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    Battery life/damage?

    Discussion in 'Hardware Components and Aftermarket Upgrades' started by brokersteve, Aug 27, 2006.

  1. brokersteve

    brokersteve Newbie

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    Hello, and thanks in advance for your replies. I have a 3 year old Dell 600M, and the motherboard is not charging the battery. It must be operated from ac adapter. I am buying an XPS M1210 to replace it. I use the laptop from home a lot, and leave it hooked up to the ac adapter with the battery installed for long periods of time. Could this be the cause of the motherboard failure? Also, will it damage or weaken the battery by leaving it plugged up so long? Should I plug it up only long enough to charge the battery, then disconnect, or remove the battery while it is plugged up to the adapter? Or, does it matter? Thanks again.
     
    brokersteve, Aug 27, 2006
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  2. Lil Mayz

    Lil Mayz Notebook Deity

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    That is odd.

    Some people say that if you use your AC adapter to much, it can decrease the life of the battery.

    I have this problem and believe that this "myth" is true. I have a 6 year old Dell Inspiron 8100. I always used the AC adapter with it am still using it plugged in. The battery life when I got the laptop was around 1 hour 30 mins, now it only lasts around 40 minutes...

    I simply suggest that you forget about this matter. If you use it from home a lot, I assume that you'll use your battery a lot. Don't worry about using the AC adapter for long periods of time. Just make sure you use the battery.
     
    Lil Mayz, Aug 27, 2006
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  3. drumfu

    drumfu super modfu

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    why would you think that MB is the problem? did a technician tell you that?

    a battery that's 3 (or 6) years old holding any charge of 10 mins or more is doing great.

    batteries don't last and it's unreasonable to expect a 3 (or 6) year old battery to hold any significant charge at all.
     
    drumfu, Aug 27, 2006
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  4. brokersteve

    brokersteve Newbie

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    Thanks. I just hate having to keep track of the dying battery, rushing to charge it, and being sure to have a full charge in the morning when I'm taking it with me. I'll probably try to keep the battery out when it's not charging the battery. Thanks again.
     
    brokersteve, Aug 27, 2006
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  5. brokersteve

    brokersteve Newbie

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    Yeah, I started having the problem two days after the warranty expired. The tech support thought it was the ac adapter first, so I bought a new one, same problem. Then they said it was the battery, so I bought a new one, same problem. Finally, they said it was the MB. I gave up. So, new battery, same results. Before the problem, after nearly three years, it still held a charge for nearly an hour. Needless to say, I have a bit of a grudge with Dell, although I must be a glutton for punishment, because I bought the XPS. Thanks
     
    brokersteve, Aug 27, 2006
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