It’s frustrating when your laptop’s battery refuses to hold a charge. While it may have previously lasted for hours on end, a laptop that can’t handle being untethered from its power source for any length of time no longer serves as a laptop. Instead, it becomes a tiny desktop. If your battery is already too far gone, your only option is to replace it. However, moving forward, there are a few steps you can take to extend your laptop battery’s life.
– Keep your laptop’s operating system updated — Who knew that operating system updates had anything to do with battery life? While the updates themselves may not specifically affect your laptop’s battery, they do affect other aspects of the system, which can, in turn, impact the battery. For example, updating your laptop’s operating system can protect the computer from known vulnerabilities and prevent operations that might otherwise drain your battery.
Updates for supported operating systems are released by Microsoft and Apple regularly, so make sure to keep your laptop current and protected. Not sure how to keep your computers updated and patched? Quikteks can help remotely! We can even update your computers and laptops automatically, freeing you from this task so you can work on more important parts of your business.
– Optimize the power settings to conserve battery power — It’s easy to change your laptop’s power settings, whether it’s running Windows 7, 8.1, or 10 — or Mac OS X. Some of the power settings that will save you the most power when running off the battery are: screen brightness, turning the display off soon after inactivity has been noted, changing when the computer goes to sleep to a shorter duration, and adjusting the computers resource usage.
– Turn down the monitor’s brightness setting — The LCD display uses a lot of power. The brighter it is, the more power it will drain from your battery. Thus, dimming the display will extend the length of time you can run your laptop on battery power. CNET recommends adjusting the brightness to just under half your normal setting. Consider that a starting point and adjust accordingly. If that’s too dim to work comfortably, increase the brightness to a more reasonable level. If that setting is too bright, decrease the brightness. Try to find the best balance between comfort and energy savings. If your laptop has a light-up keyboard, disable that feature when using the battery.
– Remove USB devices — If you use a wireless mouse when working at your desk, the USB dongle could be using up battery power when working elsewhere. Unplug the dongle and leave it at the office when you’re heading out to work remotely. Likewise, other USB devices like a portable hard drive or smartphone charger will draw power from your battery. If you don’t need the hard drive or have another means of charging your smartphone, disconnect these devices.
Finally, keep your laptop and its battery cool. This means keeping it out of direct sunlight and taking it with you rather than leaving it in a hot car. A general rule of thumb is to make sure the battery is never in temperatures above 95 degrees Fahrenheit. At this temperature, lithium-ion batteries can be damaged permanently.
Whether you want to increase productivity or make the best use of your company’s resources, Quikteks can help your business optimize your laptop’s performance. Our technicians are skilled at diagnosing the cause of even the most troublesome laptop issues and can educate you on how to resolve the issue. Whether you need a new battery or a new laptop, we’re ready to serve. All you need to do is call us at 973-882-4644.