When using laptop on AC can I leave the battery out?

I recently came across articles and discussions which recommend users to leave the battery out if they use the laptop mainly on ac power. Is that how it's supposed to be?

I used to have a dell laptop before this sony one. I used the dell for about 3 years, mainly on ac but I left the battery in - I have noticed that from the 5 or so hours I used to get before on battery, now I get around 2 hours or less. Has leaving the battery in drained the power?

So for this sony laptop I want to get it right. At the moment it lasts about 2 and half hours on battery (2 weeks old). However, I mainly use the laptop on ac power. Can I leave the battery out for a couple of months without damaging it? I know I'd have to recharge it every months or so but can I leave it out and use only ac?

If so, do I drain the battery half way before I take it out and what storage condition do I leave the battery in?

On a side note, I have to admit that I didn't even know before these articles, that the battery could be left out (didn't find anything about it in the manuals) - I actually thought it was needed for the ac to work - proves how computer illiterate I am.

Thanks for your help.

 

Either use the Battery Care util to set target charge to 80% or 50%, or take it out and run without it (but you can lose data in case of power outage or accidentally unplugged adapter).

Lithium batteries are best stored at around 50% charge in a cool temperature (refrigerator works best).

 

Hi,

If you choose to take out your battery and use only AC power, I would strongly advise you to purchase a UPS. This way if there is a power outage or surge, you will not lose any important documents you are working on and it won't fry up your laptop.

 

It would be better to leave in and use battery care @50 or 80%.
Look inside Vaio control center> Power>Battery?advanced.
This way you'll have the benefit of not loosing your data when the power goes and preserving battery life.