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QuickTips: How to make the most out of your LAPTOP BATTERY

by Matt J. Whetham, January 2008

Oftentimes people use their laptops at their office or at least somewhere that a power receptacle can be used.  But many times when they go to use their laptop on battery power, they are surprised to see that it will only last them 30-40 minutes.  This is as a result of not using proper charging methods.

What to do if this happens to you…
In order to try and recover as much of your battery life as possible you can purge your battery.  To do this, disable the laptop’s sleep or hibernation feature that is used safely put the computer’s operation into a pause.  Then, disconnect the power supply and let the laptop run from batteries until it the batteries die and the computer shuts down.  Finally, charge the laptop up for 16-24 hours without powering it on.  Do this up to 3 times for optimal results.

How to prevent this…
In order to prevent this from happening, ensure that you do the following:

1. Purge the battery every 3 months (as instructed above)
2. Do not leave the computer constantly plugged in to the power supply while using it.  Disconnect the power supply when the battery is fully charged.
3. Fully discharge and fully recharge your battery.  Try not to charge your battery until the battery low warning comes on.  Then, when charging it, do not disconnect the power supply until the battery is fully charged.

These concepts can also be used towards cell phones, cordless phones, MP3 players, rechargeable household batteries, and most other household electronic devices with rechargeable batteries.