Menu
When your laptop is plugged into the wall it runs on it’s primary power source, the power cord. Lithium-ion laptop batteries go into standby mode when they are plugged in.
Exercise your battery by letting it go unplugged at least once a week. Keeping your laptop plugged-in all the time the battery will become out-of-shape, giving you shorter run-times and lower performance. This is the most common reason lithium-ion batteries wear out. Of course, never burn, disassemble, mutilate or short-circuit laptop batteries.
The second most common reason why laptop batteries wear-out or fail is that they are frequently discharged all the way to empty. If a laptop battery is run below 3% it can damage the battery and may not be able to operate correctly.
Research shows that Lithium-ion batteries last longer when they have shallow discharge and recharge cycles. It does not harm the battery to only use it for 5-10 minutes and then plug it back in to the power cord. Rechargeable batteries will self discharge when not in use over a period of time.
Your new battery comes in a discharged state for shipping. Recharge your laptop battery at least 5 times so you can get the full capacity of the battery.
Studies show that batteries will last longer when they are recharged at 20% battery life and are charged to 80%. This will maximize the life of your battery.
Your new laptop battery will have an average run time of 1 1/2 hours to 3 1/2 hours depending on what applications you are running. Functions that require more power will deplete your battery faster. You can extend your battery run time by minimizing the main power draws on your battery – the LCD brightness levels and the use of your CD or DVD drive. Also, some notebooks simply use more power than others.
You can prolong your laptop battery life by adjusting the power management selections within your operating system software. If you are a Windows user, you can go to the control Panel and select power options. In this area you can choose when and how you can maximize your laptop battery settings.
