protecting your Battery Power on A Laptop

QMy netbook battery doesn’t last very long. Are there ways to get more than a few hours of power between charges?

ANetbook battery life can range from under two hours to almost seven, depending on the model and what the computer is doing like Dell GK479. For example, watching videos with the screen brightness turned all the way up will usually drain the battery much more quickly than typing a report in a word-processing program.

Check the System settings or Control Panel areas for power management options aimed at prolonging battery life. Some netbook models come with customized power schemes to maximize battery life for that apple a1022. In general, dimming the screen brightness is one way to cut power consumption when you are away from an electrical outlet. Quitting unused programs and doing one thing at a time — like writing a blog post — can also improve battery life.

Using USB-based hardware like mice, music players and flash drives can drain your netbook’s battery. When you are not using the Internet, turning off the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth functions can save juice. If you are working offline and not using external devices such as fujitsu fpcbp155, temporarily turning off your antivirus software and any other programs that run in the background can save energy. And keeping a Windows netbook defragmented can save power by reducing the workload on the hard drive.

If you find that you still need more time between charges than your netbook delivers, consider getting an extended-life battery like sony vgp-bps2a. These batteries can add hours to the time between charges and are available online. When shopping, make sure you get a battery that fits your netbook model; prices average about $100.

Other drives, like Iomega’s eGo for Mac (bit.ly/eClTC), include a basic backup program for the Mac. Most external drives can be used with Time Machine or third-party software like the SuperDuper backup program ($28 at shirt-pocket.com)for hp pavilion dv9000 battery . Many Mac-friendly backup drives can be connected in more than one way. Along with the usual USB 2.0 connector, FireWire 400 and FireWire 800 are often options, which can free up a USB port and make backing up your Mac even faster.

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