Battery at 25% - Recharge while Power Off? etc.

Hi all, and thanks again to elixiash, proaudioguy & everyone else who responded to my SOS last week.

To continue where I left off, my X31 laptop's orange LED indicates a 25% charge. I have some questions re: the best strategy to preserve the battery:

(1) Do I recharge by connecting the AC adaptor to wall outlet?

(2) Recharge while the Power is OFF? Am I correct that running the power while the battery is down to 25% is unhealthy for the battery?

(3) Recharge for how many hours?

(4) Then store the battery in fridge for awhile before re-trying to run the laptop via battery?

 

Is it an old battery? How good a condition is it in?

 

I'm not really sure. I bought it refurbished off Ebay recently and as soon as I Powered ON, it was gradually winding down like maybe every minute or 1/2 minute.

I wasn't really watching the clock because I was under stress (see my SOS post elsewhere).

 

If the battery is in a low charge state I recommend charging off for a number of reasons.

1. The power brick won't have to work as hard thus prolonging its life.
2. The battery will be in a less heated environment. Heat really kills the cells. Having the machine on adds excess heat to the battery when the recharge cycle is on high which adds a lot of heat to the battery.

 

Thanks!
That takes care of question #2.

Am I correct that the laptop gets recharged by dint of plugging it into wall outlet? Put me in kindergarten but humor me. After my nervewracking SOS (elsewhere these forums) I now see I need to accustom myself step by step to laptop lingo, instead of leaping.


If so,
for how many hours?

After which, should I store the battery in fridge?

 

Just plug it in and go the laptop will control the charge when it's done it's done. A light should turn on, change color or if a light turned on it'll turn off when it's done.

If you know you're not going to use your battery just pop it out, put it in a ziploc and pop it in the fridge not the freezer.

 

Can there be an indicator light even if the power is switched OFF?
(as mentioned previously)

 

Hmm that's an interesting suggestion. So I have the old cell phones that I keep as standbys in case the current one breaks, I had taken the batteries out and thrown them in a drawer. Should I charge them to half capacity or something and put them in the fridge then? Or can I just chuck them in there now? I am assuming cell phone batteries are the same as our laptop ones?

Thanks

 

Stagorek do you by chance know the answer to my last question?