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CHAPTER 2: GETTING TO KNOW YOUR LAPTOP
Q: I did not use my spare battery for a few days. Even though it was fully
recharged, there wasn’t as much power left as a newly charged one. Why?
A: e batteries will self-discharge (1% per day for Li-ion) when they are not being
recharged. To ensure a battery is fully charged, recharge before use. Always keep
the battery inside the laptop and have the AC adapter connected whenever
possible.
Q: I did not use my spare battery for months. I am having a problem
recharging it.
A: If you happen to leave your battery to go through an extended period of self-
discharge, say more than three months, the battery voltage level will become too
low. e battery then needs to be pre-charged (to bring the battery voltage level
high enough) before it automatically (for Li-ion only) resumes its normal fast
charge. Pre-charge may take 30 minutes. Fast charge usually takes 2-3 hours.
Power Management
Understanding Power Consumption
In order to fully utilize the power of your battery, it would be a good idea for you
to spend some time acquiring a basic understanding of the power management
concept from your operating system.
You can use the power options in your operating system to congure the power
settings on your computer. e Microsoft
®
Windows
®
operating system installed
on your computer provides three default options:
Balanced — Oers full performance when you need it and saves power •
during periods of inactivity.
Power Saver — Saves power on your computer by reducing system •
performance to maximize the life of the computer and by reducing the
amount of energy consumed by your computer over its lifetime.
High Performance — Provides the highest level of system performance •
on your computer by adapting processor speed to your activity and by
maximizing system performance.