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C-2
07-08-2005, 03:31 PM
My laptop battery only lasts for an hour or so.
Is this normal, do I need to upgrade to a higher capacity/life battery?
If so, any good sources?
I am a dumb arse when it comes to laptops. :hammer2: :hammer2:
Thanks in advance

LAFD
07-08-2005, 03:32 PM
How Old Is The Laptop And Battery?

piper
07-08-2005, 03:48 PM
It might be time to replace the battery. They should last almost 4 hours.

JetBoatRich
07-08-2005, 03:51 PM
My Compaq battery last 15 minutes :yuk: overall I get about 5 good months with them then the run time drops quickly :yuk:

Phat Matt
07-08-2005, 04:03 PM
Depends on your laptop, your screen size, and what you are doing with it. My HP lasted longer than my new Sony, but this Sony screen is pretty badass! :)

Wonderboy
07-08-2005, 04:04 PM
An hour is probably about right on normal settings using the internet and stuff. You can change the settings to long life if you want, but the screen will be pretty dark.

voodoomedman
07-08-2005, 08:36 PM
If you got stuff in the pc card slot then that kills the battery pretty quick. If I don't use my cellular card then I can go about 5 hours. With it on then maybe like two. That is with opening and closing it throughout the day. When not connected to the internet we turn the power off on the card.

BajaMike
07-08-2005, 08:46 PM
Get a new battery...then exercise it (run it almost all the way down) regularly.
These guys are good.....
Batteries.com (http://www.batteries.com/index.asp)
Batteries have a memory....people who keep the laptop plugged in all the time, when they need the battery, it doesn't last very long.
Run it down all the way once a week and it will last a lot longer.
:eat:

bigq
07-08-2005, 10:42 PM
Actually depends on the number of cells in the battery. You can purchase batteries with more cells...4,6,8. mine is 4 and last about an hour. :notam:

2Driver
07-09-2005, 08:35 AM
Certainly depends on what you are running. IF you added something recently that pulls it down fast.... that might be it. If you think that is the case try changing the power management settings to reserve power when on battery. (Control panel)
However.....Most batteries today are lith-ion. They have a set number of recharges cycles from the factory. No matter what, once you get close or at that magic number of recharges you will see a dramatic drop off in life. We provided software to collision shops and insurance companies as well as laptop leases and could predict with fair accuracy when they would need to replace the batteries in the laptops. They are not cheap.
Rule of thumb is you will take a chance on a used battery (IE e-bay) but you might try it if you can get one cheap. Chances are you might just be buying one in its sunset stage. Also be careful and get the exact battery as they put out diff amps and can affect your pc. Best choice (if you really like your PC) is to go OEM.
Good luck

afi823
07-09-2005, 02:13 PM
Whats up man...IMO you should get a laptop with an intel pentium-m processor. they are awesome on battery life. my fujitsu lifebok s6231 with a 13.3 inch screen, dvd-rw...the whole bit...it lasts 3.8 hours on the battery and it does all this weighin only 4.5 lbs.. Best lapotop ive ever purchased
Good Luck
Chris

C-2
07-09-2005, 10:00 PM
Thanks for all the responses, very appreciated.
It's a new computer, all we use it for is Internet access when kicking back outside, or whenever I roam into the field and gain access via TMobile/Starbucks hotspots.
It would be nice to have a 2 hour battery for these nice, long summer days though.
Thanks again