m1730 battery discharge too quick

i'm thinking my battery has tanked....as in it's done. i hardly ever unplugged the laptop from power when i use it, but when i did, it used to last me about an hour. now, whether i'm in ubuntu or windows, i get 5-10 mins. tops before the charged status goes to 5% left.

i think i'll be needing a new battery, but i want to know if there's anything i can do to maybe get the cells back into shape for another month or so of use ?

 

Wrap the battery in a sealed plastic bag, leave in the freezer overnight, let thaw to room temperature. Try to charge/discharge it a few times and see if it helps it hold it's charge.

I might even repeat (freezing/thawing) this a couple of more times.

 

i'll try it out....does it give it some significant life, or just maybe a few uses ?

there's also aftermarket batteries for this laptop, i might look into them

 

If it brings your battery back from the dead, then it should just work normally afterwards - not just a few uses.

A friend of mine was pleasantly surprised by an aftermarket battery that gave her 3 hrs run time for only $40. Good luck either way.

 

r u saying that the battery will last me another year ? i'd be pretty happy with 6 months actually.....

would it kill the battery if i left it in the freezer indefinitely, say 3 months, 6 months, etc... ? that way i could grab another battery and have a backup

 

Batteries are frozen as a matter of course (this is how they stay 'fresh').

I would rather keep an eye on the supply and buy if/when it seemed to be drying up, rather than keep a battery in the freezer 'just in case'.

Whether it would last another year depends on too many factors, but depending on what you consider 'enough' run time, it may even last longer (we are of course assuming that freezing/thawing will bring it back to life).

 

thanks for the tips tilleroftheearth....useful info.

i used to get about 1 hr in windows, about 2 hrs in ubuntu.
but i looked at it's charge indicator (the button on the battery), when pressed and held, the first 2 leds light up, so it didn't have much left.

 

Yes, that's how it is now (only the 2 LED's light up), but hopefully the freeze/thaw routine will kick it back to 'full' for you.

 

Which part of freezer are we talking here?
Up one which completes turns it into ice or a below one which just cools it?

 

Download the free version of battery bar -it should tell you how much wear there is on the battery.

I think you can freeze batteries - but I'm not sure.

 

Freezer (ice, ice baby) - sorry, I guess I need to sleep!

Although batteries do wear out with time, if they are cared for properly, then the number of charge/discharge cycles is more important than the time component.

 

well, i did some reading @ batteryuniversity.com and it said for storage not to put them in the freezer, but rather the refrigerator. i left mine in the fridge for 12 hrs, when i took it out all the indicators lit, but it's still discharging too fast when i use it.

BIOS battery health says everything's good with the battery, but not entirely sure whether the battery is faulty or i've got a board issue with the machine.

wrt aftermarket batteries for this laptop, which brand should i go with ? looking for something reputable, not garbage.

 

i came to the conclusion that my original battery was dead, being the laptop was made some time in May of 08, and assuming it was never replaced.

i bought a battery from batteries.com and received it on the 20th. so far i have done about 3 cycles, a few in windows and 1 in ubuntu. on average i am getting about 1:15 of use when going from fully charged down to 20%.