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  #1  
Old 09-11-2007, 05:02 PM
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Default 15 Ways to Increase Laptop Battery Life

While laptop chips have become better and better at saving power, other changes, like more powerful laptop graphics cards, faster hard drives, and Windows Vista, have erased many of those gains.

So, you'll need to take it upon yourself to improve your laptop's battery life if you really want to go the extra mile. And while that can be a confusing and tricky process, this blog post offers some helpful advice so you don't have to go it alone. Among the 15 suggestions offered at Friedbeef's Tech (hey, I didn't name it), here are the ones that will really impact your battery the most.

Add more RAM - More RAM means the computer will access the hard drive less frequently, and the hard drive uses much more power than your RAM sticks.

Dim your screen - Those big, "ultra-bright" displays really suck down the power. Dimming your screen just 20 percent can add a good chunk of time to your battery life.

Unplug external devices - Anything plugged in via USB, FireWire, or PC Card/ExpressCard draws power from your computer. Yes, even your mouse. And of course, turn off your Wi-Fi radio when you don't need it.

Minimize CD/DVD use - Optical drives are probably the worst offender on your notebook when it comes to battery use. Unless you're watching a movie, don't even leave a disc in the optical drive, as Windows loves to occasionally read it, just to check on things...

The post doesn't exactly mention it, but don't forget about the Power Options control panel in Windows, which will let you manage hard drive auto-spin-down, screen brightness, and other settings in one central location. It's a great first place to start... then check out Friedbeef's 11 other tips!

Run off a hard drive rather than CD/DVD - As power consuming as hard drives are, CD and DVD drives are worse. Even having one in the drive can be power consuming. They spin, taking power, even when they?re not actively being used. Wherever possible, try to run on virtual drives using programs like Alcohol 120% rather than optical ones.

. Keep the battery contacts clean: Clean your battery’s metal contacts every couple of months with a cloth moistened with rubbing alcohol. This keeps the transfer of power from your battery more efficient.


. Go easy on the PC demands - The more you demand from your PC. Passive activities like email and word processing consume much less power than gaming or playing a DVD. If you’ve got a single battery charge - pick your priorities wisely.

Get yourself a more efficient laptop - Laptops are getting more and more efficient in nature to the point where some manufacturers are talking about all day long batteries. Picking up a newer more efficient laptop to replace an aging one is usually a quick fix.

Prevent the Memory Effect - If you’re using a very old laptop, you’ll want to prevent the ‘memory effect’ - Keep the battery healthy by fully charging and then fully discharging it at least once every two to three weeks. Exceptions to the rule are Li-Ion batteries (which most laptops have) which do not suffer from the memory effect.


. Take care of your battery - Exercise the Battery. Do not leave a charged battery dormant for long periods of time. Once charged, you should at least use the battery at least once every two to three weeks. Also, do not let a Li-On battery completely discharge. (Discharing is only for older batteries with memory effects)

. Hibernate not standby - Although placing a laptop in standby mode saves some power and you can instantly resume where you left off, it doesn’t save anywhere as much power as the hibernate function does. Hibernating a PC will actually save your PC’s state as it is, and completely shut itself down
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Old 10-13-2007, 01:52 AM
mtechfan mtechfan is offline
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Default Re: 15 Ways to Increase Laptop Battery Life

Those are very good suggestions, alot of people don't know this stuff.
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Old 04-22-2011, 10:09 PM
dellinqwartz dellinqwartz is offline
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A laptop battery usually has a two year life time, but if you yield acceptable affliction of your laptop computer you can extend your laptop active time abundant more. Always plug in the laptop with power supply, Each laptop has energy management tools, Hibernate your computer instead of putting it in Stand-by mode.
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Old 05-20-2011, 07:46 AM
yao847zi yao847zi is offline
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that's great, thanks for these good information
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Old 06-28-2011, 09:58 AM
nubieteky nubieteky is offline
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i take battery out and use only switch
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Old 07-22-2011, 09:13 AM
santazones santazones is offline
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Best ways to increase laptop battery life

Ship shape with a defrag
Kill the resource gobblers
Unplug external devices
Rid the screensaver
Visit Power Options
Turn off the looks
Avoid the memory effect
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Old 09-24-2011, 12:32 PM
Lucaciu Lucaciu is offline
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thx, good information
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Old 10-01-2011, 04:31 PM
gavinleo gavinleo is offline
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Thanks for sharing something helpful ... I do not know any tools to increase your battery's life but a practical tips that you can do to increase its life ,Cut down programs that running in the background , Keep battery contacts clean and Dim your screen.Thanks

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Last edited by gavinleo; 01-30-2012 at 09:24 PM.
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Old 10-12-2011, 11:18 AM
jenwatson101 jenwatson101 is offline
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thanks for sharing such wonderful tips with us...i usually plugged my laptop 24/7 and frequently turn it off if i leave the house. i had another one with a broken battery....i have to plug it everytime since it is not working anymore...awww
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Old 11-21-2011, 11:39 PM
kadisandrew kadisandrew is offline
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A laptop battery usually lasts for two years, but if you yield acceptable affliction of your laptop, you can expand their mobile assets more abundant time. Always connect the laptop to the power supply, each laptop has the tools for energy management, computer hibernation instead of standby.
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