Mobile Computing

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Conserving battery power

What to do when the battery runs low

When the battery runs low you can:

Plug the computer into an external power source and recharge the battery.

Put the computer in Hibernation mode and replace the battery with a charged spare.

Save your work and turn off the computer.

If you don’t manage to do any of these things before the battery completely runs out of power, the computer automatically enters Standby mode and turns itself off. Standby mode keeps track of where you were so, when you turn on the power again, you can continue where you left off.

The computer stores information on what you were doing until the battery runs out of power. If you have Hibernation mode enabled (the default), the computer copies the details of your open programs and files to the hard disk before shutting down.

Conserving battery power

How long a fully charged battery pack lasts when you are using the computer depends on a number of factors, such as:

How the computer is configured

How much you use the display panel instead of an external monitor

How much you use the hard disk and other drives

Whether you use any optional devices to which the battery supplies power

Where you are working — since operating time decreases at low temperatures