Battery failing?

Inspiron 6000 purchased May 2005.
Win XP Pro
Home networked with desktop via wireless router
PC-cillin, zone alarm, adaware, spybot protected.
used at home primarily in the evening for 2 or 3 hours.
run off battery until low battery warning then plugged in to ac and shut
down still plugged in until I turn it back on the next evening.

I was really surprised to see 2 of the status lights blinking. One flashes
orange and the other alternates between orange and green. I'm getting about
45 minutes on a "full" charge.

I'm irritated to see this battery failing after relative light use in about
a year and a half. Shoot, I sure wish I had one of those exploding
batteries.

--

Susan
Still flyin' by the seat of my pants

-30-

"Susan" <> wrote in message
news:456b7cf3$0$26722$. com...
> Inspiron 6000 purchased May 2005.
> Win XP Pro
> Home networked with desktop via wireless router
> PC-cillin, zone alarm, adaware, spybot protected.
> used at home primarily in the evening for 2 or 3 hours.
> run off battery until low battery warning then plugged in to ac and shut
> down still plugged in until I turn it back on the next evening.
>
> I was really surprised to see 2 of the status lights blinking. One flashes
> orange and the other alternates between orange and green. I'm getting
> about 45 minutes on a "full" charge.
>
> I'm irritated to see this battery failing after relative light use in
> about a year and a half. Shoot, I sure wish I had one of those exploding
> batteries.
>
> --
>
> Susan
> Still flyin' by the seat of my pants
>
> -30-
>

18 months is pretty normal, particularly since you actually use it on
battery power. Mine is giving me a 'your battery is reaching the end of its
life' warning.

The one area that technology hasn't really improved enough.

Tom

Lithium ion batteries can last a decade if well cared for, but can be
destroyed in 6 months if abused.

In the case of laptops, the primary form of abuse is leaving the battery
in the laptop when the laptop is plugged into AC wall power for long
periods of time. Although the laptop makers will deny it, empirical
evidence suggests that in many laptop models, this will destroy the
battery in 6 to 24 months. It's not clear if the culprit here is
overcharging (which isn't supposed to happen, but in at least some
models it pretty clearly does), or just heat from other components of
the laptop unrelated to the battery itself (but to which the battery is
exposed ... lithium batteries clearly don't like and are damaged by high
temperatures).

I don't know what your usage pattern has been, or if you have done this
(leave the battery in the laptop when it was on AC line power for days
to months at a time). But if you want the battery to really last (quite
possibly for a decade) and be available for when you are traveling and
really need it, remove the battery from the laptop when you are going to
be stationary and plugged in for more than a day or two.

Someone will point out that the battery also serves as a UPS and that
this function is lost if the battery is removed, which of course is
true. However, a $30 UPS is a whole lot cheaper than a $200 lithium ion
battery (and it will run the laptop for a lot longer, also).

[Note, calendar time aside, lithium batteries are good for a certain
number of charge-discharge cycles, after which they are pretty much gone
regardless of whether those cycles occured in a few months or a decade.
The number of cycles that a battery is good for varies, but it's
typically in the range of mid-hundreds.]


Susan wrote:
> Inspiron 6000 purchased May 2005.
> Win XP Pro
> Home networked with desktop via wireless router
> PC-cillin, zone alarm, adaware, spybot protected.
> used at home primarily in the evening for 2 or 3 hours.
> run off battery until low battery warning then plugged in to ac and shut
> down still plugged in until I turn it back on the next evening.
>
> I was really surprised to see 2 of the status lights blinking. One flashes
> orange and the other alternates between orange and green. I'm getting about
> 45 minutes on a "full" charge.
>
> I'm irritated to see this battery failing after relative light use in about
> a year and a half. Shoot, I sure wish I had one of those exploding
> batteries.
>

I didn't read all of your post carefully enough.

All of my previous comments still apply, but here is your problem: "run
off battery until low battery warning then plugged in to ac and shut
down still plugged in until I turn it back on the next evening"

You are using one cycle per day. You have, typically, mid hundreds of
cycles in a lithium ion battery, then it's gone. 18 months is about right.

Why are you doing this when you are sitting on a desk at home? It's
guaranteed to destroy the battery. In such a situation, what I'd
recommend is to get a low-cost APC UPS (300 to 500VA, will cost $30 or
less (sometimes "free after rebate) if you get it on sale), plug the
laptop AC adapter into the UPS, remove the battery and put it in a
drawer. Once every 90 to 120 days or so, use the battery for an hour,
down to not below 25%, and then recharge it to about 60% and take it out
and put it back in the drawer for another few months.

Notes on Lithium ion batteries:

1. They have a limited number of charge-discharge cycles, typically
mid-hundreds

2. They don't like high temperatures [Some people refrigerate batteries
in inactive storage, which is ok as long as they don't freeze, but I
can't say that I've personally noticed any real difference between those
stored refrigerated and those stored at room temperatures]

3. They don't like really deep discharges (below about 10%, but it's
not clear that "0%" on your laptop doesn't take this into account and
isn't really 10% or so relative to the actual battery capacity ... that
probably varies from laptop model to laptop model)

4. According to the manufacturers, they really don't like very full
charges either ... they do better being charged to between 90% and 98%
than to a full 100% (or, worse, over charged). However, this difference
does not seem to matter all that much in actual use.

5. For inactive storage, the battery makers say that they should be
stored at 40% to 60% charge, not full charge. However, as in the
previous item, this doesn't seem to matter all that much in actual use
(I have dozens of 1995 to 1997 Toshiba batteries that are nearly as good
as new and that were stored fully charged at room temperatures).

6. When stored and not in use, they do need some occasional activity
and partial charging, every 2 to 4 months being a good schedule. With
absolutely no activity whatsoever, they will eventually be destroyed,
although it might take as long as a couple of years.



Tom Scales wrote:
> "Susan" <> wrote in message
> news:456b7cf3$0$26722$. com...
>> Inspiron 6000 purchased May 2005.
>> Win XP Pro
>> Home networked with desktop via wireless router
>> PC-cillin, zone alarm, adaware, spybot protected.
>> used at home primarily in the evening for 2 or 3 hours.
>> run off battery until low battery warning then plugged in to ac and shut
>> down still plugged in until I turn it back on the next evening.
>>
>> I was really surprised to see 2 of the status lights blinking. One flashes
>> orange and the other alternates between orange and green. I'm getting
>> about 45 minutes on a "full" charge.
>>
>> I'm irritated to see this battery failing after relative light use in
>> about a year and a half. Shoot, I sure wish I had one of those exploding
>> batteries.
>>
>> --
>>
>> Susan
>> Still flyin' by the seat of my pants
>>
>> -30-
>>
>
> 18 months is pretty normal, particularly since you actually use it on
> battery power. Mine is giving me a 'your battery is reaching the end of its
> life' warning.
>
> The one area that technology hasn't really improved enough.
>
> Tom
>
>

I suspect that what you say is correct. We have an old Compaq Armada 1500
laptop. We use it off battery power until it requires recharge and then
plug it in to the AC; and we unplug it as soon as it is completely
recharged.
We have been doing this since new and it still has the original battery.
One thing may be the battery. I believe this was prior to the Lithium Ion
batteries coming into laptops, so it is likely a NiCad.

"Barry Watzman" <> wrote in message
news:456b8a43$0$13680$...
> Lithium ion batteries can last a decade if well cared for, but can be
> destroyed in 6 months if abused.
>
> In the case of laptops, the primary form of abuse is leaving the battery
> in the laptop when the laptop is plugged into AC wall power for long
> periods of time. Although the laptop makers will deny it, empirical
> evidence suggests that in many laptop models, this will destroy the
> battery in 6 to 24 months. It's not clear if the culprit here is
> overcharging (which isn't supposed to happen, but in at least some models
> it pretty clearly does), or just heat from other components of the laptop
> unrelated to the battery itself (but to which the battery is exposed ...
> lithium batteries clearly don't like and are damaged by high
> temperatures).
>
> I don't know what your usage pattern has been, or if you have done this
> (leave the battery in the laptop when it was on AC line power for days to
> months at a time). But if you want the battery to really last (quite
> possibly for a decade) and be available for when you are traveling and
> really need it, remove the battery from the laptop when you are going to
> be stationary and plugged in for more than a day or two.
>
> Someone will point out that the battery also serves as a UPS and that this
> function is lost if the battery is removed, which of course is true.
> However, a $30 UPS is a whole lot cheaper than a $200 lithium ion battery
> (and it will run the laptop for a lot longer, also).
>
> [Note, calendar time aside, lithium batteries are good for a certain
> number of charge-discharge cycles, after which they are pretty much gone
> regardless of whether those cycles occured in a few months or a decade.
> The number of cycles that a battery is good for varies, but it's typically
> in the range of mid-hundreds.]
>
>
> Susan wrote:
>> Inspiron 6000 purchased May 2005.
>> Win XP Pro
>> Home networked with desktop via wireless router
>> PC-cillin, zone alarm, adaware, spybot protected.
>> used at home primarily in the evening for 2 or 3 hours.
>> run off battery until low battery warning then plugged in to ac and shut
>> down still plugged in until I turn it back on the next evening.
>>
>> I was really surprised to see 2 of the status lights blinking. One
>> flashes orange and the other alternates between orange and green. I'm
>> getting about 45 minutes on a "full" charge.
>>
>> I'm irritated to see this battery failing after relative light use in
>> about a year and a half. Shoot, I sure wish I had one of those exploding
>> batteries.
>>

All current laptops use Lithium batteries, but older ones used NiMH
batteries (nickel metal hydride), and still older ones used NiCad
(Nickel Cadnium) batteries. They all have different and unique
characteristics, and my post was really addressing only the
characteristics of Lithium ion batteries.

NiCads, unlike lithium, had a "memory effect" and were supposed to be
deeply discharged and fully recharged, a use pattern that can actually
be harmful to lithium batteries. But if you are using the laptop at
home on a desk, I'd still probably recommend simply removing the battery
entirely most of the time and, for stationary use, just plugging the
laptop's AC adapter into a UPS. Charge and discharge cycles will still
"wear out" the battery after a certain number of "cycles", and what you
describe will cycle the battery almost daily for no reason that is
obvious. That won't "do in" a NiCad as quickly as it will a lithium
battery, but it's still not the best way to get the maximum life from
the battery.

[One of the differences between lithium batteries and the other types,
as many people have just recently discovered, is that lithium batteries
can become "fire bombs" if the EXACTLY correct charging and use
protocols are not followed (or if the batteries are made with metal
particles in them ....). Because of this, all laptop lithium batteries
have microprocessors inside the battery itself. These communicate with
the charging circuits in the laptop, and if they detect even the
slightest issues with the state or condition of the battery, they shut
that battery down for good and you are done using that particular
battery. NiCads, on the other hand, need and have no such
sophistication. Consequently, a NiCad, or a laptop using a NiCad, may
almost never "refuse to charge" or "indicate" that it's bad. But if you
go to use it, you may find out that while it appeared to charge, it
really has very little life left in it and that, indications aside, it's
essentially useless except as a very short term UPS.]



Irene wrote:
> I suspect that what you say is correct. We have an old Compaq Armada 1500
> laptop. We use it off battery power until it requires recharge and then
> plug it in to the AC; and we unplug it as soon as it is completely
> recharged.
> We have been doing this since new and it still has the original battery.
> One thing may be the battery. I believe this was prior to the Lithium Ion
> batteries coming into laptops, so it is likely a NiCad.
>
> "Barry Watzman" <> wrote in message
> news:456b8a43$0$13680$...
>> Lithium ion batteries can last a decade if well cared for, but can be
>> destroyed in 6 months if abused.
>>
>> In the case of laptops, the primary form of abuse is leaving the battery
>> in the laptop when the laptop is plugged into AC wall power for long
>> periods of time. Although the laptop makers will deny it, empirical
>> evidence suggests that in many laptop models, this will destroy the
>> battery in 6 to 24 months. It's not clear if the culprit here is
>> overcharging (which isn't supposed to happen, but in at least some models
>> it pretty clearly does), or just heat from other components of the laptop
>> unrelated to the battery itself (but to which the battery is exposed ...
>> lithium batteries clearly don't like and are damaged by high
>> temperatures).
>>
>> I don't know what your usage pattern has been, or if you have done this
>> (leave the battery in the laptop when it was on AC line power for days to
>> months at a time). But if you want the battery to really last (quite
>> possibly for a decade) and be available for when you are traveling and
>> really need it, remove the battery from the laptop when you are going to
>> be stationary and plugged in for more than a day or two.
>>
>> Someone will point out that the battery also serves as a UPS and that this
>> function is lost if the battery is removed, which of course is true.
>> However, a $30 UPS is a whole lot cheaper than a $200 lithium ion battery
>> (and it will run the laptop for a lot longer, also).
>>
>> [Note, calendar time aside, lithium batteries are good for a certain
>> number of charge-discharge cycles, after which they are pretty much gone
>> regardless of whether those cycles occured in a few months or a decade.
>> The number of cycles that a battery is good for varies, but it's typically
>> in the range of mid-hundreds.]
>>
>>
>> Susan wrote:
>>> Inspiron 6000 purchased May 2005.
>>> Win XP Pro
>>> Home networked with desktop via wireless router
>>> PC-cillin, zone alarm, adaware, spybot protected.
>>> used at home primarily in the evening for 2 or 3 hours.
>>> run off battery until low battery warning then plugged in to ac and shut
>>> down still plugged in until I turn it back on the next evening.
>>>
>>> I was really surprised to see 2 of the status lights blinking. One
>>> flashes orange and the other alternates between orange and green. I'm
>>> getting about 45 minutes on a "full" charge.
>>>
>>> I'm irritated to see this battery failing after relative light use in
>>> about a year and a half. Shoot, I sure wish I had one of those exploding
>>> batteries.
>>>
>
>

Thanks for the info.

This is a very old Compaq. "Windows 98" old.

It really continues to amaze us. It really does still have it's original
battery.

Irene


"Barry Watzman" <> wrote in message
news:456baac4$0$13734$...
> All current laptops use Lithium batteries, but older ones used NiMH
> batteries (nickel metal hydride), and still older ones used NiCad (Nickel
> Cadnium) batteries. They all have different and unique characteristics,
> and my post was really addressing only the characteristics of Lithium ion
> batteries.
>
> NiCads, unlike lithium, had a "memory effect" and were supposed to be
> deeply discharged and fully recharged, a use pattern that can actually be
> harmful to lithium batteries. But if you are using the laptop at home on
> a desk, I'd still probably recommend simply removing the battery entirely
> most of the time and, for stationary use, just plugging the laptop's AC
> adapter into a UPS. Charge and discharge cycles will still "wear out" the
> battery after a certain number of "cycles", and what you describe will
> cycle the battery almost daily for no reason that is obvious. That won't
> "do in" a NiCad as quickly as it will a lithium battery, but it's still
> not the best way to get the maximum life from the battery.
>
> [One of the differences between lithium batteries and the other types, as
> many people have just recently discovered, is that lithium batteries can
> become "fire bombs" if the EXACTLY correct charging and use protocols are
> not followed (or if the batteries are made with metal particles in them
> ....). Because of this, all laptop lithium batteries have microprocessors
> inside the battery itself. These communicate with the charging circuits
> in the laptop, and if they detect even the slightest issues with the state
> or condition of the battery, they shut that battery down for good and you
> are done using that particular battery. NiCads, on the other hand, need
> and have no such sophistication. Consequently, a NiCad, or a laptop using
> a NiCad, may almost never "refuse to charge" or "indicate" that it's bad.
> But if you go to use it, you may find out that while it appeared to
> charge, it really has very little life left in it and that, indications
> aside, it's essentially useless except as a very short term UPS.]
>
>
>
> Irene wrote:
>> I suspect that what you say is correct. We have an old Compaq Armada 1500
>> laptop. We use it off battery power until it requires recharge and then
>> plug it in to the AC; and we unplug it as soon as it is completely
>> recharged.
>> We have been doing this since new and it still has the original battery.
>> One thing may be the battery. I believe this was prior to the Lithium Ion
>> batteries coming into laptops, so it is likely a NiCad.
>>
>> "Barry Watzman" <> wrote in message
>> news:456b8a43$0$13680$...
>>> Lithium ion batteries can last a decade if well cared for, but can be
>>> destroyed in 6 months if abused.
>>>
>>> In the case of laptops, the primary form of abuse is leaving the battery
>>> in the laptop when the laptop is plugged into AC wall power for long
>>> periods of time. Although the laptop makers will deny it, empirical
>>> evidence suggests that in many laptop models, this will destroy the
>>> battery in 6 to 24 months. It's not clear if the culprit here is
>>> overcharging (which isn't supposed to happen, but in at least some
>>> models it pretty clearly does), or just heat from other components of
>>> the laptop unrelated to the battery itself (but to which the battery is
>>> exposed ... lithium batteries clearly don't like and are damaged by high
>>> temperatures).
>>>
>>> I don't know what your usage pattern has been, or if you have done this
>>> (leave the battery in the laptop when it was on AC line power for days
>>> to months at a time). But if you want the battery to really last (quite
>>> possibly for a decade) and be available for when you are traveling and
>>> really need it, remove the battery from the laptop when you are going to
>>> be stationary and plugged in for more than a day or two.
>>>
>>> Someone will point out that the battery also serves as a UPS and that
>>> this function is lost if the battery is removed, which of course is
>>> true. However, a $30 UPS is a whole lot cheaper than a $200 lithium ion
>>> battery (and it will run the laptop for a lot longer, also).
>>>
>>> [Note, calendar time aside, lithium batteries are good for a certain
>>> number of charge-discharge cycles, after which they are pretty much gone
>>> regardless of whether those cycles occured in a few months or a decade.
>>> The number of cycles that a battery is good for varies, but it's
>>> typically in the range of mid-hundreds.]
>>>
>>>
>>> Susan wrote:
>>>> Inspiron 6000 purchased May 2005.
>>>> Win XP Pro
>>>> Home networked with desktop via wireless router
>>>> PC-cillin, zone alarm, adaware, spybot protected.
>>>> used at home primarily in the evening for 2 or 3 hours.
>>>> run off battery until low battery warning then plugged in to ac and
>>>> shut down still plugged in until I turn it back on the next evening.
>>>>
>>>> I was really surprised to see 2 of the status lights blinking. One
>>>> flashes orange and the other alternates between orange and green. I'm
>>>> getting about 45 minutes on a "full" charge.
>>>>
>>>> I'm irritated to see this battery failing after relative light use in
>>>> about a year and a half. Shoot, I sure wish I had one of those
>>>> exploding batteries.
>>>>
>>

Barry, I agree that I could be "plugged in" while using my laptop but I use
it while I am not really near an electric outlet. I must stretch the AC cord
to its full length to reach an outlet and then hope no one trips over it.

My desktop has two $70 + UPS for the numerous cords virtually pouring from
the desk. I had freedom in mind.

But, it's an expensive lesson that I've learned for sure. I did get nearly 3
years from my old Latitude (as Irene commented in another part of the
thread).

I'm looking at some ebay generic batteries at under $100.
Thanks for the helpful comments.

--
Susan
Still flyin' by the seat of my pants

-30-

"Barry Watzman" <> wrote in message
news:456b8eeb$0$13675$...
>I didn't read all of your post carefully enough.
>
> All of my previous comments still apply, but here is your problem: "run
> off battery until low battery warning then plugged in to ac and shut down
> still plugged in until I turn it back on the next evening"
>
> You are using one cycle per day. You have, typically, mid hundreds of
> cycles in a lithium ion battery, then it's gone. 18 months is about
> right.
>
> Why are you doing this when you are sitting on a desk at home? It's
> guaranteed to destroy the battery. In such a situation, what I'd
> recommend is to get a low-cost APC UPS (300 to 500VA, will cost $30 or
> less (sometimes "free after rebate) if you get it on sale), plug the
> laptop AC adapter into the UPS, remove the battery and put it in a drawer.
> Once every 90 to 120 days or so, use the battery for an hour, down to not
> below 25%, and then recharge it to about 60% and take it out and put it
> back in the drawer for another few months.
>
> Notes on Lithium ion batteries:
>
> 1. They have a limited number of charge-discharge cycles, typically
> mid-hundreds
>
> 2. They don't like high temperatures [Some people refrigerate batteries
> in inactive storage, which is ok as long as they don't freeze, but I can't
> say that I've personally noticed any real difference between those stored
> refrigerated and those stored at room temperatures]
>
> 3. They don't like really deep discharges (below about 10%, but it's not
> clear that "0%" on your laptop doesn't take this into account and isn't
> really 10% or so relative to the actual battery capacity ... that probably
> varies from laptop model to laptop model)
>
> 4. According to the manufacturers, they really don't like very full
> charges either ... they do better being charged to between 90% and 98%
> than to a full 100% (or, worse, over charged). However, this difference
> does not seem to matter all that much in actual use.
>
> 5. For inactive storage, the battery makers say that they should be
> stored at 40% to 60% charge, not full charge. However, as in the previous
> item, this doesn't seem to matter all that much in actual use (I have
> dozens of 1995 to 1997 Toshiba batteries that are nearly as good as new
> and that were stored fully charged at room temperatures).
>
> 6. When stored and not in use, they do need some occasional activity and
> partial charging, every 2 to 4 months being a good schedule. With
> absolutely no activity whatsoever, they will eventually be destroyed,
> although it might take as long as a couple of years.
>
> Tom Scales wrote:
>> "Susan" <> wrote in message
>> news:456b7cf3$0$26722$. com...
>>> Inspiron 6000 purchased May 2005.
>>> Win XP Pro
>>> Home networked with desktop via wireless router
>>> PC-cillin, zone alarm, adaware, spybot protected.
>>> used at home primarily in the evening for 2 or 3 hours.
>>> run off battery until low battery warning then plugged in to ac and shut
>>> down still plugged in until I turn it back on the next evening.
>>>
>>> I was really surprised to see 2 of the status lights blinking. One
>>> flashes orange and the other alternates between orange and green. I'm
>>> getting about 45 minutes on a "full" charge.
>>>
>>> I'm irritated to see this battery failing after relative light use in
>>> about a year and a half. Shoot, I sure wish I had one of those exploding
>>> batteries.
>>>
>>> --
>>>
>>> Susan
>>>
>>
>> 18 months is pretty normal, particularly since you actually use it on
>> battery power. Mine is giving me a 'your battery is reaching the end of
>> its life' warning.
>>
>> The one area that technology hasn't really improved enough.
>>
>> Tom

Since we should not leave a battery in a pluged in laptop, why does no
one sell a blank to cover up the gap left when a battery is removed?

Mike


On Mon, 27 Nov 2006 20:58:01 -0800, "Irene" <>
wrote:

>Thanks for the info.
>
>This is a very old Compaq. "Windows 98" old.
>
>It really continues to amaze us. It really does still have it's original
>battery.
>
>Irene
>
>
>"Barry Watzman" <> wrote in message
>news:456baac4$0$13734$.. .
>> All current laptops use Lithium batteries, but older ones used NiMH
>> batteries (nickel metal hydride), and still older ones used NiCad (Nickel
>> Cadnium) batteries. They all have different and unique characteristics,
>> and my post was really addressing only the characteristics of Lithium ion
>> batteries.
>>
>> NiCads, unlike lithium, had a "memory effect" and were supposed to be
>> deeply discharged and fully recharged, a use pattern that can actually be
>> harmful to lithium batteries. But if you are using the laptop at home on
>> a desk, I'd still probably recommend simply removing the battery entirely
>> most of the time and, for stationary use, just plugging the laptop's AC
>> adapter into a UPS. Charge and discharge cycles will still "wear out" the
>> battery after a certain number of "cycles", and what you describe will
>> cycle the battery almost daily for no reason that is obvious. That won't
>> "do in" a NiCad as quickly as it will a lithium battery, but it's still
>> not the best way to get the maximum life from the battery.
>>
>> [One of the differences between lithium batteries and the other types, as
>> many people have just recently discovered, is that lithium batteries can
>> become "fire bombs" if the EXACTLY correct charging and use protocols are
>> not followed (or if the batteries are made with metal particles in them
>> ....). Because of this, all laptop lithium batteries have microprocessors
>> inside the battery itself. These communicate with the charging circuits
>> in the laptop, and if they detect even the slightest issues with the state
>> or condition of the battery, they shut that battery down for good and you
>> are done using that particular battery. NiCads, on the other hand, need
>> and have no such sophistication. Consequently, a NiCad, or a laptop using
>> a NiCad, may almost never "refuse to charge" or "indicate" that it's bad.
>> But if you go to use it, you may find out that while it appeared to
>> charge, it really has very little life left in it and that, indications
>> aside, it's essentially useless except as a very short term UPS.]
>>
>>
>>
>> Irene wrote:
>>> I suspect that what you say is correct. We have an old Compaq Armada 1500
>>> laptop. We use it off battery power until it requires recharge and then
>>> plug it in to the AC; and we unplug it as soon as it is completely
>>> recharged.
>>> We have been doing this since new and it still has the original battery.
>>> One thing may be the battery. I believe this was prior to the Lithium Ion
>>> batteries coming into laptops, so it is likely a NiCad.
>>>
>>> "Barry Watzman" <> wrote in message
>>> news:456b8a43$0$13680$...
>>>> Lithium ion batteries can last a decade if well cared for, but can be
>>>> destroyed in 6 months if abused.
>>>>
>>>> In the case of laptops, the primary form of abuse is leaving the battery
>>>> in the laptop when the laptop is plugged into AC wall power for long
>>>> periods of time. Although the laptop makers will deny it, empirical
>>>> evidence suggests that in many laptop models, this will destroy the
>>>> battery in 6 to 24 months. It's not clear if the culprit here is
>>>> overcharging (which isn't supposed to happen, but in at least some
>>>> models it pretty clearly does), or just heat from other components of
>>>> the laptop unrelated to the battery itself (but to which the battery is
>>>> exposed ... lithium batteries clearly don't like and are damaged by high
>>>> temperatures).
>>>>
>>>> I don't know what your usage pattern has been, or if you have done this
>>>> (leave the battery in the laptop when it was on AC line power for days
>>>> to months at a time). But if you want the battery to really last (quite
>>>> possibly for a decade) and be available for when you are traveling and
>>>> really need it, remove the battery from the laptop when you are going to
>>>> be stationary and plugged in for more than a day or two.
>>>>
>>>> Someone will point out that the battery also serves as a UPS and that
>>>> this function is lost if the battery is removed, which of course is
>>>> true. However, a $30 UPS is a whole lot cheaper than a $200 lithium ion
>>>> battery (and it will run the laptop for a lot longer, also).
>>>>
>>>> [Note, calendar time aside, lithium batteries are good for a certain
>>>> number of charge-discharge cycles, after which they are pretty much gone
>>>> regardless of whether those cycles occured in a few months or a decade.
>>>> The number of cycles that a battery is good for varies, but it's
>>>> typically in the range of mid-hundreds.]
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Susan wrote:
>>>>> Inspiron 6000 purchased May 2005.
>>>>> Win XP Pro
>>>>> Home networked with desktop via wireless router
>>>>> PC-cillin, zone alarm, adaware, spybot protected.
>>>>> used at home primarily in the evening for 2 or 3 hours.
>>>>> run off battery until low battery warning then plugged in to ac and
>>>>> shut down still plugged in until I turn it back on the next evening.
>>>>>
>>>>> I was really surprised to see 2 of the status lights blinking. One
>>>>> flashes orange and the other alternates between orange and green. I'm
>>>>> getting about 45 minutes on a "full" charge.
>>>>>
>>>>> I'm irritated to see this battery failing after relative light use in
>>>>> about a year and a half. Shoot, I sure wish I had one of those
>>>>> exploding batteries.
>>>>>
>>>

On Tue, 28 Nov 2006 20:42:57 -0500, Michael Arm <>
wrote:

>Since we should not leave a battery in a pluged in laptop, why does no
>one sell a blank to cover up the gap left when a battery is removed?
>
>Mike
>

Who says we shouldn't ??? I do it all the time when not in use.