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2011/04/21

20 Ways To Increase Laptop’s Battery Life

Mobile computing has got better with lighter components, better chips and faster processors. But the Achilles heel of a laptop has remained its battery. So here are we are going to look at ways to increase laptop battery life.
Modern graphic intensive operating systems and resource hungry applications are cutting down the life of your laptop’s battery every day. The average battery life per continuous use still stands at a maximum of three to four hours. So, a fast depleting Dell vostro 1400 battery could very swiftly put the crutches on your ‘mobile’ road trip.
Falling just short of carrying an extra pack of batteries in the back-pack, are several ways to keep the juice flowing through the dell inspiron 1545 battery.

1. Ship shape with a defrag

Regular defragmentation helps to arrange data more efficiently thus making the hard drive work less to access the data. The quicker the moving hard drive works lesser is the load placed on the FUJITSU lifebook s2020 battery . Thus, your batter can last longer. The effect is minimal, but this efficiency goes hand in glove with hard drive maintenance.

2. Kill the resource gobblers

End the background processes that are not vital. Monitor the resource usage through a “˜Ctrl-Alt-Del’ which brings up the Windows Task Manager (in Windows). If you’re not on the internet, it is safe to shut down the immediate non-essential programs running in the taskbar like the antivirus and the firewall. Weed out unnecessary programs running as start-ups by launching the System Configuration Utility from Run ““ Msconfig ““ Tab: Startup. Uncheck the programs which you don’t want to launch and reboot the computer once.

3. Pause the scheduled tasks

It may be a defrag or a virus scan, but make sure it is scheduled for a time when you are near a power outlet. If not then nix them for the moment.

4. Unplug external devices

USB devices are the biggest drainers of Sony pcga-bp2nx battery power. Unplug all external devices like an external mouse, PC cards, Wi-Fi, external speakers, Bluetooth and even an attached iPod.

5. Empty the CD/DVD Drives

Even if you don’t intend to use it, don’t leave any CD/DVDs as leftovers in the drives. A spinning drive sucks dell 6y270 battery power like a sponge.

6. Go local

Desist using the DVD/external drives while running on HP pavilion zv5000 battery. Shift the content to the hard drive or run using (free) virtual drives like Pismo File Mount or even Microsoft’s Virtual CD ROM Control Panel.

7. Lower the lights

The LCD screen of a laptop is another huge power sink. Calibrate the brightness to the lowest level you can tolerate using the Function key toggles or using the Display Settings applet in the Control Panel.

8. Kill the sounds

Mute the speakers and try avoiding the use of multimedia software to maximize the FUJITSU fmv-biblo loox s80b/w battery life. Installed sound schemes also drain a Acer aspire 1410 battery perceptibly.

9. Rid the screensaver

To maximize Dell xps m1330 battery life by a little, switch off the screensaver.

10. Visit Power Options

Get familiar with power management through the “˜Power Options’ applet in the Control Panel. Both XP and Vista come with advanced power management features which shut off components like the monitor and/or the hard drive after specified intervals. This again depends on the chosen “˜Power Schemes’ (for XP) in the same applet. For instance in XP, “˜Max Battery’ under Power Schemes can be selected for maximum Dell inspiron 1545 ac adapter battery optimization.
Similar settings can be found under “˜Mobile PC’ in the Control Panel of Vista.

11. Turn off the looks

Today’s OS’s like Windows Vista come with features like “˜Aero Glass’ which are resource guzzlers. One can turn it off and go for the “˜Classic’ appearance which consumes less power. In Vista, click on Desktop – Preferences – View Colour – Appearance – Classic Appearance and Windows Basic graphical interface. In XP it’s – Display Properties – Theme – Windows Classic.
Linux and even Macintosh are better optimized for longer battery life.

12. Hibernate is better than Sleep

In the Stand By mode (or sleep mode), the computer turns of the hard drive and the display but memory remains active while the CPU slows down. This draws on the battery. In contrast, hibernation mode is better because the computer saves the current state and shuts itself down completely thus saving power.

13. Get the most…work on the least

Working on too many programs while on the sony vaio pcg-505  battery is a sure fire power drainer. Keep use of graphic intensive applications to a minimum. Working on a spreadsheet consumes much less than playing your favourite game. To increase the life of the HP omnibook 6000 ac adapter open just one or two programs concurrently.

14. Ram in more RAM

Adequate RAM reduces the load on Virtual memory which by default resides on the hard drive. Though every extra bit of RAM uses up more power, it increases overall savings by short cutting access to the power hungry hard drive.

15. Keep it clean

A laptop with blocked air vents will generate more heat thus reducing the life of the HP pavilion dv8230us battery. Clean the air vents regularly to keep operating temperatures low. Allow for open space around the vents for air to circulate freely. Keep the area around the laptop clean to avoid entry of dust.

16. Temperature is a silent killer

Undue heat kills off a Acer aspire 3000 battery slowly but surely. Avoid leaving the laptop under direct sunlight or inside a closed car.

17. Avoid the memory effect

A problem more for the older Ni-MH batteries than for Li-Ion batteries on which most modern laptops run. Memory effect relates to the loss of battery charge when they are repeatedly recharged after being only partially discharged. It can be prevented by discharging the SHIBA pa3285u-1brs battery fully and then completely recharging it. Li-Ion batteries on the other hand have no problems with partial discharges and re-charges and complete discharge is never recommended for this type.

18. Update software and drivers

This sounds a bit incongruous but then newer drivers and software are often designed to be more efficient (and hopefully less resource hungry).

19. Use the right adapter

Ensure that the adapter you use to charge the Compaq presario r4000 battery is an original one or one with the correct specifications. A mismatch in the wattage could cause an overload thus damaging the laptop and the HP pavilion dv9000 series ac adapter battery.

20. Pack it up

If you don’t plan to use the laptop on batteries for quite some time, ensure that the charge is nearly 40 percent – remove the sony vaio pcg-z505r  batteries and store it in a cool place.
A typical lithium ion battery has an overall average life of 2-3 years. With some care and caution, its mortality can be delayed.
Have you found your own way to increase Dell xps m1210 battery life of your laptop? Share the “˜life giving’ tips with us in the comments.



  • Rick Beato 2 years ago
    Well, I bought a laptop in 2007 and the battery was kaput in a year. Bought a new battery and have been trying to run on the cord as much as possible when I am at home. To be honest, I wonder if it is helping -- I guess I will see by this fall if my Sony vgp-bps9 battery outlasts the previous one!
  • Saikat 2 years ago in reply to Rick Beato
    It will help slightly going by my experience...because even if connected directly to the outlet, it is the HP pavilion zd7000 battery  which is actually running the laptop. The A.C is not bypassing the battery but merely keeping it fully charged.Do correct me if I am wrong.
  • Locke 2 years ago in reply to Saikat
    You're wrong. When a laptop is plugged in, it runs on AC power.
  • ATV 2 years ago in reply to Saikat
    wrong the adapter is dc power for a reason
  • Jon 2 years ago in reply to Rick Beato
    Yes, running on AC will of course help - but with Li-Ion batteries (modern laptop ones), the killer isn't the number of charge discharge cycles, it's the temperature. Running your laptop on mains power is great, but if the APPLE m8416g/a battery is sitting in it, getting hot, you're really wearing it out. Take out your battery while running on mains, if you can, get a charger so you can charge the Acer aspire one 10.1 battery while outside your laptop. The cooler the better, there are people who put the battery in a plastic bag in the fridge when not in use.
  • Suresh Khanal 1 year ago in reply to Jon
    Oh O!O!O! I'd never thought. Though it so funny but putting batteries in pastic inside freeze could really increase TOSHIBA pa3285u-1brs battery life! Interesting. But I wonder when shall I take out the batteries to put in freeze!
  • ichibanjay 2 years ago
    It doesn't matter if you keep your laptop plugged in. One of the lesser known facts about Li-ion batteries is that their capacity slowly declines with age, no matter if you have the battery sitting on a shelf or if you are using it regularly. Li-ion HP pavilion dv4 battery that are kept in a hot environment (like a hot running laptop) degrade even faster.

    More information can be found here:

  • Locke 2 years ago in reply to ichibanjay
    While that's partially true, not entirely. Yes Lithium Ion degrade over time, whether used or not. 20% a year is what I've seen as the baseline - which fits with the claim of a practical usage lifetime of 2-3 years. But heat is a huge factor. A battery that sits in your laptop on a flat poorly ventilated desk will have a much lower capacity after a year than one that sits in a refrigerator (and kept at about 40% charge). Granted it doesn't do you much good to not use it - and have it still losing it's capacity. To really maximize life while actually using it, pull the Sony pcga-bp2nx battery & keep it charged at 40% while using it for long periods at home, take it with you when you need to be mobile. BUT the inconvenience, not to mention, danger of accidentally pulling the plug while you're running without a battery in probably make this a bad idea.

    The other really good point that follows is to not buy an extra battery to let it sit until the first runs out. While it's often cheaper to buy when you purchase the laptop, age deterioration will more than counter the price benefit. You really are best off buying a newly manufactured battery when the old one is no longer productive enough for you.
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