The Notebook Review forums were hosted by TechTarget, who shut down them down on January 31, 2022. This static read-only archive was pulled by NBR forum users between January 20 and January 31, 2022, in an effort to make sure that the valuable technical information that had been posted on the forums is preserved. For current discussions, many NBR forum users moved over to NotebookTalk.net after the shutdown.
Problems? See this thread at archive.org.

    IS there any good software for increasing the battery life

    Discussion in 'Dell' started by neilnpatel, Jan 3, 2008.

  1. neilnpatel

    neilnpatel Notebook Evangelist

    Reputations:
    10
    Messages:
    348
    Likes Received:
    1
    Trophy Points:
    31
    ie ones that stop chargin at say 90ish percent
     
    neilnpatel, Jan 3, 2008
    #1
  2. sly

    sly m1530 owner!!!

    Reputations:
    172
    Messages:
    1,403
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    55
    if u dont fully charge the battery then u actually decrease battery life
     
    sly, Jan 3, 2008
    #2
  3. neilnpatel

    neilnpatel Notebook Evangelist

    Reputations:
    10
    Messages:
    348
    Likes Received:
    1
    Trophy Points:
    31
    yh but i want am gonn have the ac in 75% of the time
     
    neilnpatel, Jan 3, 2008
    #3
  4. onlycurious

    onlycurious Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    8
    Messages:
    199
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    What OS are you running? If you are running Vista, I heard SP1 will extend battery life and makes notebooks run cooler.
     
    onlycurious, Jan 3, 2008
    #4
  5. neilnpatel

    neilnpatel Notebook Evangelist

    Reputations:
    10
    Messages:
    348
    Likes Received:
    1
    Trophy Points:
    31
    vista(well i will be)
     
    neilnpatel, Jan 3, 2008
    #5
  6. L.Rawlins

    L.Rawlins Notebook Evangelist

    Reputations:
    29
    Messages:
    576
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    The last thing you want to increase battery life, is yet more software and processes running on your machine consuming that very same resource. Simply turn off/close down services and softwares when you aren't using them.

    That's the best advice there is.
     
    L.Rawlins, Jan 3, 2008
    #6
  7. neilnpatel

    neilnpatel Notebook Evangelist

    Reputations:
    10
    Messages:
    348
    Likes Received:
    1
    Trophy Points:
    31
    sorry i mean battery life as in yers .months how long it will be able to keep charge
     
    neilnpatel, Jan 3, 2008
    #7
  8. sly

    sly m1530 owner!!!

    Reputations:
    172
    Messages:
    1,403
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    55
    for that u could keep it plugged in and not take it too cold or hot places. also remove it wen not using it
     
    sly, Jan 3, 2008
    #8
  9. 640k

    640k Notebook Evangelist

    Reputations:
    35
    Messages:
    305
    Likes Received:
    2
    Trophy Points:
    31
    I use Vista Battery Saver. Its a nice and light program that does something Vista doesn't properly do: switch power management profiles. It extends the battery life by turning off Aero Glass, the sidebar and switches from High Performance (when plugged in) to Power Saver (on battery).
     
    640k, Jan 3, 2008
    #9
  10. stisev

    stisev Notebook Guru

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    57
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    15
    OK.

    Some good (and bad) advise in this thread.

    Here's some tips:

    1) CLOSE ALL UNNESSARY PROGRAMS! On my stripped down comp, this reduces wattage from 5-10 watts!
    2) Turn off BT & Wifi unless you need it.
    3) Use RightMark CPU Clock Utility to undervolt your CPU
    4) Utilize NVIDIA's "steepstep-like" tech
     
    stisev, Jan 3, 2008
    #10
  11. staley

    staley Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    2
    Messages:
    30
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    15
    Exactly what i was going to suggest. Bluetooth and wifi are battery hogs, especially when transferring data or creating an ad hoc network. Undervolting your cpu is ok but I wouldn't suggest it.
     
    staley, Jan 3, 2008
    #11
  12. Technikal

    Technikal Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    9
    Messages:
    41
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    15
    You don't need to switch profiles with Vista. Under each profile, you have the option of telling it what to do on battery power vs. plugged in. One profile can handle both scenarios in whatever manner you like.
     
    Technikal, Jan 3, 2008
    #12
  13. 640k

    640k Notebook Evangelist

    Reputations:
    35
    Messages:
    305
    Likes Received:
    2
    Trophy Points:
    31
    I know. I've tried managing the profiles but I'm never convinced that its doing what its supposed to. Plus it would be nice if Windows turned off Glass on its own.
     
    640k, Jan 4, 2008
    #13
  14. funkmasterta

    funkmasterta Notebook Evangelist

    Reputations:
    209
    Messages:
    509
    Likes Received:
    6
    Trophy Points:
    31

    I've tried undervolt before extensively and didn't see any real boost in battery life.
     
    funkmasterta, Jan 5, 2008
    #14