Gateway E-100M, Technical Reference Manual

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CHAPTER 5: Managing Power
42
Getting the most from your
battery
Maximizing battery performance
To get maximum performance from your notebook battery, we
recommend that you initially condition (fully charge and
discharge) your new battery a few times during the first several
weeks of use, to let it reach its maximum rated capacity.
Over the long term, use the battery at least once a month, even
it was kept in a cool, dry place for storage, but avoid frequent
full discharges because this puts additional strain on the battery.
Several partial discharges with frequent recharges are better for
a lithium-ion battery than one complete discharge, and
recharging a partially charged lithium-ion battery does not
cause harm because there is no memory.
Conserving battery power
To conserve power while using the battery to power your
notebook:
•
Turn off wireless networking and Bluetooth.
•
Dim the display as low as is comfortable.
•
Disconnect all external devices, like IEEE 1394 and USB
devices, and optical drives.
•
Remove PC Cards when you do not need them. Many
PC Cards use a small amount of power while inserted,
•
Close the LCD panel to turn off the display while you
are not using your notebook. The display stays off until
you open the panel again.
•
Use Hibernate mode for maximum power savings while
your notebook is not in use.
Important
If, after completing this procedure, the battery charge indicator still does
not show an accurate charge, contact MPC Customer Care.