite)
- An external hard drive or SSD for periodic full backups (copy 3)
Set OneDrive or Google Drive to auto-sync your Documents folder so you don't have to think about it. Then test the backup — actually open a file from the cloud to confirm it's there.
8. Speed Check
Turn the laptop on and actually time how long it takes to reach a usable desktop. If it's over 2 minutes, something is wrong. Common culprits:
- Too many startup programs — go to Task Manager → Startup and disable anything non-essential
- A failing or near-full HDD — SSDs are dramatically faster; upgrading an old spinning hard drive is one of the best speed improvements available
- Insufficient RAM for your workload — 8GB is the minimum for comfortable multitasking with a browser, a document editor, and other tools open simultaneously; 16GB is better
- Malware silently consuming resources
9. Ports and Connectivity
Check that the ports you'll need actually work: USB ports, the headphone jack, the charging port (loose charging ports are a very common repair), and any display output (HDMI or USB-C to display adapters if required). Test Wi-Fi connectivity and speed. If Wi-Fi drops out frequently or only works close to the router, the Wi-Fi adapter may be failing.
10. Consider a Professional Pre-School Service
If your laptop is 3+ years old, a professional service before the year starts is worthwhile. This typically includes a full clean, thermal paste replacement if needed, a health check of all components, and an honest assessment of what (if anything) needs attention. It's much better to know about a problem now — when you have time and options — than to have the laptop die mid-semester.
At PC Madness in Midland, we service all brands and models of laptops — Windows and Mac. We'll tell you honestly whether your laptop is in good shape for another year or whether you should be looking at repairs or a replacement.
Need a pre-school laptop service? Call PC Madness on 08 9250 4554 or drop in to our workshop at 2C Stafford Street, Midland. Mon–Fri, 8am–4pm. We'll get your laptop ready for the year ahead.