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New laptop battery

C

CDC Mail Guy

Golden Member
Okay...finally got my wife a new battery for her Dell Inspiron 2200. The last one only remained on for like 10 minutes before it would die. She always plugs her laptop in when using it around the house, but what's the deal with the battery to make it not lose it's lifespan? Take it out when PC is plugged in? Or run the battery down, and then recharge by plugging it in? I used to know, but now I have forgotten 🙂
 
There are many different views on this. I have had 5 laptops, and generally always have used them on A/C with the battery installed. I have never had a battery fail, but maybe because I never have one longern than 3 years.

There are many who say that it is best to remove the battery at home when on A/C, and only put it in when needed for travel, etc.
 
Originally posted by: CDC Mail Guy
Okay...finally got my wife a new battery for her Dell Inspiron 2200. The last one only remained on for like 10 minutes before it would die. She always plugs her laptop in when using it around the house, but what's the deal with the battery to make it not lose it's lifespan?
Click to expand...

1) You can only recharge a Li-ion battery so many times! So, don't leave it in your lappy when running on AC power!

2) Regardless of whether or not you charge it, a Li-ion battery only has a 'shelf life' of about 3 years, so it's a lose-lose situation. However, leaving it on charge all the time exacerbates the situation, despite whatever type of charging and protective circuitry you have.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but that's just the way it is!

Having said that...

The best bet is to only charge a Li-ion battery before you decide to use it, and the rest of the time, leave it in the closet and run your lappy off a UPS (to avoid data loss/corruption during power outages/spikes).

This will give you maximum battery longevity! 😉
 
Thank you both for the reply. It seems there are many different viewpoints on this (maybe I should add a poll) 🙂 , but to be on the "safe side" i will have her leave it out when not in use.
 
I actually agree with VinDSL, however, the lifespan of the typical battery is several years - probably 3 to 4. Niot stated in my reply was the fact that I use two batteries - a 6 cell and a 9 cell, and rotate them. Then when I factor in how long I keep a laptop before upgrading (about 2 years), it really doesn't matter much to me. Since 1995, and 6 laptops, I have never had a battery failure, and one is in all the time. Furthermore, I only use my laptop when I travel. The rest of the time it sits on the desk and gets fired up maybe twice a week for updates and synching.

Bottom line - it really depends on how you use it.
 
My laptop battery holds about the same charge as when I bought it two years ago, and I leave it plugged into the AC with the battery in all of the time (except when I go mobile).

My iPAQ, which is five years old, still holds a charge of over four hours and it is plugged in 24/7. HP recommended to keep it plugged in all of the time, and I haven't had a problem.
 
Her laptop was 3 years old, and she never used it on battery alone without it being plugged in. Then several months ago when she needed it, it started dying within 20 minutes or so. She always kept the battery in, but if lifespan is only 2-3 years anyway no matter what...We'll try leaving it out this time around. This seems to be a pretty controversial subject 🙂
 
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