OT Lap Top Battery Life, Among Other Problems?

[ShoWStoppeR]

okay, so i am by no means technology savvy. I have an acer aspire laptop, and I had a friend very smart with computers help me pick it out with what I wanted to use it for. I've had no complaints so far, until recently (which may have something to do with the fact that i've been using it alot more). but all my programs have been freezing recently. i use internet explorer, and i always have to end task and start over. it's been running extremely slow, and its never been a problem until now. and i've realized i've had to charge it more often, which again may have something to do with activity, but how long does your laptop battery usually last? i have a 6 cell lithium battery, and its life bounces all over the place. can you get just a battery for your computer? soooo i suppose my question is, does anyone know where to even start with approaching these problems? hahaha.

peace, love, and happy cheering

showstopper

 

[AllHeartxo3]

i use google chrome. internet explorer is like the devil haha. i would take it to the geek squad if you have any questions about it.

 

[dohnutt]

I wont be much help, but I do know you can just get a new battery for your computer. I did it for my old dell, but ended up having to buy multiple new batteries over the course of four years. After taking it to have it looked at they basically said that that is not normal and I would be better off investing in a new computer rather than buying batteries over and over, because in the end it would be cheaper. But i think your best bet is taking it somewhere to have it looked at because each case can be different. Good luck! I hope it can be fixed easily

 

[Jessica]

i dont know about your specific battery but all batteries have X number of up downs (charge it all the way up, then drain it all the way down) I know for my mac it is about 500. After that number your battery is more or less in the nursing home dying...
As far as programs dying... is your hard drive full? do you have a virus?

 

[Eyes On The Prize]

How long does your laptop battery usually last?

Battery life depends on a lot of things. For example: I got my laptop in June 2010 as a graduation present so I could use it in college. My dad is really good with computers and picked out one that would fit my needs. It's really a gaming laptop so it has a lot of memory and has something like 4 processors. (I don't game, its because I am a Computer Art/Graphic Design major and Photoshop, Illustrator, and all those fun programs take a lot to keep my computer running smoothly.) Unfortunately, it eats away at my battery pretty fast. I also left my laptop plugged in 24/7. BIG MISTAKE. This kills your battery faster than anything else. So my battery died around January 2011. I still have yet to replace it. So here is a nice tip: If you have a laptop, charge the battery, then unplug it. If you need to leave your computer plugged in because you have a big project, then remove youre battery.
There are also different cell batteries. Theoretically, 9 cell batteries last longer (as in charge) than 6 cells, 12's last longer than 9's and so on and so forth. But that is probably more of a consumer's choice and preference.

Can you get just a battery for your computer?

Yes, you can! Your laptops battery is removable. So remove it, and look at the underside and you will find all the information you need for ordering a new one for your specific model. The real thing you'll need is the Serial Number and the make and model of your laptop (which is on the underside of your laptop, not your battery.) Then you can easily look up a new battery online. I'm sure the Geek Squad at Best Buy can help you out with the ordering part if you find you're having problems.

In the end, there is no perfect battery. And they are made cheaply so you, the consumer, will keep spending money to replace the battery. Yay for greedy producers... SIKE. Hope this helps

 

[mollymags]

Most of your questions have been answered, but I have to throw in my two cents... I would recommend that you stop using Internet Explorer for the health of your computer. I'm not sure if it's still this way, but I know that IE used to have a lot of security holes in the past that allowed malicious software (spyware, viruses) to install itself on your computer if you visited the wrong webpage. Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are both free and much better.

 

[wcdad]

Next time go MAC.. Once you go MAC you will never go back!

 

[dohnutt]

Next time go MAC.. Once you go MAC you will never go back!

agreed!

 

[ShoWStoppeR]

Next time go MAC.. Once you go MAC you will never go back!

i was going to go MAC. but i didn't have the money, and like i said, i'm not very technology savvy, so switching from using windows forever might have done me in. not to mention someone had told me the programs i use for graphics and stuff would not work/play nice on a MAC. so in the end, i stuck with my acer.
thanks everyone for the help.
2 things:
1. someone suggested doing a file clean up, but i dont know how to do that?
2. i also have firefox on my computer (which is probably why IE doesnt play nice) but when i try to watch vids and stuff, it says something needs updated. lol and idk what im doing.
yes, i'm very illiterate when it comes to these things.

 

[Eyes On The Prize]

Heres another thing you can do to make it run faster:
If you're using Windows, you should have 2 hard drives; C-Drive and D-Drive. Your C-Drive is what houses all the important files that make your computer run the way you need it to. Your D-Drive is there just for storage. Your C-Drive is fairly small compared to your D-Drive. (Example: My C-Drive is 100 GB. My D-Drive is 350 GB.) When your C-Drive is filled up with random files like video, pictures, music, even programs, it will slow your computer down A LOT. Do not put everything onto your C-Drive and bog it down. Instead, move all those things to your D-Drive. If youre able to, try to re-install all your programs to your D-Drive as well, they will work just the same. Once you do this, you'll find your computer will run a lot faster.
It also helps if you take programs off your computer. You wont believe how many cheap, crap programs that get into your computer. Programs take up a lot of room and if they start piling up, especially on your C-Drive, it can be a real hassle.

Also, what does it says needs to be updated? Java? Or a plug-in?

 

[ShoWStoppeR]

Heres another thing you can do to make it run faster:
If you're using Windows, you should have 2 hard drives; C-Drive and D-Drive. Your C-Drive is what houses all the important files that make your computer run the way you need it to. Your D-Drive is there just for storage. Your C-Drive is fairly small compared to your D-Drive. (Example: My C-Drive is 100 GB. My D-Drive is 350 GB.) When your C-Drive is filled up with random files like video, pictures, music, even programs, it will slow your computer down A LOT. Do not put everything onto your C-Drive and bog it down. Instead, move all those things to your D-Drive. If youre able to, try to re-install all your programs to your D-Drive as well, they will work just the same. Once you do this, you'll find your computer will run a lot faster.
It also helps if you take programs off your computer. You wont believe how many cheap, crap programs that get into your computer. Programs take up a lot of room and if they start piling up, especially on your C-Drive, it can be a real hassle.

Also, what does it says needs to be updated? Java? Or a plug-in?

you are like saving my life over here haha. firefox fixed itself actually. as soon as i launched it, it said it was due for an update, and things seem to be running smoothly. i also did a disk clean up and defragmentation or whatever. fact: i haven't done them ever and i've had my computer for a year... probably wasn't helping my cause. boy do i need to get studying on this stuff!
for the programs that i dont need/want/got onto my computer themselves, do i just do that through the control panel? and um, i dont know how to go to my c and d drives..... can you tell i have no idea what i'm doing?

 

[Eyes On The Prize]

you are like saving my life over here haha. firefox fixed itself actually. as soon as i launched it, it said it was due for an update, and things seem to be running smoothly. i also did a disk clean up and defragmentation or whatever. fact: i haven't done them ever and i've had my computer for a year... probably wasn't helping my cause. boy do i need to get studying on this stuff!
for the programs that i dont need/want/got onto my computer themselves, do i just do that through the control panel? and um, i dont know how to go to my c and d drives..... can you tell i have no idea what i'm doing?

Lol do you know how to open Windows Explorer? (Not Internet Explorer, thats different haha). If you have Windows 7, its that folder looking thing on the tool bar. It should be the closest thing to the windows circle. If you cant find it, right click on the circle or the start button and select "Open Windows Explorer" or "Explore" or something along those lines. A window should pop up with stuff on the side like desktop, downloads, computer, network, blah, blah, blah... Anyways, your drives are located under your Computer button, here:

That's how you get to your Drives (btw, in this pictures case, E-Drive is my CD drive on my computer (theres like a DVD or something in it, idk.) and if there was something plugged into my USB port, it would be on my F-Drive, just so ya know!) Anyways, if you expand your C-Drive, you will find your Program File Folders (you'll most likely have 2, a regular one and an (x86) one. Both pretty much do the same thing...) If you have programs installed on your D-Drive, you can do the same thing there. Anyways, heres where you'd find your Program File folders:

Expand those and you'll find all your programs.You an delete the ones you dont want by just deleting the whole folder. Sometime that doesnt work and you have to go in and indiviually delete each file with in the folder. Make sure you have all other programs on your computer closed for a smooth process. Especially IE or FreFox.
You can uninstall programs through "ControlPanel>Programs>Uninstall a program", but I find that the above way goes a LOT faster.

I hope I'm explaining this enough! Lol

 

[ShoWStoppeR]

Lol do you know how to open Windows Explorer? (Not Internet Explorer, thats different haha). If you have Windows 7, its that folder looking thing on the tool bar. It should be the closest thing to the windows circle. If you cant find it, right click on the circle or the start button and select "Open Windows Explorer" or "Explore" or something along those lines. A window should pop up with stuff on the side like desktop, downloads, computer, network, blah, blah, blah... Anyways, your drives are located under your Computer button, here:

That's how you get to your Drives (btw, in this pictures case, E-Drive is my CD drive on my computer (theres like a DVD or something in it, idk.) and if there was something plugged into my USB port, it would be on my F-Drive, just so ya know!) Anyways, if you expand your C-Drive, you will find your Program File Folders (you'll most likely have 2, a regular one and an (x86) one. Both pretty much do the same thing...) If you have programs installed on your D-Drive, you can do the same thing there. Anyways, heres where you'd find your Program File folders:

Expand those and you'll find all your programs.You an delete the ones you dont want by just deleting the whole folder. Sometime that doesnt work and you have to go in and indiviually delete each file with in the folder. Make sure you have all other programs on your computer closed for a smooth process. Especially IE or FreFox.
You can uninstall programs through "ControlPanel>Programs>Uninstall a program", but I find that the above way goes a LOT faster.

I hope I'm explaining this enough! Lol

yes!!! it helps alot!!! i'm just afraid to delete things that i'm not supposed to lol
if i have anymore questions, be prepared for me to ask away!!! you have been so helpful, i can't thank you enough! its already running better!!
oh just one thing, you said if im working on large projects or what not, to take the battery out and plug my computer in? did i read that right?

 

[Eyes On The Prize]

yes!!! it helps alot!!! i'm just afraid to delete things that i'm not supposed to lol
if i have anymore questions, be prepared for me to ask away!!! you have been so helpful, i can't thank you enough! its already running better!!
oh just one thing, you said if im working on large projects or what not, to take the battery out and plug my computer in? did i read that right?

Lol I'll be ready, don't worry! I'm just glad I could help
And if you are gonna work on large projects that you are gonna keep your computer plugged in the whole time, then yes, it will save youre battery. Just be careful about where you plug it into. Don't plug it into a place where the outlet is controlled by the light switch and dont plug it into a place where there is a lot of traffic. The millisecond your computer loses electricity, your computer will shut off completely. If you want to put an old battery in and leave it plugged in, that might be better, just dont keep your new battery plugged in 24/7, it'll kill it so fast =/

 

[iamsofreakinbored]

How long does your laptop battery usually last?

Battery life depends on a lot of things. For example: I got my laptop in June 2010 as a graduation present so I could use it in college. My dad is really good with computers and picked out one that would fit my needs. It's really a gaming laptop so it has a lot of memory and has something like 4 processors. (I don't game, its because I am a Computer Art/Graphic Design major and Photoshop, Illustrator, and all those fun programs take a lot to keep my computer running smoothly.) Unfortunately, it eats away at my battery pretty fast. I also left my laptop plugged in 24/7. BIG MISTAKE. This kills your battery faster than anything else. So my battery died around January 2011. I still have yet to replace it. So here is a nice tip: If you have a laptop, charge the battery, then unplug it. If you need to leave your computer plugged in because you have a big project, then remove youre battery.

That's what I do. I like playing around with Photoshop for school projects and Sony Vegas for video editing and all that. There are times when I never turn it off. I just put it on hibernate and stuff when I don't use it. So, now when I unplug my laptop it only lasts for like 20 minutes max when I'm not doing anything. I'm still too lazy to replace it or try to get it fixed.