subject: Laptop tips - get the most out of your battery power [print this page] Whether you've bought, borrowed or rented your new laptop - chances are you'll be taking it on the go. Laptops have revolutionised the way we think about computing; we no longer have to be chained to the desk from 9 to 5, instead we can be on the couch, at a cafe or even in the park and get our work done.
However, if you're one to always have your laptop with you, chances are you'll be looking to maximise your battery life. There's nothing more frustrating than being in the middle of your work and have the battery power on your machine cut out or go into sleep mode.
When it comes to getting the most out of your portable power - here are some tips:
Put it to sleep - set your machine to automatically go to sleep after a short period of inactivity - say 10 minutes or so. Set the laptop to hibernate when the lid is closed.
Dim the lights - the display draws a lot of power so turn down the brightness and save on some juice. You can also set your screen to go blank after a short period of inactivity before it actually goes to sleep.
Scale back on tasks - shut down any non-essential tasks that are running in the background and disable any components that you don't need. For example, you can turn off the wireless receiver if you're going to be focused on word processing and close your email dialogue if you're not going to be reading your messages.
Cut down the multimedia - video streaming and audio play, especially playing a CD, uses a lot of power from your laptop. Use a separate media player such as an iPod if you want to have music in the background instead of streaming it off your computer.
Watch scheduled tasks - be aware of virus scanners and other scheduled tasks that are set to run in the background. Set these tasks to run during a time that your computer is likely to be plugged in.
Maximising your battery life will help extend your usage, but it's always important to take those extra precautions to ensure you don't lose your work, in case you do run out of power. Backup your work on an external hard drive or take advantage of the free online data back-up that you get with some laptop rental agreements. Invest in an extra battery pack and keep it charged if you're going to be away for awhile or if you'll be presenting at a conference or meeting.
Laptop tips - get the most out of your battery power
