Extending Battery Life; Maximizing Battery Performance; Conserving Battery Power - Gateway P-6831 Reference Manual

Extending battery life

Maximizing battery performance

To get maximum performance from your notebook battery, we
recommend that you initially condition (fully charge and
discharge) your new battery a few times during the first
several weeks of use, to let it reach its maximum rated capacity.
Over the long term, use the battery at least once a month, even
if it was kept in a cool, dry place for storage, but avoid frequent
full discharges because this puts additional strain on the
battery. Several partial discharges with frequent recharges are
better for a lithium-ion battery than one complete discharge,
and recharging a partially charged lithium-ion battery does not
cause harm because there is no memory.

Conserving battery power

To conserve power while using the battery to power your
notebook:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
www.gateway.com
Turn off wireless networking and Bluetooth.
Dim the display as low as is comfortable.
Disconnect all external devices, like IEEE 1394 and USB
devices.
Remove Express Cards when you do not need them.
Many Express Cards use a small amount of power while
inserted, even if they are not being used.
Select the Power saver power plan to get maximum
power savings.
Tip
For more information about using power plans, see
notebook power settings" on page
Close the LCD panel to turn off the display while you are
not using your notebook. The display stays off until you
open the panel again.
Use Hibernate mode for maximum power savings while
your notebook is not in use.
Use the notebook touchpad instead of an external
mouse.
Decrease or mute speaker volume.
Turn off all scheduled tasks.
Turn off auto-save features in Microsoft Office and other
applications.
74.
"Changing
71