extend the life of your laptop battery

Don't ya just hate it when you are using your laptop and suddenly you get the message on your screen that your battery is 'critically low'? Well, here are a few simple steps to saving that battery life or at least stretching it out as long as possible.

First, adjust your power options on your operating system.

All laptops are slightly different so you will want to consult your users manual but most models will offer: balanced, power saver, and high performance options.
Choose the "power saver" option for the maximum battery saver or choose the "balanced" option for maximum performance. The "High performance" option should only be used when you have your laptop plugged into an outlet.

Most IBM/ Windows XP, and Vista users will be able to access their settings this way:

*Click "START" and then "Control Panel"

*Click "Performance maintained" (you may have to go to category/view first)

*Click "Power Options"

*Click the small arrow under the "Power Schemes" tab

*Click "Max Battery"

*Click "OK"

The Apple iBooks, Powerbooks, and MacBooks have their own settings to reduce battery usage whenever possible. From the 'main menu:
*Click: "System preferences"

*Click: "View menu" then: "Energy saver"

*Click "Show details"

*Select "battery" (or 'battery power')

*Select "longest"

For more information, on access to these settings, consult your users manual.