Computer Laptop Battery Care
Usage Tips for getting more from a notebook battery.
1. Turn off Wi-Fi and BlueTooth - Most laptops have shortcut keys to instantly
disable wireless networking.
2. Don't play computer games, music or DVD movies - Multimedia activities drain
laptop batteries.
3. Disconnect all external device like PC Card modems, Firewire, USB devices
and optical drives. Use the notebook touchpad instead of an external mouse.
4. Adjust your screen brightness - Dimming your display saves battery power.
5. Tweak Windows Power Options - Choose a Laptop power scheme that turns off
the notebook monitor and hard disk after 10 minutes of inactivity.
6. Decrease or mute the Laptop Speaker Volume.
7. Turn off all scheduled tasks.
8. Turn off Auto-save features in Microsoft Office and other applications.
9. If your PC has a built-in wireless card, turn it off or disable it when not
in use.
10. Programs that are run from a CD or DVD can be copied to and run from the
hard drive, which typically consumes less power than an optical drive.
Looking for the
longest battery life laptop ? Actually, many factors affect the amount of time that a laptop
battery can deliver power before it must be recharged.
How to extend laptop battery life?
1. If you do not use your laptop for extended periods of time (a week or more),
remove the battery pack from the laptop.
2. Do not expose the battery to high heat or freezing temperatures. Do not
leave your battery in your car in the summer. Hot batteries discharge very
quickly, and cold ones can't create as much power.
3. Make sure to plug your laptop charger adapter into a UPS and not directly
into a power outlet or surge protector.
4. If you have a nickel-metal hydride battery, completely drain and recharge
the battery once a month to maximize its capacity to hold a charge.
5. Fully charge new battery packs before use. New pack needs to be fully
charged and discharged (cycled) a few times before it can condition to full
capacity.
6. For laptops that work as Desktop Replacement, the battery should be
re-installed every 3-4 weeks and allowed to fully discharge.
7. Leaving a battery in a laptop while using an electrical outlet for long
periods of time will keep the battery in a constant state of charging up and
that will reduce the life cycle of the battery.
Battery-saving sleep modes: Should I use
Stand By or
Hibernate
Standby mode
Use standby to save power when you will be away from the computer for a short
time while working - your monitor and hard disks turn off, all applications and
open files are stored in RAM. When you want to use the computer again, it comes
out of standby quickly, and your desktop is restored exactly as you left it.
Hibernation Mode
Use hibernation to save power when you will be away from the computer for an
extended time while working - your computer shuts down to save power but first
saves everything in memory on your hard disk. When you restart the computer,
your desktop is restored exactly as you left it.
When you choose Start, Turn Off Computer in Windows XP, your options are Stand
By, Turn Off, and Restart. To Hibernate, place the cursor over Stand By, then
hold down Shift and click.
