Computer Battery

A battery which runs down quickly most likely has reached the end of its service life. Replacement batteries for laptops can be pricey, even no-name/generic types (which all too frequently perform poorly), so weigh your options; how important is battery runtime to you, and how much longer do you plan on keeping that laptop? If you typically don't use the machine places it can't be plugged in, and if you're thinking of a new machine near term, a new battery prolly doesn't make much financial sense.

If you do get a new battery, keep it conditioned; at least a couple times a month, configure your power options to let the laptop run on battery 'til it shuts down on its own at 4 or 5% of power remaining, unplug the power adapter, leave the machine on 'til it shuts down, wait a while (a couple hours should be fine), then plug in the power adapter and fully charge the battery. About the worst things you can do to a battery are to frequently use only a portion of the battery's charge then plug it back in and/or leave it charging all the time without frequent full discharge cycles.

Oh, all right so you're saying I can keep the power adapter plugged in while laptop is running as long as I let it run a couple of discharge cycles per month?

Could I run it at say if I got a new laptop (comes with new battery) then

I'm gonna charge it to max
then consistently run it 2-3hrs. on battery alone w/o power adapter.
Then when the battery drains I can just fully recharge it with the power adapter
after let it run 2-3hrs. on battery alone then repeat this cycle.

Should this way also keep the battery shell-life?

Yeah, that's pretty much the idea - you want the battery to fully cycle at least a couple times a month, and you don't wanna frequently use the battery for just a few minutes and then reconnect the machine to power. Doing that once in a while won't hurt much, but you don't want the battery to develop a "memory" - if it gets fully cycled every couple of weeks, it will lasts lots longet. Also, a few - mebbe 3 or 4, mebbe a half dozen or so, full cycles are required for a new battery to become fully "formed". When you gfirst et a new battery, try to put it through several full cycles, letting it "rest" - machine off, not hoohed to power, for at least an hour or 2 before charging it back up. Longer rest periods, even overnight or all day are fine, but you do want to have a rest period between full discharge and starting the recharge. After you've cycled the battery a few times, it should be fully "formed", ready to give you maximum battery life. You'll notice as you go through those first few cycles, the battery will last a little bit longer each time you put it through a cycle. After mebbe half a dozen cycles or so, the battery will be in peqak condition. From then on, regular cycluing and avoiding frequent partial discharges will keep it that way for a long time. I have batteries that are several years old and still perform satisfactoriily.