Laptop battery...how long does yours last before charging?

[Girlrocks]

I am new to the world of laptops. I just bought an HP Pavilion with the new Windows Vista. The battery lasts less than 2 hours before I need to charge it. Is this average? Can I purchase a spare battery that would last longer? Is it better to use the battery all of the way down before charging? I''ve been plugging it in when I am at home...is that going to hurt the battery?

 

[Skippy123]

1.5hrs to 2 hrs. Plugging it in does not hurt the battery. Sometimes you can buy an extra battery where the cd goes. It depends on the computer (I have a dell). The manual should be able to tell you. Hope that helps

 

[codex57]

Depending on the brand, 1.5-2 hours is not unheard of.

Mine lasts 3-4 hours, but I''ve really only heard of Thinkpads and Macs lasting that long throughout the whole model line.

 

[Mara]

mine used to be 1.5-2 hours but lately the battery has been totally going downhill so now it''s only about 45 minutes before i have to charge it. and i have only had the laptop for a year. i have a dell inspiron.

 

[aussiegirl23]

Girlrocks,

I have an HP Pavillion notebook from last summer. I only have the 12Volt battery (big mix-up at the store - don''t ask!) as opposed to the standard 6Volt battery. Mine lasts about 5-6 hours and has since I got it. I''m no computer whiz, but I would guess that a 12Volt lasts 2x as long as a 6Volt? Or maybe there''s something else going on there.

No it does not hurt your battery to plug it in before it''s completely run down. You could purchase another 6Volt, but it doesn''t sound like yours is lasting so long -- you could try a 12Volt but I''ll warn you they''re heavy. Try taking out your current battery (while the laptop is plugged in!) and think about twice the weight

Sounds obvious, but the battery is a good deal of the weight in the entire thing.

Best of luck,

Aussie : p

 

[San Diego Bride]

my mac usually lasts for a good 4 hours or so without being recharged.