7 Ways to Extend the Life of Your Laptop Battery

What good is a laptop if you're constantly having to plug it in to keep it running? The whole benefit of having a laptop is that it frees you up and allows you to use your computer without being tied down.

The good news is there are several ways you can keep your laptop's battery running optimally, so that you don't have to go digging for your power cable every few minutes.

• Use a dimmer screen—Chances are that your laptop has a feature for controlling the brightness of your screen. The brighter your screen is, the more battery power it's consuming. Conversely, the dimmer your screen is, the less battery power it uses. Obviously, you don't want to dim it to the point that you're straining your eyes to see the screen, but you can dim it a bit to get some more battery life.
• Reduce background processes—Almost all of our computers have programs constantly running in the background. Things like iTunes, Skype, and more can suck up battery power, and cause your battery to drain out more quickly. Shut off any background programs you aren't using.
• Turn off unused ports and components—Running unnecessary software is one thing; running unnecessary hardware is even worse as it takes up more battery power. You should consider disabling unused USB ports, Ethernet, VGA, and even wifi if you aren't using it. All of these things consume power, so if you aren't using it, turn it off.
• Use a cooling pad to keep battery from overheating—Temperature is your battery's worst enemy. If it gets too hot, it can get damaged permanently. In addition to keeping your laptop out of hot places, you should also use a cooling pad instead of setting it directly on your lap or any other surface. This prevents heat from getting trapped in the battery.
• Defrag your hard drive—The more efficiently your hard drive runs, the less power it consumes. You should defrag your hard drive on a regular basis so it doesn't drag your battery life down.
• Avoid using CDs and DVDs—Whenever possible, you should run programs from your hard drive. CDs and DVDs take a lot of power to run, and if you're just relying on battery power, your laptop won't stay up and running very long.
• Change your power settings—If you right-click on the battery icon in your taskbar, you should see "Power Options." You can adjust the power settings to run more efficiently, allowing you to maximize the life of your battery.