Things You'll Need:
- Laptop computer
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Step 1
First, dim the screen to a point where you still read/see the objects on screen and feel comfortable. Since graphics, pictures, animations, etc. are some of the biggest culprits in using up battery power, this is the single most important thing you can do to conserve that power.
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Step 2
Second, unplug any devices including USB hard drives, printer cables, etc. that you are not using. These will slowly sap away your battery power like leeches. So, remove them if are not using them.
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Step 3
Rather than using the sleep option, use hibernate when you are not using your computer. The sleep option puts you in a low-power state where power is still being used, but hibernate will make a copy of your hard drive’s state (for faster loading) and shutdown your computer so that there is no power usage.
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Step 4
Finally, optimize your power options in Windows so that they are in tune with your usage characteristics. For example, if you find yourself using your computers for a few minutes every other hour, it might be advantages to assign a short inactivity period so that your computer sleeps or hibernates quicker.
Comments
godfather25 said
on 9/10/2009 Outstanding article on extending a laptop computer battery life.
mommyhen42 said
on 7/31/2009 great tips, another one I just found out the hard way is to let it drain to 15% occasionally. I kept mine plugged in almost all the time so at 90% it thinks it is dead... so now it does not even believe that there is a battery even though it is plugged in.... sigh, time for a new battery!
edieness said
on 7/10/2009 Ugh laptops batteries dieing. Nce work with this great article on How to Extend the Battery Life on your Laptop Computer.
tachic said
on 7/1/2009 Thanks for the battery saver tips. My laptop needs a new one.
kristara said
on 6/28/2009 Great info! I needed this 5*