LAPTOP CARE

HOW TO EXTEND YOUR LAPTOP BATTERY LIFE WHILE ON TRAVELING...........

This is a summary I made from article who made in Microsoft official site.

In 2002 a survey done by chip maker Intel resulted 57% of laptop users said that they wished their batteries last longer. Result: The average battery life is still painfully short (about three to four hours for most laptops).

Here are four tried-and-true tips to extend the life of your laptop battery.

Power Down All Non Essential Functions

In Windows Vista Ultimate, click on “Power Options” in your control panel. The technology that powers you battery isn’t terribly complicated. Specifically, temperatures can affect the performance of your battery. It is best to use (and especially charge) your batteries at room temperatures. Extreme conditions could drain your battery in a short time. Also, avoid partial charges and use the battery until it stops function. Battery experts liken partial charges — and discharges — to eating a cup of lard every day. It significantly shortens your battery’s life.

Considering that a lithium-ion battery can explode if it’s improperly used, it could also shorten your life. So pay attention on this.

Let Your Laptop Do The Saving

Not every computing device handles a power source in the same way. Some of the more sophisticated laptops, which are designed with small business travel in mind, are misers when it comes to using power. “Most users make the mistake of simply not choosing to use a product’s built-in ability to conserve battery life,” says Dan Coffman, a senior product manager for PC manufacturer ViewSonic. How do you tie together your PC’s built-in ability to save? Seek advice from your user manual. Often, calibrating your laptop is as simple as double-clicking on the battery icon in the toolbar.

Always Keep On Bringing A Spare Device That Uses Batteries.

Thompson recommends a system that can concurrently charge a second portable device such as a cell phone or PDA, allowing you to do multi tasking your battery operations.

If you’ve stuck with me long enough to hear my pitiful excuse for running my laptop battery down, here it is: My 2-year-old-son, Aren, uses my laptop to watch “The Wiggles” while I’m on the road (if you don’t know who “The Wiggles” are, consider yourself fortunate).

Aren decided to pull the power chord while he was watching an episode and used up all the power to run the DVD player. Incidentally, he’s also demonstrated how impact-resistant a battery can be (surprisingly) and that

You’d be amazed at how well a battery holds up to liquids, especially whole milk.

Reality Battery Check

If you rely on a battery to get work done while you’re away, you should, however, give yourself a reality check. I mean, even if you’ve taken all of these precautions, you can probably still think of several instances where you had a brilliant argument on the tip of your fingers, only to have the laptop power down under a faltering battery. PC manufacturers may make it seem as if their laptops will run forever, but most of us know otherwise. Visit the Small Business Technology Articles section of this website to learn more about small business technology strategies and solutions.