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Unplug laptop while it is running

Am I "hurting" my HP laptop by leaving it running, unplugging from outlet - walking a few feet and plugging it back in? My brother-in-law says I am.

Why Ubuntu eats more power than Windows?

I play full screen video with maximum volume or
browse the Web with WiFi.

Under Windows 7 my laptop works ~5 hours.
Under Kubuntu 10.10 only ~2 hours.

I've got Acer Aspire 1810TZ. Battery wear degree 90%.

Installed:
acpid
acpi-support
pm-utils
upower

Not installed:
laptop-mode-tools

I like Linux, don't want to change it.

What to do to make it live longer?

Is it better to use a laptop on battery or on AC power?

When I'm at home, is it better to use the laptop plugged into AC power, or with just the battery, for the overall battery life?

Why are my games slower on battery power, even with the power plan set to High Performance?

My laptop is capable of running most games on high settings at decent frame rates. However, if the power cable gets unplugged while I'm playing, the game immediately starts slowing down, even if I'm using the High Performance power plan.

Why does this happen? Is the battery not able to keep up with the power demands of the GPU? Is there any way to fix this?

How to safely store a defective (bulging) lithium-ion battery

I have a defective lithium-ion battery, one that is bulging quite severely, it's about 50% thicker in the middle than at the edge.

While the battery actually still works, I've replaced it as the old one didn't fit inside the device any longer, and the screen was about to come off.

However I can't safely dispose of it just yet, so the question is, will it be safe enough to just leave it unused on a table until I can get around to dispose of it safely, or is it safer to keep it cool/frozen?

Is it OK for the laptop to always be plugged in? [duplicate]

Possible Duplicate:
Is it better to use laptop on battery or on AC power?

If I stay near a power source is it recommended to always have my laptop plugged in?

Or should I use the battery and let it drain before plugging in?

Which method is best for preserving the life of my battery?

Using a higher current charger on a laptop which requires a lower current [duplicate]

Possible Duplicates:
Laptop power supplies, does current matter?
Can I use a power adapter with more current but lower voltage on another laptop?

I have an ASUS K50IN laptop which requires an input of 19 V at 3.42 A. Its charger has stopped working (wires cut by rats!). My brother have a charger that is 19 V, 7.1 A. Their polarity is the same and the tip fits correctly.. Can I use this charger on my laptop?

Is a CMOS battery rechargeable?

Is a CMOS battery rechargeable? If so, what does its charger look like?

Is it safe to store a battery in the freezer?

Of course, assuming you wrap it in a tight plastic bag to avoid humidity.

I have a laptop battery at my office that's not currently in use, and also won't be used at least for the next several months. I know that Lithium-ion batteries degrade faster at higher temperatures.
And if this image (kindly stolen from a Lifehacker article) is to be believed, even at room temperature (25C, 77F) the estimated loss is around twice the loss at 0C (32F).

In the last couple of weeks, the temperature here at the office has been approaching the 36C (100F) and rising. So it occurred to me it might be better to store it in the freezer (or perhaps the refrigerator) to slow the aging effect. Is that correct and safe?

Laptop Battery Technology

My laptop battery has finally taken the plunge and I'm looking online for a new one. However I'm getting lost in all of the specs of the batteries that are out there. I'm looking to gain a better understanding of what effect each spec has on the overall life of the battery (meaning length of hours that I can operate on battery power).

Some questions I have:

• What do Watts equate to?
• What do mAh (milli Amp hours) really mean?
• Does voltage have an effect on the life of the battery? (I understand that laptops can support multiple voltage types reference)
• Do 9 cell battery have a greater battery life than that of 6 cells. If so, by how much?

Give to me what I should look for in a battery that will affect the battery life the greatest. Some questions I have in this regard:

• Are Watts or mAh are the greatest factors to look for, or if it's a combination of the two, or something else entirely different.
• How much difference is there between two values of the factors (i.e. 4800 mAh vs. 7200 mAh)

It doesn't have to be these exact numbers and in fact I don't want specifics but rather a general rule of thumb)

I am NOT looking for "This is the best battery to buy" or "This is the best company to but from". I am NOT looking for just links to websites that I have to sift through. If you post a link, please summarize what it says. I AM looking at a greater understanding of the technology behind it.

Can I run my MacBook in clamshell mode without being connected to power?

At home, I run my MacBook in clamshell mode (closed lid, external display).

This works fine when you're connected to the power adapter, but it doesn't work when running on battery. That's how it's supposed to be and Apple has some kb entry on the issue. But it's also lame.

You can prevent the machine from sleeping when closed by running InsomniaX, but then it'll assume the builtin display is still active, so you end up with a two-display setup when you really only want the external. This is obviously less than ideal.

So, is there any work around, hack, utility, black magic that I can use to make it run in clamshell mode while strictly on battery power?

Also, bonus points for a solution that makes the AC status not affect the machine state at all. (Like, you know, it does normally, when not in clamshell.)

Can I run a computer using DC power?

I always thought that using a conventional UPS with a PC is highly inefficient. Power goes from AC -> DC -> AC in UPS and then AC -> DC in PC SMPS. Since PC works only with DC (12, 5 and 3 volts) It should be possible to convert AC -> DC once and use that to charge SLA battery and drive a PC.

Sure enough there are solutions for this. For example PicoUPS-100. These are designed for embedded PC, but I see no reason why such a device cannot be used for home PC also. Place where I live has frequent power outage and if I can hookup couple of battery with such a system it would give me long battery backup time with minimal cost if I use a power efficient PC.

Does any one have any experience with such systems for a mainstream (home) PC.

Is a UPS a good investment for a home machine?

Is it worth the money to invest in a battery-backed UPS unit for a home machine? Or is it a waste of money? The purpose of the UPS would be to prevent a "meltdown" of the computer due to bad power in the area, i.e. it's toast(tm).

With the cost of some computers, the UPS approaches half the replacement cost of the machine, which is why I'm asking.

Clarification: This answer is for the United States. Each country has their own power grid schema and have different levels of service. Here in the States, while power is plentiful and adequate, there are segments of the national grid that are getting old and are, at times, overburdened, leading to the occasional brownout. This is a rare occurrence but it is a concern.

Do recommended battery charging practices for a laptop apply to an ultrabook (with non-removable battery)?

For normal laptops, everyone said that if you want to use your laptop for a long period of time at home, its better if you detach the battery and just connect it directly to power. I followed this practice with my old laptop, turning it on when I woke up and turning it off when I went to bed.

I bought a Lenovo Yoga 2 Pro a while ago, which is an ultrabook. The battery is non-removable. Is it OK to run it 12 hours a day continuously on the charger? Will the battery be harmed?

Software to hold battery at 50% charge level

My Sony Vaio laptop has a built-in program called "Sony Battery Care" which provides a functionality to hold battery at certain levels of charge while operating. For example, I've set it to 50% and the battery is always kept at that level while on AC power. This mode prevents battery degradation and is more effective as I usually use my laptop with AC power.

I'm looking for a similar program to use with other laptops with Windows OS; preferably a free one.