How to Get More Juice From Your Laptop Battery

College Kids,

I have a cheap laptop and the battery on it is always dying. Are there anyways to make it last longer?

Kevin
20 Years Old
Fairview, FL

Kevin,

We have all been there. Your laptop battery is dying and there is no outlet around. It is a very frustrating experience, so we found some tips to make that charge last longer.

Only run programs you need - Having multiple programs running at the same time seems like an unnecessary way to drain your battery. Instead consider running only one program at a time. In other words, if you're browsing the web don't leave your email client running in the background, check it when you're done surfing the web.

Dim your screen - One of the fastest ways you can kill your battery is by leaving your screen brightness high. Dim your screen to the lowest level you can possibly manage.

Disable unnecessary programs - You know all those programs that automatically run on startup? You probably don't need them or use most of them anyways. So just turn them off before they eat into your battery resources.

Keep operating temps down - Batteries perform better when they're cool. Clean your air vents and avoid placing your laptop in a position that will restrict airflow (such as your lap).

Limit external devices - USB devices or anything else you have plugged in uses battery resources even when they're not in use. Now is probably not the best time to try out your new USB hand warmer.

Turn off wireless and Bluetooth Turning off your Bluetooth and wireless won't save you a whole lot of power but in certain situations every bit counts.

Via [atbatt]