<p>I'm such a doofus, I just got my laptop. There's no manual and I've run out of power. Do I take it out of the laptop and charge it. Or do I just plug the adaptor into it and leave the computer off and it charges? Thanks a lot. An usually, how long do I leave it charged? It's suppose to have 4 hours worth of use on a full charge. Also, is there the usual rule about waiting till the batteries almost done to charge it and not charge it when it's half full?</p>
<p>Just plug the adapter into it. You don't need to leave the computer off, you can charge while using it.</p>
<p>Also, never use the laptop on battery if you can use the adapter. A laptop battery loses its life the more it's discharged and recharged.</p>
<p>You can charge it anytime, regardless of how full or empty the battery is, but again, try to keep the battery full and use the adapter as often as possible.</p>
<p>Yes, use the adapter as often as possible. Plug the adapter into a power outlet and put the other end into your laptop. Keep it on the adapter whenever possible. No need to turn the computer off--you can do your thing with the adapter plugged in.</p>
<p>However, it's good to let the battery fully drain around once a month.</p>
<p>It really is good to completely discharge the battery once in a while though.</p>
<p>You can "Google" your laptop model and, with luck, you can download a copy of the user manual from the manufacturer's website.</p>
<p>As for charging your battery, just plug your laptop into an electrical outlet. To see how much of a charge you have, look at the bottom right corner of your laptop screen (it's on, right?). You should see an icon like an electrical plug (at least on Toshiba laptops). If you move your cursor to that icon, you should see the percent charge of your battery.</p>
<p>In the old days... when we got our first laptop, about 8 years ago... we were told not to leave the battery was in the computer when using it on AC. When we bought our next laptop, about 4 years ago (Compaq) .... we were told with the Lithium batteries that wasn't the case... ok to use with the battery in the unit. we now have 3 laptops: a brand new Dell (for son at college), the 4 year old Compaq and a 3 year old HP. Is is ok to leave the battery in while using on AC Power?</p>
<p>Thanks so much everyone! one more question please, do you ever need to take the battery out?</p>
<p>No (don't take the battery out).</p>
<p>thank you!</p>
<p>The battery on most consumer systems has to be left in to run power.</p>
<p>To charge the battery, connect the computer with the AC adapter. You can leave it on or off, doesn't matter.</p>
<p>Leave your computer on battery power and let it discharge at least once a month, preferably more. Because the battery constantly charges while it's connected to the adapter (thanks to inefficient circuitry) you'll degrade the battery even more by leaving it plugged in all the time.</p>
<p>If there's no paper manual, it's "inside' the computer. On the hard drive somewhere. I just tried to find mine to give you a few hints to locate it, but it's buried. But it's there.</p>
<p>I don't know why they do that, if you have problems with the computer will you be able to access the manual? Seems dumb to me.</p>
<p>"It really is good to completely discharge the battery once in a while though."</p>
<p>No it's not. Li-ion batteries do not need to be discharged (they don't have a memory effect). In fact, deeply discharging a Li-ion battery is hard on the battery.</p>
<p>I was told by a computer expert working in the IT department of an institution of high learning to discharge my Li-ion battery once a month.</p>
<p>"Leave your computer on battery power and let it discharge at least once a month, preferably more. Because the battery constantly charges while it's connected to the adapter (thanks to inefficient circuitry) you'll degrade the battery even more by leaving it plugged in all the time."</p>
<p>I don't know where you heard this, but I'm pretty sure this isn't true. You see the computer can run on AC power while the battery is actually removed (although some PC manufacturers recomend against this because of accumulation of dust in the battery compartment). Thus, it follows while the laptop is plugged in that it doesn't charge the battery to in turn power the laptop since it's capable of supplying the computer with power directly.</p>
<p>"I was told by a computer expert working in the IT department of an institution of high learning to discharge my Li-ion battery once a month."</p>
<p>No offense, but I'm an electrical engineering major so I know what I'm talking about.</p>
<p>The guy in the IT department was probably confused between the Li-ion and NiCad batteries (which were used in laptops up until Li-ion came out) or you got the advice from him several years ago. NiCad batteries did <em>supposedly</em> suffer from a memory effect which could be corrected with a deep discharge. Li-ion do not.</p>
<p>is the adapter sppose to get crazy hot when I'm charging it? oh and the cable with the plug can go into the adaptor either way, right?</p>
<p>Jess,</p>
<p>Yes the adapter is supposed to get hot (heat is a product of the adapter converting AC to DC) and on my adapter the cord can go either way.</p>
<p>Thanks Concorde : )</p>
<p>"You see the computer can run on AC power while the battery is actually removed (although some PC manufacturers recomend against this because of accumulation of dust in the battery compartment). Thus, it follows while the laptop is plugged in that it doesn't charge the battery to in turn power the laptop since it's capable of supplying the computer with power directly."</p>
<p>That depends on the laptop. For example, the small business systems from HP/Compaq are capable of running off wall power without the battery, but their consumer line will not. The way the power system works is that it draws power from the battery which is then recharged by the AC adapter, which means the battery is constantly being charged. This causes decay faster than running the battery down and charging it again.</p>
<p>Li-ion batterys do indeed have no battery memory effect ala ni-cad, but they do need to be calibrated. The charging parameters can change over time and so manufacturers usually suggest an almost complete discharge occasionally to recalibrate the internal battery circuitry.</p>
<p>A true full discharge of a li-ion battery can damage it, but the modern circuitry inside the battery is pretty smart and won't let you do it (in most cases) - the computer will shut itself off far before that point.</p>