How to make your laptop battery last

Hi Laptop owners,

One of the most consistent complaints we get at NotebooksRUs is people that ask why their laptop batteries only last less than 12 months when their friend has exactly the same machine and it’s lasting years.

We’ve sold a few laptops in our time – and in that time – we’ve also sold a few battery replacements.

Whether it is HP or Lenovo or Toshiba or any other brand, conditioning your batteries is the MOST important thing to it’s longevity.

Conditioning – what does that mean.

MYTH 1: Flatten your battery for the first few uses and charge it up to 100% – in other words, let the battery drain to ZERO then recharge

MYTH 2: Let the battery drain/flatten a few times per week

MYTH 3: never leave your laptop plugged into the charger overnight

MYTH 4: putting the battery in the freezer will “ressurect” a dead battery.

these Myths above sort of describe what was called the “Memory Effect” of older batteries – While those may have been “slightly” true for older technology (pre 2009) batteries or NiCad and NiMH batteries – they are certainly not true for the current generation of Lithium-ion batteries.

How to make your battery last:

1> Avoid draining the battery to ZERO – Use the power settings to shut down the computer at about 20% – After all, Lithium-ion batteries still use a chemical reaction to generate power – stressing the battery is not good for annyone.

2> Keep your laptop cool – don’t let it overheat – stressing the machine puts a load on the battery (if the laptop is not plugged in) which is not good for the machine let alon the battery.

3> in the first month – let the battery drain to 50% – then charge to maximum again – avoid avoid avoid going to Zero/completely flat. Draining to 50% will allow the battery to condition properly with least stress – this point on it’s own is typically why your friends battery lasts for years.

4> make sure yu shut your machine down if you know you won’t be using it for a while – don’t just “shut the lid” as machines are still on and will drain battery power slowly.

All in all , your manufacters (who deal with batteries all day, every day) will seldom warrant the battery past 12 months. laptop batteries are chemical reactions, they get less and less able to hold charge over time – so eventually – the battery will need to be replaced – hopefully in years not months.

Regards, The team at NotebooksRUs and Melbournes Best IT Services team at Applied-IT