You can make your laptop
run longer on its battery by turning off or reduce all the things that expend
power in your computer. If you are going on a long trip, or just taking your
laptop to a local coffee shop, use these tips to help your laptop's battery power
last longer.
1
Learn to single-task. PC
memory that is in-use takes more power to hold data. Also, using more memory
might mean using more swap or virtual memory space on your laptop's hard drive.
All of this puts an additional drain on your laptop's battery. Instead of
leaving multiple applications and windows open, use only what you need at any
given time. If your laptop has plenty of memory, then keep multiple
applications open to avoid loading repeatedly from the hard drive. Close all
the applications that run in the background on your computer like your PDA
syncing software or USB hard drive backup software.
2
Run simple applications that don't use
much RAM, disk drive or processing power. Use a basic
text editor rather than the processor and RAM heavy Microsoft Word. Heavy
applications like games or movie watching are especially hard on the battery.
3
Disable Bluetooth. If
you don't use this device, you can safely disable it to avoid draining your
laptop's battery.
4
Shut down or hibernate the laptop rather
than using standby, if you plan on not using it for a while. Standby
continues to drain energy to keep your laptop ready to go when you open the
cover.
5
Turn off unused ports. Disabling
unused ports and components, such as VGA, Ethernet, PCMCIA, USB, and yes, your
wireless, too. You can do this through the Device Manager or by configuring a
separate hardware profile (see next step).
6
Create Power-Saving Hardware Profiles. Configure
your laptop for the various scenarios in which you use it (on a plane, at the
coffee shop, at the office, and so on). You can do this through the Hardware
Profiles menu by right-clicking on My Computer and selecting Preferences or by
using a freeware utility such as SparkleXP.
7
Defrag your
hard drive. The more fragmented your hard drive is the more your hard disk
needs to work.
Part 2
1
Reduce the LCD's brightness level. If
you use your laptop in a well lit area or outdoors on a sunny day, try setting
it at two or three bars.
Turn down the
screen resolution. The method for doing this will depend on your laptop make.
· Right click on the desktop in Windows 7. Select the Screen
Resolution. Turn down the resolution.
2
If your laptop has an OLED based display,
avoid displaying white images.OLED screens consume a
lot less power displaying blank.
Part 3
1
Turn the volume level down, or mute it, if
you do not plan to use it.
Part 4
1
Avoid extreme temperatures. Batteries
rely on basic chemistry and will die faster at extreme temperatures. Try to
charge and use the battery at room temperatures.
2
Use a cooling pad when using a notebook computer on your lap. But
if it's a USB pad then don't use it as it will most likely use up more battery
rather than to conserve it.
3
Avoid propping your laptop on a pillow, blanket, or other soft
surface that can heat up.
Part 5
1
1
Unplug external devices such as a USB
mouse or an external drive.
2
Avoid using a CD or DVD. If you store a copy
of data you need on an optical disc, copy it to your laptop's hard drive or a
thumb drive before traveling. Optical drives consume large amounts of power to
spin up CDs and DVDs. Try to avoid applications that keep your hard drive or
optical drive spinning. Need to play music? Try to use your handheld MP3
player, rather than playing songs on your computer. Playing songs on your
computer will keep the hard drive working which uses energy. Turn off the auto
save feature on MS Word or Excel. Constant saving will keep your hard drive
turning and using energy.
3
Eject external devices such as pen drives, DVDs, hard disks,
etc., if not in use.
Part 6
Clean the battery contacts. Clean the
battery's metal contacts with rubbing alcohol on a damp cloth. Clean contacts
increase the energy efficiency.
Part 7
1. Keep the battery
fresh. Batteries
leak power if they aren't used fairly soon after charging. If you use your
"full" battery 2 weeks after you last charged it, you may discover it
is empty.
2. Do not charge all
of the way. Instead of charging the battery to 100% each time, fix the
maximum charge limit to 80-85%. This will help in the long run by reducing the
battery degradation with time. Sony VAIO has inbuilt option to set this.
Warnings
o If you use your computer for too long, it could overheat and
slowly damage components, shortening their lifespan.
o Be careful when charging your battery. Never hook it up to
charge it when you're not around. With the plethora of battery recalls due to
exploding and combustible Li-Ion cells, the process of charging your laptop's
battery shouldn't be taken lightly.
o Be careful when cleaning the contacts. Always clean them when
the battery is fully drained, and use a very slightly damp cloth, so as to
avoid electric shock and short-circuits.
o If you are working on the Internet and using the laptop, do not
turn anything off or you will lose your work.
No comments:
Post a Comment