Laptop Battery Inefficiency

[leonardmp92]

Hello,

I have a Dell Inspiron 6000 Laptop, bought it in 2006. Originally, the battery was lasting about 4-5 hours, but now only lasts about 1 hour. Is the battery shot? Did I do something wrong to it? Why is it so less?

Thanks.

 

[C0RR0SIVE]

A laptop battery will overtime loose the ability to hold a charge like it used to. It is normal, I doubt you have done anything to hurt the battery, best thing you can do at this point I think is to let it totaly die out, and then let it charge FULLY, and when not using the battery power, remove it from the laptop to keep it from getting warm.

 

[Jorsoft]

That's about it. Through "average use" they usually last 1-2 years and you're right around a year and a half or so, so you're right at that point where they don't get much charge. Fortunately you can buy them cheap on Ebay, like almost all notebook batteries. They're as low as $50 for a new one.

inspiron 6000 battery, Desktop Laptop Accessories, Laptops Notebooks items on eBay.com

 

[peterhuang913]

That seems right. I had a Dell battery that lasted for a few years and it won't hold a charge. Have you been using the battery with the A/C plugged in at the same time?

 

[Alvin.C]

Hello,

Yep it's normal.

If you're going to buy a new battery for your laptop, be sure to observe the capacity and not just buy the cheapest one. If you want the same battery life as you did when you first got the laptop (or if you want better battery life), be sure to purchase a battery with the same / greater capacity than your current battery.

 

[ohGrFreak]

If you are looking for capacity (length of operation), it is read in MAH rating (milliamp hours). Just an FYI for what to look for.

 

[leonardmp92]

Thanks a lot all, appreciate your help!

Yes, I keep the AC cord plugged in while the battery is still in the laptop. I assume that the power doesnt even go "thru" the battery so it is not affected...asm I wrong?

Thanks.

 

[peterhuang913]

Nope. If you leave the cord in while the battery is also plugged it, the battery capacity dies down really fast.