Tips for Laptop Maintenance

Daily Usage Threat

• If you have a new battery (A new laptop) it comes in a discharged condition and must be charged before use. Upon initial use (or after prolonged storage period) the battery may require two to three charge/discharge cycles before achieving maximum capacity.
• Do not leave your battery dormant for long periods of time. It's recommend using the battery at least once every two to three weeks. If a battery has not been used for a long period of time, perform the new battery procedure described at above point.
• If the battery is not going to be used for more than a month, it is recommended that it be removed from the device and stored in a cool, dry, clean place.It is normal for a battery to become warm during charging and discharging.A charged battery will eventually lose its charge if unused. It may therefore be necessary to recharge the battery after a storage period.
• Do not short-circuit a battery. A short-circuit may cause damage to the battery. Do not drop, hit or otherwise abuse the battery as this may result in the exposure of the cell contents, which are corrosive.Do not expose the battery to moisture or rain.Keep battery away from fire or other sources of extreme heat. Do not incinerate. Exposure of batteries to extreme heat may result in an explosion.
• Keep Your Batteries Clean, it’s a good idea to clean dirty battery contacts with a cotton swab and alcohol. This helps maintain a good connection between the battery and your laptop.

Charging Threat

Ni-Cad batteries suffer from what’s called the “memory effect”. This means that if a battery is continually only partially discharged before re-charging, the battery “forgets” that is has the capacity to further discharge all the way down. To illustrate: If you, on a regular basis, fully charge your battery and then use only 50% of its capacity before the next recharge, eventually the battery will become unaware of it's extra 50% capacity which has remained unused. Your battery will remain functional, but only at 50% of its original capacity.

The way to avoid the dreaded “memory effect” is to fully cycle (fully charge and then fully discharge) your battery at least once every month. Batteries can be discharged by unplugging the device’s AC adapter and letting the device run on the battery until it ceases to function. This will ensure your battery remains healthy. Ni-Mh and Li-Ion batteries do not suffer the memory effect.