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If you find yourself with no electrical adapter or power source and need your battery to operate for as long as possible, here are a few tips you can try when your notebook computer is in battery mode:

• Use the notebook’s power management system - In Microsoft Windows the “Power Options” power management application can be found inside the Control Panel. In the Power Options Properties tab select the “Portable/Laptop” power scheme. Many notebook manufactories also provide their own custom power management applications, which help to optimize power usage and extend battery time.

• Turn down the display brightness - You can lower the LCD brightness level to use less energy. In fact a lower brightness level also strains the eyes less and causes less fatigue.

• Close any unused applications - Applications are a burden on the system and require energy to run. Closing any unused applications will reduce that burden and any energy consumption down the line.

• Remove any unused PC Cards or USB devices from your notebook - These devices require energy even when they sit idle, so removing them can help to extend your notebook’s battery time.

• Disable Wireless LAN or Bluetooth network adapter when not in use - Ditto for the Wireless LAN or Bluetooth network adapters.

• Increase system memory - Your computer stores data for use by the CPU in system memory or as virtual memory in the hard drive. Increasing system memory helps to reduce the system’s reliance on the hard drive, which uses more energy than system memory.

• Reduce unnecessary optical drive operation/activity - Avoid activities that require your optical drive to operate constantly, such as listening to CDs.

• Avoid graphics intensive applications - The notebook system will run in a high performance settings when using these applications, causing the battery to run down at a very quick rate.

Laptop Battery Maintenance Tips

Almost all notebooks today utilize rechargeable Lithium-ion (Li-Ion) batteries. Lithium Ion provides many benefits over earlier Nickel-Metal Hydride (NiMH) or Nickel Cadmium (NiCd) Batteries, including less mass, better performance, and insusceptibility to the so-called “memory effect”. Despite these benefits you can maximize your battery’s lifespan by following these maintenance tips:

• New batteries must be fully charged before use - To put your battery in optimum condition for long-term usage, please fully charge the battery before its first use. Very importantly as well, for the first 3 charge cycles, always fully charge before use and fully discharge before recharging.

• Calibrate the battery every few months - Almost all notebook batteries are created with an internal microprocessor, which provides an estimate of battery conditions such as number of charges, discharges, full charge capacity and cycle charge count. The full charge capacity will become a little inaccurate after a few months and calibrating it can help restore the battery’s performance.

• Some notebooks provide calibration tools in the BIOS or a Windows application. If your notebook provides either of them, you can use them.

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