We are at our business meeting and showing a very important presentation, and suddenly the laptop runs out of charge. We are watching a very good movie with our laptop, and suddenly it shuts itself down. These are the moments when we get freaked out. So, battery optimization on a laptop is very important. It maximizes battery life. The Windows OS also has several ways of increasing battery life. Let us explore:
Optimize the Battery Power of a Laptop to Keep Safe
- The battery contacts usually erode or become dirty over time which reduces its performance level. Therefore, it should always be kept clean after turning off the laptop and switching off the external power, the battery should be removed. The battery and metal contacts should be rubbed properly with the cotton dipped in alcohol. The same should also be done with the battery contacts inside the laptop. After, all are dry the battery is to be reinstalled. Repeating this process over a period of two or three months is a good idea.
- The battery must be charged properly. Unlike the old generation batteries, modern lithium-ion batteries can be charged or discharged partially without reducing its life. But, complete discharging should always be avoided. The user manual should always be consulted before use.
- For laptops using nickel-based batteries, the power should completely be drained off before charging. The laptop can be unplugged from the power source and kept on working with several running applications. This drains out the power quickly. Then, full charging can be obtained in a span of 12 hours. Follow the method to Customize Battery Usage by App in Windows 10
- The air cooling system to a laptop should always be kept very active, and it should never get blocked by cloth or other items. The heat increase during the working of a laptop reduces its efficiency. So, the cooling vents must always be cleaned and should never be obstructed.
- It is a very good idea to carry a spare battery which helps us maintain our cool even when it runs out of charge during our presentation. The battery supported by the laptop should be correctly chosen.
- The battery life is usually diminished when it is stored for a large period with either full charge or complete discharge. If it is to be stored for a long time then the battery should be drained to at least 40% and the storage should take place in cool dark place.
- The power plan of a laptop should be customized according to our needs so that it consumes minimum power. The two biggest battery drainers are the display and the hard disk. The brightness settings should be lowered to control the power. All the other settings which consume a lot of power should always be controlled or should be lowered according to needs.
- The laptop should be kept in sleep mode when it is not used for short intervals. This setting usually shuts off the hard disk and the display, and all the running applications are stored in RAM. But it is usually recommended to store all the data before sending it on sleep mode to avoid data loss.
- The WiFi is another application which usually extracts a lot of power. It should always be kept off and should only be turned on when required.
These are some of the etiquettes to be followed for improving the battery life of a laptop.