[annaelizabeth]

New to the world of Mac, and even to laptops or computers in general. I need some guidance...
1) is it of to store the MacBook on its side (upright in the bag), or is it best to keep it flat?
2) Is it better to have frequent shutdowns then to keep it on sleep?
3) how sensitive is it really? I know dropping should be avoided, but what about have some files on top of it, or having in on the inside of you computer bag (will the constant bumping against my hip hurt it?), what kind of lengths should I go it in keeping it steady and bump free?
4) if I wanted to have a lot of programs, do I need a harddrive or memory? That really confusses me.

Many MANY thanks for your help and not laughing too hard.

[ibook_steve]

1) Doesn't matter. If it's closed, sleeping or shutdown, the hard drive is locked so it doesn't matter how it's stored.
2) Just sleep unless you won't be using it for a long time. Why waste the time booting up every time when you can quickly sleep and wake?
3) Obviously you want to protect it. Just put it in a bag or backpack in a separate pocket. That's all you need to do. Obviously, try to avoid banging into it, but it's not made of porcelain.
4) The bigger the hard drive, the more files and programs you can store. The more memory, the more applications you can run at the same time without loss of performance.

Steve

[amazing]

Putting it to sleep is fine. Transporting it while asleep is fine. But do make sure that it is asleep before putting it in a backpack--because if it is awake, it's going to get dreadfully hot in the bag.

Padded laptop backpack or case is best. Or you can use a regular backpack if you have something like this:

The Best MacBook Sleeve by BRENTHAVEN.

If you go up to the blue Apple menu and go to About this Mac, that will tell you how much memory (RAM) you have. A minimum of 1 GB RAM is best, more is useful if you like to keep a bunch of software open at the same time.

You've undoubtedly got sufficient hard drive (HD) space, unless you've been filling it up with music and multimedia files. You should keep at least 10% HD free, so if you've got an 80 GB HD, you should keep 8 GB free, preferably more.

Enjoy the Macbook!

[annaelizabeth]

Thanks so much, guys! That's everything answered within an hour or two. And I couldn't hear you laughing, so that makes this Best Forum Ever. I will be sure to post here when I run into anything that coses me to knit my eyebrows.

Love the MacBook, will never go back to a PC.

[JustinHorne]

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[Sethro]

I haul my Macbook around University classes and its been pretty good so far, to tell you the truth I'm slightly disapointed with the build quality. My old Toshiba Tecra is built to last and its built very well, the Macbook has to be cleaned and wiped off with Windex without it looking like I just ate KFC on it.

- Invest in a good laptop bag which can hold books and your laptop seperatly.

[frdmfghtr]

What color was your Toshiba? Usually you're going to be able to see dirt on a white surface more easily, regardless of the material. Yes, some will repel dirt better than others, but anything on white is going to show up.

On that topic, to keep your white MacBook looking nice and white, Mr. Clean Magic Erasers are the way to go. I tried it for the first time this weekend, and my keyboard looks nearly new again.

I'll second Amazing's point of "sleep before storing." I usually wait until I see the light pulsate once or twice (some call it a "heartbeat" light, I like to call it "snoring") before sticking it in my backpack.