Mobility is the most important characteristic of a laptop. It allows users to continue with their work even when they are on the move. All one needs is a fully charged laptop battery to work without any interruptions. However, laptop batteries have their limitations and can only power your system till they have some charge left in them. Some laptop users are happy because their batteries have a longer life and allow for hours of work, while other laptop owners are discontent because they have to constantly look for an electrical outlet charge to recharge their laptop batteries. If you are not happy with your laptop battery and want to get the best out of your laptop battery, then read on.
Don’t use the CD-ROM/DVD-RW drive so often:
Your DVD-RW continues to spin the disc inside the drive even if you are not using it. The DVD-RW draws a considerable amount of power from a laptop battery while reading the discs. If you have information stored on discs that you need to access frequently, then the better option would be to copy that information on your hard drive and access it and remove the disc from the DVD drive. You will not only be able to access data faster, but will also save power while doing so. You also have an option of creating an image of the disc. You can load the image of the disc in a virtual drive and access data from it. By following any of the above given options, you will be able to access data with relative ease and also decrease battery consumption in the long run.
Remove unwanted external devices:
External devices such as a USB drive consume power when connected to your laptop. You should disconnect the external devices you don’t need, such as your USB drive, iPod, and mobile phone. Devices like your iPod, when connected to the laptop, continue to draw power from the battery. External storage devices also draw a considerable amount of power when connected to the laptop. The better option is to quickly copy the data on your hard drive and disconnect these devices. You should also use the laptop's touchpad instead of an external mouse to save battery power.
Shut down unwanted programs:
Certain programs, when left unattended, tend to suck in additional battery power. Every program running on your system uses hardware resources such as the CPU’s computing power, RAM, and hard drive. Thus, every program running on your system has a small footprint when it comes to overall power consumption. If there are many unwanted programs running in the background, it only points to a waste of laptop battery power. You should shut down programs like iTunes, Desktop Search, Messenger and other programs that are not in use. In fact, you should avoid using media players when your laptop is running on battery power and if you want to save power for some other important task. You can use your iPod or mobile phone to listen to music in order to save up on laptop battery power.
Avoid multitasking:
When you open several programs at a time, you increase the processor workload and simultaneously increase the use of RAM. The programs continue to use hardware resources even when minimized or not in focus. You should close unused programs when your work is done. For example, if you are connected to the internet and have finished your research work online, close the browser and disconnect your laptop from the internet.
Don't play movies or games:
If you intend to save battery power for important work, then you should avoid playing games or movies on your laptop. Games and movies are graphic intensive and can increase power consumption significantly, causing your battery to drain quickly.
Disable all auto-scheduled tasks:
Your system has several auto-scheduled tasks for maintenance of your system such as defragging of the hard drive at regular intervals, scheduled virus scans, and many other tasks. A virus scan or defragging a hard drive increases the use of battery power. You should defrag your hard drive and run a virus scan only when your laptop is connected to a power outlet.
Lower the brightness of the screen:
Generally, the factory settings for brightness on a laptop are moderate or high. You can considerably lower the power consumption by decreasing the brightness of the screen. The screen is one of the biggest power guzzling components of your laptop. You need to lower the brightness to a level where you can read the text on the screen without straining your eyes. Navigate to the power settings menu through Control Panel to access the brightness setting of your laptop screen.
If you follow the given tips, you will notice that you are able to work for a longer time on your laptop on a single recharge. It is not a big feat to get some extended working time from your laptop battery if you learn to use your resources diligently.