[PCWorld]

Post your comments for Give Your Laptop Battery a Longer Lease on Life here

[rickmorganwwjd]

Better yet leave the battery in and use it without the cord from time to time.

[RickyF]

This is bad advice for MacBooks and MacBook Pros. They will run slower without batteries even though they are connected to an A/C power source.

[justrick]

Surely you jest. MacBooks will run slower without their batteries?! I'll need some explanation of that, please. :)

[RickyF]

I do not jest. This is a relatively recently documented issue, that only made it into the tech press last November, AFIK.


Below are two links to news stories with more information.



www.gearlog.com/2008/11/apple[unotebooks[/u]takehugeperf.php]

[http://www.crunchgea...ery-installed/]



If you search the web you will see quite a few more. I suspect that since this only affects Apple MacBook and MacBook Pro users it is not something that is of interest the the much larger Windows community.



BTW, I appreciate your columns and tips. I am a fan.

[justrick]

Wow, that's a little cuckoo. I'll have to remember that the next time Mac zealots are crowing about their platform's superiority. :p Far as I know, Windows takes no performance hit when you remove the battery.

[drhealth]

There are 3 kinds of laptop batteries..

Two should be kept topped up by frequent charging; Lithium Ion, Nickel Metal (Iron) Hydride.

The other Nickel Cadium develops a memory. About once a month totally discharge and it will then hold a larger charge.

Have I actually measured these factors in a double-blind placebo-controlled study? Sadly no.

Paul in Napa.

PS: From CompUSA some of which I disagree with. Sad to see CompUSA go by the way of corporate staff-pay reduction. See PC World for article on the CEO, his bonuses for cutting back to minimum-wage employees, the swift decline and BK; oh....don't forget his 138 Million bonus the first year for "reducing costs."

Battery Extension Tips

Following are tips to help you get the longest
battery life possible.

# Keep Your Screen as Dim as Possible – LCD screens are one of the biggest battery drainers. Adjust your setting so you have enough brightness for comfortable computing. During an overnight flight, for example, you can dim your brightness yet still see clearly. Most notebooks have simple applications you can use to control LCD brightness; consult your user’s manual.
# Use Power Wisely – Turn off or disconnect unused devices; each of them drains power. Most notebooks have power-management options. When you’re not using your laptop, you should have it on sleep mode (assuming you really need it on), or your notebook’s equivalent. This mode keeps enough power running to maintain minimal function, so you can resume full power with very little delay when you’re ready to return to your work or play. But if you don't need it on at all, shut it down.
# Cut Down on Hard Drive Activity - You can cut down on how hard your hard drive must work by defragmenting it regularly. This can be done automatically at selected regular intervals once you’ve located the Disk Defagmenter in the Start/Programs/Accessories/System Tools menu and follow the prompts. Also adjust your power settings so that the drive sleeps when not needed.
# Minimize Optical Drive Use - if you are on the road, a portable CD/DVD players will have a vastly longer battery life, than using your laptop as a CD or DVD player. If there are files or programs that you use from your CD/DVD drive, copy them onto the hard drive.
# Disable Startup Items – Every time you boot up (in Windows), startup items load into memory, causing additional CPU’s power load. You can easily disable startup options simply by clicking Start then the Run feature, then entering C:MSCONFIG (and pres Enter) and following the prompts.
# Keep Your Battery Fit! - Yes, you can actually condition your battery. When you buy your laptop, charge the battery to its full capacity, then discharge it completely. Next, fully charge it again. This way your battery actually learns how much electrical charge it can hold. Always make sure when you charge your battery fully.
# Clean Battery Contacts - Remove your battery and clean its metal contacts with alcohol (ideally do this every two months), allowing it to dry thoroughly before replacing it. This makes sure the power transfer between the laptop and its battery is as efficient as possible.
# Use The Airliner Power Port - many of today's airliners offer special power ports that you can use to power your laptop. You will need a special power adaptor to connect your notebook computer, but they are worth having and using. Also, take advantage of airport waiting time to plug in and get as much charge as you can!

[ana123]

I appreciate the concern which is been rose. The things need to be sorted out because it is about the individual but it can be with everyone.
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This post has been edited by coastie65: 13 June 2010 - 10:32 AM

[ana123]

The above thought is smart and doesn’t require any further addition. It’s perfect thought from my side.
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Edited out link.

This post has been edited by coastie65: 13 June 2010 - 10:25 AM

[RayE67]

I agree with this article. My theory is that after the battery fires, that manufacturers had to change the way they made the batteries. I think the result is that Lithium Ion batteries now have a much shorter life span. And I believe that leaving them on a charger is the fastest way to insure an early death of the battery.

I think it is good to use the battery as others have suggested and charge it back up. Maybe manufacturers will update the charging circuits where they have some intelligence to either condition the battery or to automatically disconnect the charging circuit when the battery is fully charged.

[coastie65]

Dr. Health has listed some good practices. To add a couple of things, a laptop battery should NEVER be completely discharged. It should never get below 2%. It is always a good idea to run off the battery several times a month to condition the battery for maximum life. I am usually running mine off AC, but run it off the battery about three times a month to discharge it.

[TobyHenderson445c]

I know it pc's are made disposable now ... why not use lithium ion?

[msft777jf4rjg]

yep...i use my laptop on battery as soon as it has charged completely

[pinoyidea]

but there is not to good will happen if your laptop battery is not in. because if you encounter a unexpected power interruption your file is risk for data loss and the worst thing is, if this happen again and again your hard disk will be affected. one of the cause of BSOD (blue screen on death)