Maximizing the Life of Your Laptop Battery

DAR HelpDesk
These tips are paraphrased and quoted directly from several web sites.
Sources identified at bottom.

Minimize display properties:

Dim the monitor.

o Fn + Down (or Up) arrow.
Lower resolution, Fewer colors.
o Right-click desktop Properties Settings tab.
Resolution – set lower.
Color quality – set lower.
Remove text effects.
o Right-click desktop Properties Appearance tab Effects button.
Uncheck “Use the following method to smooth edges of screen fonts:”

Hard drive efficiency:

Defragment your hard drive regularly.

o Start All Programs Accessories System Tools Disk Defragmenter.
This can take a long time, especially the first time. Plug your laptop into AC and begin
the task when you can do without your computer for a few hours, for instance before you
go to bed.

Battery treatment:

When you purchase your notebook, charge the battery to 100 percent, discharge it completely, and then
fully charge it to 100 percent again to help the battery remember exactly how much electrical charge it
can hold. From then on, you’ll never need to completely discharge the battery again, but always make
sure when charging it that you let it reach 100 percent.
Charge the battery often.
If you won’t use your laptop for a week or more, remove the battery from the computer.
Don’t expose the battery to high temperatures.
Remove the battery when using the laptop while plugged in for long periods.

Optimize power usage:

Windows provides a pre-configured power scheme for preserving battery life.

o Control Panel [Performance and Maintenance] Power Options Choose power scheme.
The “Portable/Laptop” power scheme minimizes the use of power to conserve your
battery, but adjusts to your processing needs so that the system speed is not sacrificed.
The “Maximum Battery” power scheme minimizes power use but does not adjust as your
processing demands change. You should use Max Battery only in situations that require
minimal processing, such as reading documents and taking notes in a meeting.
Manually put your computer in to standby mode or hibernation when not needed for a period of time but
you don’t want to power all the way down.
o Control Panel [Performance and Maintenance] Power Options Advanced tab.
Check “Prompt for password … ”
 Under “When I close the lid,” choose “Stand by.” (Places all open applications into
memory and shuts down hard drive and monitor. Pressing the power button will resume
functioning. It’s a good idea to save data before sending to standby mode.)
Under “When I press the power button,” choose “Hibernate.”
Avoid playing games, watching DVDs, and listening to CDs while on battery power.
Avoid using devices connected to your USB ports. Use your touch pad or “pointing stick” instead of a
mouse.
Turn off the wireless antenna.
o Fn + F2 toggles on and off. (Blue antenna symbol looks a little like “A”.)
Turn down or mute your laptop speakers.
o Click the speaker icon in your System Tray, then click and drag the volume slider or check
“Mute.”

Primary Sources:
http://laptopmag.com/Features/Five-Tips-For-Better-Notebook-Battery-Life.htm
http://www.microsoft.com/atwork/stayconnected/battery.mspx
http://labnol.blogspot.com/2006/03/10-tips-to-make-your-laptop-battery.html