Ways to Improve Your Laptop’s Battery Life
1. Ship shape with a defrag
Regular defragmentation helps to arrange data more efficiently thus making the hard drive work less to access the data. The quicker the moving hard drive works lesser is the load placed on the battery. Thus, your batter can last longer. The effect is minimal, but this efficiency goes hand in glove with hard drive maintenance.
2. Kill the resource gobblers
End the background processes that are not vital. Monitor the resource usage through a ‘Ctrl-Alt-Del’ which brings up the Windows Task Manager (in Windows). If you’re not on the internet, it is safe to shut down the immediate non-essential programs running in the taskbar like the antivirus and the firewall. Weed out unnecessary programs running as start-ups by launching the System Configuration Utility from Run – Msconfig – Tab: Startup. Uncheck the programs which you don’t want to launch and reboot the computer once.
3. Pause the scheduled tasks
It may be a defrag or a virus scan, but make sure it is scheduled for a time when you are near a power outlet. If not then nix them for the moment.
4. Unplug external devices
USB devices are the biggest drainers of battery power. Unplug all external devices like an external mouse, PC cards, Wi-Fi, external speakers, Bluetooth and even an attached iPod.
5. Empty the CD/DVD Drives
Even if you don’t intend to use it, don’t leave any CD/DVDs as leftovers in the drives. A spinning drive sucks battery power like a sponge.
6. Go local
Desist using the DVD/external drives while running on batteries. Shift the content to the hard drive or run using (free) virtual drives like Pismo File Mount or even Microsoft’s Virtual CD ROM Control Panel.
7. Lower the lights
The LCD screen of a laptop is another huge power sink. Calibrate the brightness to the lowest level you can tolerate using the Function key toggles or using the Display Settings applet in the Control Panel.
8. Kill the sounds
Mute the speakers and try avoiding the use of multimedia software to maximize the battery life. Installed sound schemes also drain a battery perceptibly.
9. Rid the screensaver
To maximize battery life by a little, switch off the screensaver.
10. Visit Power Options
Get familiar with power management through the ‘Power Options’ applet in the Control Panel. Both XP and Vista come with advanced power management features which shut off components like the monitor and/or the hard drive after specified intervals. This again depends on the chosen ‘Power Schemes’ (for XP) in the same applet. For instance in XP, ‘Max Battery’ under Power Schemes can be selected for maximum battery optimization.
Similar settings can be found under ‘Mobile PC’ in the Control Panel of Vista.
11. Turn off the looks
Today’s OS’s like Windows Vista come with features like ‘Aero Glass’ which are resource guzzlers. One can turn it off and go for the ‘Classic’ appearance which consumes less power. In Vista, click on Desktop – Preferences – View Colour – Appearance – Classic Appearance and Windows Basic graphical interface. In XP it’s – Display Properties – Theme – Windows Classic.
Linux and even Macintosh are better optimized for longer battery life.
12. Hibernate is better than Sleep
In the Stand By mode (or sleep mode), the computer turns of the hard drive and the display but memory remains active while the CPU slows down. This draws on the battery. In contrast, hibernation mode is better because the computer saves the current state and shuts itself down completely thus saving power.
13. Get the most…work on the least
Working on too many programs while on the battery is a sure fire power drainer. Keep use of graphic intensive applications to a minimum. Working on a spreadsheet consumes much less than playing your favourite game. To increase the life of the battery open just one or two programs concurrently.
14. Ram in more RAM
Adequate RAM reduces the load on Virtual memory which by default resides on the hard drive. Though every extra bit of RAM uses up more power, it increases overall savings by short cutting access to the power hungry hard drive.
15. Keep it clean
A laptop with blocked air vents will generate more heat thus reducing the life of the battery. Clean the air vents regularly to keep operating temperatures low. Allow for open space around the vents for air to circulate freely. Keep the area around the laptop clean to avoid entry of dust.
16. Temperature is a silent killer
Undue heat kills off a battery slowly but surely. Avoid leaving the laptop under direct sunlight or inside a closed car.
17. Avoid the memory effect
A problem more for the older Ni-MH batteries than for Li-Ion batteries on which most modern laptops run. Memory effect relates to the loss of battery charge when they are repeatedly recharged after being only partially discharged. It can be prevented by discharging the battery fully and then completely recharging it. Li-Ion batteries on the other hand have no problems with partial discharges and re-charges and complete discharge is never recommended for this type.
18. Update software and drivers
This sounds a bit incongruous but then newer drivers and software are often designed to be more efficient (and hopefully less resource hungry).
19. Use the right adapter
Ensure that the adapter you use to charge the laptop battery is an original one or one with the correct specifications. A mismatch in the wattage could cause an overload thus damaging the laptop and the battery.
20. Pack it up
If you don’t plan to use the laptop on batteries for quite some time, ensure that the charge is nearly 40 percent – remove the batteries and store it in a cool place.
A typical lithium ion battery has an overall average life of 2-3 years. With some care and caution, its mortality can be delayed.
If you use your laptop on battery power, you’ll know how annyoing it is to lose battery power at the “worst time”. While I can’t guarantee your laptop will lose power at a more convenient time, I can offer ten ways to improve your laptop battery’s life. Learn, in this guide, how to save power when running on batteries. Skip to the end for a bonus energy efficiency tip.
Note: This guide is written for Windows 7 but most tips apply for Windows Vista.
10 Ways to Save Battery Power
Here’s 10 ways to save your laptop battery’s power:
1. Turn Down Screen Brightness
To turn down screen brightness, click the battery icon in the system tray and click Adjust screen brightness.
Slide the brightness slider to the left until you can comfortably see the screen and it’s dimmest setting.
2. Cut Down on Background Applications
Many background applications don’t need to run and only increase CPU cycles and, in turn, the demand on your battery. Here’s a couple of things you can do to cut down on background applications:
2a. Disable Windows Sidebar Gadgets
If you don’t use the sidebar, you probably have it disabled already (right click the Windows Sidebar icon in the system tray and click Exit.)
If you use the Windows Sidebar, do you really need all your gadgets running when you’re on battery power? To disable Windows Sidebar gadgets:
Click the Start button and click Control Panel. Type gadget in the top-right search box, and click View list of running gadgets.
Next to the running gadgets, click remove.
2b. Diable Startup applications
To disable uneccessary startup applications, follow this guide.
3. Disable Your Wireless Internet & Bluetooth
If you’re not using the internet or Bluetooth, consider disabling the hardware to save battery power. To disable your wireless, bluetooth, or both cards, either:
A. Locate the switch on the side of your laptop (many laptops now have this) and turn your cards off.
or
B. Click the network icon in the system tray and click Open Network and Sharing Center.
In the left-hand menu, click Change adapter settings.
Right click your wireless connection and click Disable.
Repeat for your Bluetooth device.
4. Disable Screensavers
Screensavers use CPU when your PC is idle. To disable your screensaver:
Right click the Desktop and click Personalize.
Click Screen Saver.
In the drop down list, select (None) and click OK.
5. Change Power Options
You what your computer does to save power when idle. To do so, click the battery icon in the system tray and click More power options.
Select Power saver and click Change plan settings.
Lower the time it takes for your computer to dim the display, turn off the display, and sleep when on battery.
Click Change advanced power settings to fine tune your power-saving preferences.
6. Adjust Visual Effects
Visual effects also use CPU and memory and this drains your battery. To lower the effects and save battery power:
Click the Start button, click Control Panel, and type visual in the top-right search box. Click Adjust the appearance and performance of Windows.
Select Adjust for best performance and click OK.
7. Turn off Windows Aero
Windows Aero enables the glass effect you see on your Windows. This (surprise surprise) also uses CPU and memory and should be disabled to save battery. To disable Windows Aero:
Right click the desktop and click Personalization. Click Window Color.
Uncheck Enable transparency and click OK.
8. Disable the Search Index
The search index indexes your files for quick searching. This is a convenience but comes at a great cost to battery life when it’s running. To save power, consider disabling the search index. To disable the search index:
Click the Start button, click Control Panel, and type index in the top-right search box. Click Change how Windows searches.
Click Modify.
Remove all locations by unchecking them and click OK.
9. Keep Your Laptop Cool
The hotter your laptop gets, the harder your fans have to work to keep it cool. To minimize the power drawn by your fans, keep your laptop cool. If using it on your laptop, ensure there is proper ventilation. Never use your laptop on a blanket or soft surface where airflow is restricted. This will also keep your laptop working longer as hardware is less likely to overheat and fail.
10. Only Use Your Screen When You Need it
This final tip links back to tip number 5. When in the power options, click Choose what closing the lid does. I always set the lid closing to do nothing and the power button to put the laptop to sleep. This way, when I’m taking a break, I can put my laptop lid down (which turns off the display and saves power) without my laptop going to sleep. I’m also lucky because my laptop has a Display button that, when pressed, turns off my display. I found this button very useful when I sat in class and didn’t need to use my laptop but didn’t want to close and open the lid repeatedly.
Bonus Tip
To get a power efficiency report:
- Click Start, type CMD, right click cmd.exe and click Run as Administrator.
- On the command line, type powercfg -energy to view a power efficiency report.
