Laptop question

[Misty]

I own a pretty good Toshiba laptop and I use it almost daily whenever I go to classes. It drains a lot of lithium juice, however, so I always have to keep it plugged in a wall outlet.

Whenever I'm not using it, I keep it plugged in so the battery power is always fresh when I have to take it out of the wall socket, because there will be times when I have to use my laptop in an area where there's no outlet and I can't plug it in.

My friend says that if I keep my laptop plugged in for extended periods, the lithium battery will eventually burn out. But it seems like an inconvenience to keep plugging and unplugging the charging cord every now and then, and my memory isn't exactly sharp.

So is this true? Does a laptop battery burn out if you keep it charging for extended periods?

[Syvarius]

Re: Laptop question

I summon thetruecoolness to answer this question in precise detail!

[thetruecoolness]

Re: Laptop question

Not really sure, though I would think laptops would have some mechanism in them to prevent overcharging, since the power should be split between running the laptop and recharging the batter. This is of course assuming laptop manufacturers are smart, and not money hungry.

This is really more a question for Terr, I'm not big on how rechargeable batteries work. Though apparently keeping them at between 40-60% charge makes them last longer, or so the materials on Hybrid cars says.

[Misty]

Re: Laptop question

Say, I wonder where the Toecutter has gone anyway? I miss the guy.

[RPGD]

Re: Laptop question

If you keep it plugged in all the time, you may experience a significantly shorter battery life.

It's highly recommended that you calibrate your battery (by using it without AC power until it hibernates) at least once a week. That should be enough to keep it healthy.

[thetruecoolness]

Re: Laptop question

Well there you go. Having never owned a laptop I also don't know a whole lot about them, though they're not as powerful as a desktop, mainly because of the thermal throttling. Also the cost per performance is much better with a desktop, and for me whenever I need a computer I'm at home, or had a computer lab to goto.

[DK]

Re: Laptop question

Yeah, don't overcharge. And when you use it while it's plugged in take out the battery or something.

[thetruecoolness]

Re: Laptop question

Should have figured they wouldn't put mechanisms to prevent overcharging. Stupid laptops.

[Karr Lord of Chaos]

Re: Laptop question

its just like my cell phone i supose. when the battery is on life suport with no hope of giving a decent charge ill just pitch it into the lake and buy a new one. lord knows how over priced batteries are, but i supose theirs always pluging it in.

i heard you should not have it in the labtop when its pluged in but i cant be bothered to take it out.

[RPGD]

Re: Laptop question

No, it's fine. Unless it's a crap laptop, which you should have no business buying anyway.

[Misty]

Re: Laptop question

Laptops are all right--I mainly use them for when I travel or go to school. I have a desktop at home, too.

Thanks for the help, guys.

[JPS]

Re: Laptop question

It is possible to overcharge a lithium battery, which will decrease its life.

Best thing you can do in this situation is go to a department store and get a outlet timer and set it to cut off in 1-2 hours everytime you plug it in, seems like a lot of hassle but replacing $150-$250 batteries is even more of one.

I do this for mine and it isnt much of a hassle after a while.

[Rodak]

Re: Laptop question

Useful stuff here! I just got a used laptop because it has Tons of Software I needed on it!

I take it to work a lot and use it plugged in for extended periods.

I have an unrelated question, but it is about laptop use!

Wireless Networking.

Secure Pages on Unsecured Networks.

Is this safe?

I know others can see what I'm doing, and since it's mostly adult material, I revel in it!

But what about ftp? (file transfer protocol) email? Forum Log-Ins? Where does an unsecure network end, and a secure connection take over?

Maybe I'm hijacking the topic... but the original question seems to have been resolved and the title just says Laptop Question - so I give myself permission!

[thetruecoolness]

Re: Laptop question

Well you do have the power to do such things.

As for the question, data not sent over secure (https://, or sftp (secure ftp)) connections to other servers is sent plaintext (unencypted). So it is possible that someone could use a packet sniffer on your unsecured network to steal your passwords for email, forums and the like. Of course you run the same risk if someone infects your computer with a trojan or other form of virus.

So yes they can read your data, and though unlikely someone would, it would probably be better to read up on securing the network. I used to know a little bit about wireless networks, but never really used them as I enjoy the speed of wired, and don't own a laptop.

Also, glad to see you around again.

[Misty]

Re: Laptop question

Maybe I'm hijacking the topic... but the original question seems to have been resolved and the title just says Laptop Question - so I give myself permission!

You know what I say to that, Rodak?

MOOOOOO!