subject: Optimize Battery Power On Your Laptop [print this page] So you forgot your power cord on your way to an important meeting or the coffee shop. We've all been there. There's nothing you can do to stop your battery drain, but you can do a lot to slow its inevitable demise.
If you've got a laptop with a really old battery that drains in a few minutes after a full charge, there's not much you can do to make that old thing last much longeryou'll probably want to replace the battery before you do anything else. For everybody else, these tips can help you keep your battery working at peak efficiency.
Have you ever run out of battery power on your laptop, notebook, or netbook during a meeting or a class? Sufficient battery life is a persistent challenge for mobile PC users. You can take simple maintenance steps to extend the life of your laptop battery. TheWindows operating system also offers several ways to help maximize the battery life of your mobile computer.
In this article, I'll introduce some tips that you can use to recharge a battery and extend laptop battery life, and Ill discuss how to take advantage of Windows settings to manage power more efficiently.
Treat your battery right
For on-the-go computing, your battery is your best friend. Knowing how it likes to be treated is the first step to keeping both of you happy.
Keep battery contacts clean. Battery contacts can get dirty or corroded over time, reducing the effective delivery of power. With your mobile PC turned off and unplugged from its external power source, remove the battery. Use a cotton swab dampened with rubbing alcohol to wipe the metal contacts on the battery and inside the device. Allow them to dry completely before reinstalling the battery and reconnecting to a power source. Repeat this procedure every two to three months.
Charge your battery correctly. When you're on the road, be sure to carry a power cord and plug your computer in whenever you have the chance. Unlike the older-generation rechargeable batteries like nickel-based (NiMH) batteries (see next paragraph), modern lithium ion batteries can be partially discharged and recharged repeatedly with no harmful effects, but you should avoid fully discharging lithium ion batteries. Consult your owners manual for more specific tips on charging, and never use an AC adapter (power cord) or battery charger not approved by your devices manufacturer.
Completely drain nickel-based batteries periodically. If you're using an older laptop (at least three years old) with a nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) battery, be sure to completely drain it and recharge it (every one to three monthsconsult your owners manual) to ensure that it will hold a full charge. (Most newer mobile PCs use lithium ion batteries, which don't need to be drained to maximize their capacity.) To drain a NiMH battery, simply turn on your computer, unplug it from its external power source, and let the computer run. To speed things up, you could start several applications, turn the screen brightness to its highest level, and ignore all of the great power-saving strategies below. After the power is completely drained, recharge the battery fully. This may take up to 12 hours.
Cool it. Your mobile computer generates heat, and higher operating temperatures reduce your devices efficiency, which in turn demands more battery power and can shorten battery life. Make sure that your computer can breathe: Dont let clothing, lint, or other obstructions block the cooling vents. See How to clean your computer ACER MS2113 battery for more tips on keeping your computer spotless and running smoothly.
Carry a spare. Buying an extra battery is a good investment for your peace of mind. Battery prices vary widely. You can significantly increase the power available to you if you're willing to splurge a little. Contact the manufacturer of your mobile PC to find a replacement battery, or search here.
Store it properly. If you dont expect to use your mobile computer for a week or more, its a good idea to store the battery, discharged to about 40 percent of full capacity, in a cool place. Click the battery status icon in the notification area of the Windows taskbar to check the current charge. Avoid storing a fully dischargedor fully chargedlithium ion battery for extended periods, as this can diminish battery life.
We've already shown that the LCD screen is the biggest drag on your battery life, the quickest way to save your Acer LC.BTP00.018 battery life is to use your laptop's hardware buttons to control the screen brightnessmost laptops require holding down the function key and using the brightness keys, and turning it down as far as you can (while still visible) is a good idea. It may seem like an obvious choice, but it's worth emphasizing at the top of the list for one reason: Of everything you can tweak to improve your battery life, this one change alone is at the top of the list of tweaks that can dramatically improve your battery life.
Make sure that your power plan is set to turn off the display quickly when your laptop is idle, and don't use any fancy screensavers that overuse the graphics capabilities of your laptop. Many web sites tell you to disable Aero to squeeze more battery life, and it's true that you might get a very small bit of extra life, a couple of minutes at the very mostyou will be much better off adjusting the screen brightness and using aggressive screen blanking settings.
You'll also want to make sure that your battery is not always fully chargedWikipedia points out that if your lithium battery is fully charged all the time, you will lose up to 20% of your capacity every year, no matter what you do. Make sure to discharge the Acer HCW51 battery sometimes, and if you spend most of your time plugged in at a desk, you would be better off running the battery down to half, and then simply removing the battery and storing it in a cool place. You can use Hibernate mode to save exactly what you were doing while still shutting down the laptop completely.
