# laptop battery question(s) **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 13, 2005, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laptop-battery-question-s/321512 "2005-09-13T23:50:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![inkubo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@inkubo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/inkubo)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2005, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laptop-battery-question-s/321512/1 "2005-09-13T23:50:35Z")
My laptop battery has been dead for quite some time. The charging program will say the battery is charged up and hooked to the computer but when I unplug the computer, it’s not powering the computer. Has my battery lost its zero point? If so, would there be a way to restore the zero point? Might it be that my computer doesn’t know that the battery is fully charged? Has the lithium-whatever mixture simply given up the ghost? Are there any suggestions about how to extend the life of laptop batteries, their care and feeding should it happen that I need to get a new one? It’s a battery for a Dell Inspiron 4000. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2005, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laptop-battery-question-s/321512/2 "2005-09-13T23:54:59Z")
How old is it? You probably need a new battery. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2005, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laptop-battery-question-s/321512/3 "2005-09-14T00:12:26Z")
Have you tried the maker’s battery cycling program? It runs the battery thru a few discharge/charge cycles. That can help NiMHs. But since it’s a LiIon, it’s probably toast. ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2005, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laptop-battery-question-s/321512/4 "2005-09-14T01:49:45Z")
ALL rechargable batteries are limited in the amout of charge/discharge cycles they can perform. When a LiI battery is dead…it’s dead. ☹ In the future, try to not charge the battery until it is very close to dead. In theory, a lithium ion battery does not have charge memory, but in four years with the same laptopn and two batteries, the second one lasted longer when I followed this rule. ---
**Author:** ![inkubo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@inkubo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/inkubo)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2005, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laptop-battery-question-s/321512/5 "2005-09-14T02:26:30Z")
I thought it was a Bad Thing ™ to run a battery until it was nearly dead then recharge it. ---
**Author:** ![jdc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@jdc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jdc)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2005, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laptop-battery-question-s/321512/6 "2005-09-14T02:37:40Z")
[http://www.batteryuniversity.com/partone-21.htm](http://www.batteryuniversity.com/partone-21.htm) This site says letting lithium run way down then charging is bad, also lots of little charge ups bad also. Heat bad too. I try to keep the newer of my two lithium laptop batteries out of the machine except when traveling. If I think to leave it 40% charged rather than full that is supposed to help long life too. But… I am resigned to buying a new battery every year or two when I cannot watch a DVD on the plane. Too bad laptop power on planes did not catch on. US Air was doing a good job in their Airbuses. With American you have to call specially if they have it to request a row with some plugs. Most other carriers, forget about it - in coach at least.