|
Some tips
to extend laptop's
battery life.
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.
2.
Kill the resource gobblers
End
the background processes that are not vital.
3.
Unplug external devices
USB
devices are the biggest drainers of battery
power. Unplug all external devices like an
external mouse, PC cards, Wi-Fi, external
speakers, Bluetooth and even an attached iPod.
Even
if you don't intend to use it, don't leave any
CD/DVDs as leftovers in the drives. A spinning
drive sucks battery power like a sponge.
5.
Go local
Desist using the DVD/external drives while
running on batteries.
6.
Lower the lights
The
LCD screen of a laptop is another huge power
sink. Calibrate the brightness to the lowest
level you can tolerate.
7.
Kill the sounds
Mute
the speakers and try avoiding the use of
multimedia software to maximize the battery
life.
8.
Rid the screensaver
To
maximize battery life by a little, switch off
the screensaver.
9.
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.
10.
Get the most work on the least
Working on too many programs while on the
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 favorite game. To increase the life
of the battery open just one or two programs
concurrently.
11.
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.
12.
Keep it clean
A
laptop with blocked air vents will generate more
heat thus reducing the life of the 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.
13.
Temperature is a silent killer
Undue heat kills off a battery slowly but
surely. Avoid leaving the laptop under direct
sunlight or inside a closed car.
14.
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 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.
15.
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).
16.
Use the right adapter
Ensure that the adapter you use to charge the
laptop 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 battery.
17.
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 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.
|
