Laptop: Leave battery in while plugged in? (laptops, screen, icon)

[foma]

Does the battary get drained when I have my laptop plugged and the battery is already fully charged?

I'm kinda lazy so I find it a pain to take the battery off when I don't need it and put it back on when I do need it! Unfortunately, this battery replacement is REALLY friggin' expensive so I may just be inclined to do it if it need be. Thanks!

[ahava]

It might depend on what kind of laptop you have, but with mine when it's plugged in it's using power from the outlet, not the battery. There's an indicator on the screen that shows this. I rarely have a reason to take the battery out of my laptop.

[ColoWeb]

Hi foma,
The power slowly drains when it is not used, that is not what causes the battery to go bad. Rechargeable batteries have an unknown limit of how many times they can be charges (it is a lot, do not worry). So, after a set number of recharges, it will hold less power and ultimately fail to charge.

If you do not use the battery a lot, you can charge only when you know you will need to use it. This will prolong the life of it.

For me personally, however, I keep it in. It is a nice safety item that keeps the computer on in case the is a power outage (or in case you move and accidently unplug the laptop etc.)

For my dell laptop, the battery lasted 2 years and the first year was with very heavy usage (laptop was on 24/7 as it was my main PC).

Hope I answered your questions.

[foma]

It's a Sony Vaio and the icon on the notification area shows the laptop using "plugged in" vs. "battery" mode. I'm assuming that's what it's doing.

Thanks guys. I always find these random questions to ask about computers!

[greenpower]

Laptops tend to lose their charm quickly when you are constantly looking for the nearest power outlet to charge up. How do you keep your battery going for as long as possible? Here are 5 easy ways to do so.

1. Turn the brightness level as low as you possibly. Laptops always come with the ability to select the brightness level, some even could modify CPU cooling performance, switch down to lowest level will enable you squeeze out two times longer Dell Inspiron 6400 battery life than the situation working in the highest level.

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More >>
Dell Inspiron 6400 Battery Pack

[NHDave]

Also, batteries like to be used, they do not like a constant charge and never a discharge. Run it on battery once or twice a week till it pops up the low battery warning, then charge it back up. The sure way to kill a battery is to never use it.