laptop battery life

How to Increase battery life of your laptop?

There are simple techniques available to extend battery life of your laptop. Some of these tips are for when you need to increase your battery at that very moment, while others are preventative measures, best implemented before your battery life comes up short.

Step 1: Click on the Start Menu and type “ CMD ” in the Start Search bar.

Step 2: The search will start and it will then display an icon of “ CMD ” . simply right click on it and select Run as administrator.

Step 3: It will open command line, now simply run the command “powercfg -energy” without quotes. (For windows 7 users.)

-OR-

Simply run the command “powercfg /energy” without quotes. (For windows 8 users.)

Step 4: Now Press “Enter”.

Once you successfully execute this command , Windows will run a complete scan of your system and it will find some ways to improve performance and power efficiency.
The results of this process will be saved to an HTML file, which is commonly present in the “System32” folder of most of the systems.

To access this file, simply follow the path which will be displayed in command prompt window after completion of the command. Read This file to understand that what program in your system is consuming more power and degrading the performance.

To save power, make your computer do less in general:

  • Don’t use a screensaver. They’re unnecessary on modern displays and will drain your battery to do nothing useful when your display could be off and saving power.
  • Reduce Screen Brightness
  • Have Your Display Automatically Turn Off
  • Run fewer programs in the background.
  • Disable Bluetooth and Other Hardware Devices
  • Reduce CPU usage.
  • Avoid maxing out your RAM. If your laptop’s RAM is full, try to make more RAM available — close programs running in the background or try to upgrade your laptop’s RAM.
laptop hard drive

How to replace the hard drive for your laptop?

laptop hard driveBefore removing the hard drive manually, you must keep in mind that it is a not easy job which should be done with utmost care and caution. You must carry a set of small screwdriver because it will help you to open laptop’s hard drive. In case you are not sure enough about the way of taking of the hard drive from the case, it is better to refer the user manual. Get some tips from the user manual of how hard drive has to be taken out of the laptop. Once you take it out from the case, things become really easy for you because you can now know the dimension as well as type.

Problems are not yet over as there are a lot of laptops that use hard drives of the same dimension so again you need to find out the most appropriate hardware to go well with your laptop.

Once you finally get the correct hard drive for your laptop, you also need to check the type of connection which is compatible with the laptop. Mainly there are two types of connection – SATA and PATA are used to connect drives to the laptop. In case you have purchased the laptop within the last six years then most probably it would have SATA as it is an industry standard which is used with most of the PCs. But if it manufactured before 2003 then probably it would have a PATA connection which is outdated now.

Just have a quick look on the back of the drive which is labelled with the connector type. Now use the connector accordingly and place the hard drive in its place within the laptop.

Heat Problems with Laptops

Laptop heat issueMost modern computers come with some kind of safeguards against heat. But that doesn’t mean some extra steps can’t be taken to protect them: not least of all making sure they have enough fresh air.

When temperatures skyrocket, computers might start slowing down. In extreme cases, they might even suffer damage, warns Stephan Scheuer of TUV Rheinland, an agency that rates consumer products.

“If the ambient temperatures go up by 10 degrees for an extended period, then the life expectancy of a computer can half,” says Scheuer.

Short-term temperature spikes don’t have such a dramatic effect, but can still have long-term consequences. That’s why users should always be on the lookout for signs that a computer is suffering from heat stress. Keep an eye out for lowered performance. Even a ventilation fan that goes on for no apparent reason can be a reason for suspicion.

“You’re more likely to notice high temperatures in a laptop on the underside,” says Scheuer. As a test, he recommends putting the laptop on one’s lap. If the heat grows unbearable within 30 seconds, then the computer needs a break.

Still, it’s unusual for a computer to crash due to excess heat these days. Most will shut themselves down as a precaution before it gets that far.

“If you’ve had the device at the lake in the sunshine and then try to turn it on, it can be that it won’t start up,” says Juergen Ripperger of VDE, the Association for Electrical, Electronic & Information Technology in Germany.

Some models will also warn about heat problems before an automatic shutdown. But one should not rely on these safeguards, warns Ripperger. If the computer has been overhauled or the battery replaced, some temperature controls might not work any more. “I would not rule out the danger of fire here,” he says.

Ripperger recommends reading the warning notes in the manual.

Here, users will find how high surrounding temperatures can be. Otherwise, users just have to be careful about how they go about operating the machine.

“The important thing is that warm air can be cleared without hindrance.” That means the computer can’t be set up on a pillow or a blanket, and that the ventilation exits cannot be blocked. Be sure to keep clear the vents on the back or side and ensure that the machine has some space around it. “At least 20 centimetres to the wall,” recommends Scheuer.

You can provide fresh air with a small fan. And be sure to give the computer regular short breaks during the summer and avoid doing demanding jobs like video editing or graphics rendering for long periods.

Just like notebooks, tablets can be sensitive to sunshine and heat. These touchscreen devices don’t rely on vents and fans for cooling. That means less annoying noise and that they can be set upon a blanket while working. However, they get away with this by giving off heat via their exterior hull.

“In borderline situations, that can become very noticeable,” says Christian Just, an editor with Computer Bild. “But it doesn’t usually become uncomfortable, unless it’s right on the bare skin, if you’re wearing shorts, for example.” High temperatures can be especially noticeable in models with metallic housing, which conduct heat better than plastic.

Check out programmes like CoreTemp, SpeedFan or PC Wizard if you want some help monitoring temperatures. But be aware, they only show how hot the processor is.

“Other computer parts might be warmer,” warns Scheuer. After all, the processor produces a lot of heat, but is also, generally, pretty well cooled. Keep in mind, as a rule of thumb, electronics shouldn’t get warmer than 60 degrees.

Your laptop turns on for few seconds and turns off

I have recently fixed a common laptop problem where the power button test laptoplight turns on for few seconds and then automatically turns off.

The problem can be related to electrical/hardware/software.

Most of the cases of this nature is due to failed power adapter. Alaways use original adapter for the subject laptop. The laptop will not start because the battery is empty and the power adpter has stoped providing any power. That is why your laptop is turned on for few seconds.

First of all check power adapter with a multi-meter. Check for loose power connection or faulty power strip.

In some cases you need to remove the battery and switch on the power button with no power cable to dissipate residual charge. Then connect the batter and power source to switch on your laptop.

If you are not able to solve with above methods, go to nearest service center.

Fixing Windows startup error in Lenovo laptop

Recently I tried to fix a Lenevo Laptop where Windows XP Pro could not be System Restorestarted in normal mode. The procedure is not very hard and can easily be done by an average computer user.

You can do it your self with following steps.

The reason for this error is a hardware or software change or a faulty component or loose connection of hardware.

First of all you can try System Restore.In windows XP you can view existing System Restore points in Control Panel > System or Computer, Control Panel in Windows Vista and Windows 7. Click ‘Performance and Maintenance’ and choose System Restore from the list on the lefthand side. Choose ‘Create Restore point’ to manually create a point. To restore the laptop to an earlier point, choose “Restore my computer to an earlier time”.

You can also use Lenovo System Update tool. This tool will will automatically detect your laptop model and find and install any driver, software or Bios updates.

Please free to e-mail us the exact error, we will try to help you with remote maintenance in timely manner.