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    I've just upgraded from XP to Vista and Vista is a SOB battery sucker.

    Discussion in 'Dell' started by Jonzy, Apr 8, 2008.

  1. Jonzy

    Jonzy Notebook Guru

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    I've just installed Vista that was part of my XPS upgrade from last year.

    One thing I noticed on the new installation is the new OS is a hog concerning batteries life.

    Previously I was good for at least 2h and half, now I barely making it to an hour and half.

    There must be battery settings I can relax in some options? I barely know the OS in that area, I could use some help.

    Thanks :)
     
    Jonzy, Apr 8, 2008
    #1
  2. thefunks67

    thefunks67 Notebook Consultant

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    Which XPS are you talking about?

    -Funk
     
    thefunks67, Apr 9, 2008
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  3. booji

    booji Notebook Deity

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    Turn off Aero - that should certainly increase your battery life. Also, if you take a look at the Vista Tips and Tweaks thread (thanks to Les and the other members who have compiled that), there is a link to a free program that will help extend your battery life by toning certain settings.
     
    booji, Apr 9, 2008
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  4. Ben777

    Ben777 Newbie

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    Make sure you patch Vista and the drivers. There are some issues that kill battery life in unpatched versions.

    Vista will be somewhat slower when you're first using it, until it learns how you work. Power options are on the status bar on the battery icon.
     
    Ben777, Apr 9, 2008
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  5. Jonzy

    Jonzy Notebook Guru

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    Hi, sorry for the late response, I was quite busy...

    I have a m1710 laptop. I would appreciate a link to that thread or the link of the free program you refer to.

    Thanks :)
     
    Jonzy, Apr 13, 2008
    #5
  6. chelet

    chelet Notebook Deity

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    chelet, Apr 13, 2008
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  7. stucampbell

    stucampbell Notebook Guru

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    It might be in that article, but Vista does a lot of indexing, which thrashes the hard disk and can drain the battery. I think you can configure whether Search and Indexing is done based on your power plan. See Control Panel\Hardware and Sound\Power Options.
     
    stucampbell, Apr 13, 2008
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  8. Les

    Les Not associated with NotebookReview in any way

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    Jonzy,

    You can find the article below in my sig block. More importantly though, there is also a Clean Install Thread there that you may be interested in.

    I would recommend a system backup followed by Clean Install, than the Guide. All your indexing and other concerns are covered as well as a link to a battery program which is free.
     
    Les, Apr 13, 2008
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  9. JCMS

    JCMS Notebook Prophet

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    1. Fully patch Vista with SP1 (SP1 increases battery life)
    2. Use the Geforce drivers 167.xx or 174.xx
     
    JCMS, Apr 13, 2008
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  10. stevey5036

    stevey5036 Notebook Evangelist

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    Also if you are trying to conserve power, change your power settings in Vista to Power Saver (left click on battery icon in tray).
     
    stevey5036, Apr 14, 2008
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