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Battery & Power Management Tips
A famous person once said, 'There's no such thing as too much power.' He must have been a notebook user. Electrical power is a portable computer's single most vital need. Here are ideas for conserving and managing your laptop's power capabilities:
when possible, plug in your notebook. Take advantage of electrical outlets and use your notebook AC adapter; save the battery for airplane travel or working on the couch late at night.
check out the notebook's power management features; set all your settings to conserve energy. Pay attention to settings related to power supplied to hard disks, PCMCIA cards, and active matrix screens - the usual causes of battery drainage.
remove PCMCIA modem cards when not in use; many models are notorious for draining batteries, even when you're not online. Better to turn off the card and eject it when not in use.
notebook batteries can take a limited number of recharges before they lose their ability to hold a charge; replace your battery every 12-15 months.
exercise your battery to keep it in shape; the best way to maximize battery life is to condition it (fully discharge, then recharge) every 6-8 charges. Avanciel sells charger-conditioners to do this quickly and easily.
keep a spare handy; buy an extra battery to double your running time. While using one, you can recharge the other. Call Avanciel for current battery prices.
add memory to your notebook; this will reduce use of the Windows swap file on your hard disk, which eats into battery life.
use a simple screen saver without complex or moving graphics.
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