Extend The Life of Your Laptop Batteries

There is little more frustrating than to be out and about working and suddenly have your laptop batteries go dead. The convenience of a laptop goes flying out the window as you frantically search for a power outlet. As it is, several hours are about all you can hope for when the laptop is unplugged. Until they make laptop batteries that never need recharging (and that probably isn't going to happen any time soon), it's best to try to prolong the life of the battery.
Defragging your hard drive can lower the amount of work the battery has to do. By keeping the computer in tip-top shape, you can also save the charge on your laptop batteries. Who knew? Another thing that helps the battery keep the charge is by limiting the usage of CDs and DVDs. These drain the battery faster than using the hard drive.
Multitasking may be an enviable ability, but avoid it when you're on your laptop. The more programs you have running, the faster the laptop batteries will run down. You may also want to change the power settings so that the laptop hibernates instead of just going to standby. It may take a couple of extra seconds to get the power back up, but everything you were working on will still be there and you will have saved the battery.
While you're at home, try to avoid working off the laptop batteries. There are probably plenty of outlets available and no real excuse for running the computer off the battery. That way, when you leave home, the battery should be fully charged and ready to give you several hours of uninterrupted power. If others in your home use the computer, stress to them that they must keep it plugged in while in the house. Teenagers hate to plug in computers. No one really knows why.
If at all possible, keep a backup battery with you when you're away from home. No matter how careful you are, something could always happen to make you need a backup. Try a test run and fully charge your battery. Unplug the laptop and see how long it takes before it drains the computer. This is just nice to know.
Even within the same brand of computer, laptop batteries can have different charges. Try a few of these suggestions. They should help extend the life of your laptop batteries.