How to Get the Best Battery Life From a Laptop Computer

A rechargeable battery will last an average of two years. You can take steps to get better total battery life and longer battery life per charge.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Laptop Battery Chargers
• Laptop Computer Batteries

1. Charge the battery for 12 hours before use.
2. Let the battery drain completely before recharging if you have a nickel-cadmium (NiCad) battery. Upgrade to a nickel-metal-hydride (NiMH) battery'or better, a lithium-ion battery'if one is made for your machine.
3. Let the battery drain as much as possible before recharging if you have an NiMH battery.
4. Recharge an NiMH battery between long periods of inactivity.
5. Travel with an extra battery. Use the two batteries equally.
6. Avoid running the floppy and CD drives off the battery, if possible.
7. Reduce the display's brightness when possible.

Tips & Warnings

• As time goes by, you will need to recharge any rechargeable battery more often. When the battery life is about 25 percent of its original level, get a new battery. With normal use, expect about half the per-charge life claimed by the manufacturer.
• Use the laptop manufacturer's power-management software only in those rare instances when you can sacrifice performance for battery life.
• If you're buying a laptop, get one with a lithium-ion battery.

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