Best practices to maintain laptop and netbook battery life.

You'd think that the best way to keep your laptop's battery from wearing out is to not use it. Right?

Answer: wrong!

As it turns out, batteries are like muscles; they need to be worked out regularly to stay healthy.

Ideally, you should use your laptop unplugged at least once a day, like on a train or bus commute or on the couch in front of the TV.

If you're not going to use it, constantly charging your battery is a very bad idea.

HP recommends on their website that you should take the battery out of your laptop in the following cases:

1. if you're going to leave your laptop plugged in power outlet;
2. if you're putting it in storage for more than two weeks.

Fully discharging the battery is not recommended before storage. Never storage your battery empty, this could kill it for good.

Expiration date.

Should I throw out that old battery? The answer, surprisingly, is "never".

Laptop batteries contain lots of toxic chemicals, and should never end up in landfills. Fortunately, e-stewards.org has a list of environmentally responsible recyclers that will take your old battery with no fuss.

If you can't find one neer you, mail it back to the manufacture.

When is it time to replace your battery, then? Use the free utility apps Becky mentioned, and when they say that your battery can only hold around 25% of its original capacity it's probably time for a new one.

I have a Fujitsu P5020 that I bought about 10 years ago.  My lithium battery now is about 50% of its original capacity.  Most of my friends ended there battery life cycle by 3 years of incorrect usaged, so this is the proof that the above tips do work.

Cheers!