OT Lap Top Battery Life, Among Other Problems?

[Eyes On The Prize]

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.

Haha story of my life. Except 20 minutes, thats so long. Mine will last a whopping 7 minutes at the moment. My goal is to get a new battery before I go back to school. My computer is a little less portable then I'd like it to be with its dead battery. Makes for a very expensive, yet chic paper weight though.

 

[ShoWStoppeR]

@Eyes On The Prize

is it bad to put your computer in sleep mode alot? during the day i'll put it in sleep mode when i'm not using it so i don't have to power it back up every time i want to go on. i don't know what that does to the battery though.

 

[Eyes On The Prize]

@Eyes On The Prize

is it bad to put your computer in sleep mode alot? during the day i'll put it in sleep mode when i'm not using it so i don't have to power it back up every time i want to go on. i don't know what that does to the battery though.

Honestly, I have no idea. I barely ever turn my computer off either. I'll leave it running for weeks, not even kidding... But, if I had to guess, I dont think it's good.

 

[kristenthegreat]

Since we seem to have some really tech-savvy people on here, I hope you don't mind if I moderately hijack your thread (to stay on topic I will say that you CAN get a new battery, and also make sure that it ACTUALLY charges your laptop- I got a new one from school [that's where I get my laptop from for FREE] and for a while it wasn't charging my laptop).

Anybody know anything about laptop fans? I think mines broken (it started sputtering and now it doesn't seem to turn on at all) and I was wondering if I could replace it. I've been running my room fan at my laptop to keep it cool..

 

[Eyes On The Prize]

Since we seem to have some really tech-savvy people on here, I hope you don't mind if I moderately hijack your thread (to stay on topic I will say that you CAN get a new battery, and also make sure that it ACTUALLY charges your laptop- I got a new one from school [that's where I get my laptop from for FREE] and for a while it wasn't charging my laptop).

Anybody know anything about laptop fans? I think mines broken (it started sputtering and now it doesn't seem to turn on at all) and I was wondering if I could replace it. I've been running my room fan at my laptop to keep it cool..

It is possible to replace your laptops fan, but it is not as easy as replacing the battery. If you really need to repace it, you could probably take it into Best Buy or RadioShack and have them find a replacement for you (but I'm not sure if they'll install it for you). An alternative to this is to buy a cooling pad and use that. You can find some here:
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Laptop-Accessories/null/pcmcat238900050004.c?id=pcmcat238900050004
Although they aren't really a permanent fix, it will hold you over until you find one. Here's something my dad always tells me - "Never use your laptop on a soft surface, the air flow becomes restricted and your laptop will overheat causing it to die faster than it should." (Not battery life die, like stop working completely die.) Do I listen? No, but I should. If you find your laptop is overheating, put it on a table or a desk or something hard.

 

[Deleted member 15]

Make sure the fan is actually the problem and it's not the sensor that is supposed to tell the fan when to turn on/off.

 

[Seeker30]

I hope I'm explaining this enough! Lol :)

aaghhhh how do you do these screen shots on a window. i learned 2 years ago but i cant remember.

 

[Eyes On The Prize]

aaghhhh how do you do these screen shots on a window. i learned 2 years ago but i cant remember.

Windows 7: You can use the program called Snipping Tool. Just drag the cross around the area you want and save it.
Windows 7 and earlier: Click the buton on your keyboard thats called Print Screen or Prt Sc or anything that looks similar to that, open PowerPoint or any program that can handle picture files and then Save As it as a PNG file or a JPG :)

 

[kristenthegreat]

Make sure the fan is actually the problem and it's not the sensor that is supposed to tell the fan when to turn on/off.

...How would I know if it's the sensor? Is it something I can check?? Although I normally have my laptop ON my lap..I always make sure I keep the fan (which on mine is on the side) completely unobstructed..

 

[Deleted member 15]

...How would I know if it's the sensor? Is it something I can check?? Although I normally have my laptop ON my lap..I always make sure I keep the fan (which on mine is on the side) completely unobstructed..

I don't know how to check, but a decent repair shop should know.

 

[Katybugmom]

My sons laptop battery charger overheated and he just used the ac plug for over a year. Finally that stopped working so I looked into a new battery. I typed the name of the computer and the word battery in the search engine. Amazon came up with a great list. I picked the cheapest, for $30 I got a new battery and new a/c charger in just 4 days. Had I known it would be that easy I would have done it last year. We got it, plugged it in and it works like a charm.
If you delete programs then go back and defragment it again. When the programs are removed it leave "holes" that take up space.

 

[Seeker30]

Windows 7: You can use the program called Snipping Tool. Just drag the cross around the area you want and save it.
Windows 7 and earlier: Click the buton on your keyboard thats called Print Screen or Prt Sc or anything that looks similar to that, open PowerPoint or any program that can handle picture files and then Save As it as a PNG file or a JPG :)

yay, thank you! :D

 

[wcdad]

It is possible to replace your laptops fan, but it is not as easy as replacing the battery. If you really need to repace it, you could probably take it into Best Buy or RadioShack and have them find a replacement for you (but I'm not sure if they'll install it for you). An alternative to this is to buy a cooling pad and use that. You can find some here:
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Laptop-Accessories/null/pcmcat238900050004.c?id=pcmcat238900050004
Although they aren't really a permanent fix, it will hold you over until you find one. Here's something my dad always tells me - "Never use your laptop on a soft surface, the air flow becomes restricted and your laptop will overheat causing it to die faster than it should." (Not battery life die, like stop working completely die.) Do I listen? No, but I should. If you find your laptop is overheating, put it on a table or a desk or something hard.

You should listen to your dad.. And don't use your laptop in bed, He is right it will overheat the Hard Drive and processor and it will stop working.. lol

 

[TinyBlondie15]

Yay for tech savvy people!! I'm pretty tech savvy but my boyfriend literally takes apart, fixes, and sells Macs (mainly the old colorful clam shell iBooks and iMacs from the early '00's) .. So if anyone has any questions I can ask him for you :)

 

[marissa.d]

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

DEFINITELY. i've been a MAc person ever since i first got a laptop and no one understood why i would get something so different, and now all my friends and family want one!
as for the battery life - well right now its at 80% and i will have 5 hours and 15 minutes left :)
goot luck to you and i hope you figure out the problem!