Computer Laptop Battery Care Tips

Computer Laptop Battery Care and Usage Tips


Tips for saving charge
 
1. Turn off Wi-Fi and BlueTooth – They consume most part of the battery charge.



2. Adjust the screen brightness to optimum – Dimming your display saves battery power. 

3. Avoid playing computer games, music or DVD movies as ultimedia activities drain laptop batteries.

4. Disconnect all external device like PC Card modems, USB devices and optical drives. Try to use the notebook touchpad instead of an external mouse.

5. Utilize Windows Power Option – Select 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 if sound is not used.

7. Turn off all scheduled tasks.

8. Turn off Auto-save features in Microsoft Office and other applications.
 
9. Run Programs  from a CD or DVD by copying it into the hard drive, which typically consumes less power than an optical drive.

Tips to improve the battery life:

1. Remove the battery pack from the laptop if you do not use the laptop for more than one week.

2. Do not expose the battery to high heat or freezing temperatures.  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 for long life.

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(10 hours) 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:

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.

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