Windows 10: Preserve Laptop Battery Life Span When Plugged In Always?

Hey all. I mentioned I got a new laptop battery for my dell xps 15 9550 which is an old machine for many years. Now with this laptop and previous laptops I had, I use it mainly as a desktop... connected to an ac charger and connected to external monitors. Pretty much im plugged in almost always.



Previously a while back what I did was with an older laptop before it went bad... charge it till 100%... then unplug it and do my thing... till it hit around 30% battery or so... then charge it again and continue what I do. Then once it hits 100% battery, I would then unplug it and rinse and repeat. I did this with an old laptop at first but then I believe I just left it plugged in all the time. I remember people said don't do it that way as it makes your battery get bad even faster... is that true? That laptop no longer works anymore but that wasn't the reason it broke though.



With my dell xps 15 9550, my laptop I always have it plugged in via ac charger. Now I recall someone mentioned if you want to make your laptop battery life last longer... it had something to do with making it only charge up to 80 or 90% right? Like when it charges, make it never go higher than 80 or 90%? Also something like make sure it stars recharging once it hits 35% or something like that? That way the battery will have a longer life span?



If so, how do I do this? And do most of you do this? Im talking about those that use it as a desktop replacement basically.
Is there proof that doing this... as oppose to just having it plugged in all day 100% for 12+ hours will make the battery life span last longer? Like people here done it and said yea... me doing that made it last another 6 months or so? My first laptop battery the 56wh that came with this laptop years ago... lasted almost 1.5 years and by then, the battery was no good... didn't even had a minute anymore. My last battery that I used for 2.5 years... it pretty much had like 5 minutes only left after 2 years. So because of how I use the battery, as a desktop replacement and charged all the time, seems like i need to get a replacement every 1.5 years or so.



So does making it max 80% or 90% mean it might make my battery go 2 years or so or even? I noticed in my battery report, after 1 year or so with a battery, it gets worn real quick the way I use it. Now i know I could use it without a battery and just plugged in... but issue is when this happens, and say I have a power outage... well that would suck... though I would connect my laptop to a UPS so my laptop doesn't immediately turn off. Buf if i run out of battery with my UPS... i mean I do have a powerbank. But I also rather have my laptop battery inside ... and wouldn't feel good having to open it up just to put in the battery.

:)

 

Plugged in but battery does not charge

If the laptop works without the battery then charger is functioning correctly. Take a cloth with a bit of rubbing alcohol on it (or some on-the-go alcohol swabs), and clean the metal contacts that connect your battery to your laptop.

Make sure to install all Windows important updates.

Install latest versions of your laptop device drivers you can download the latest device drivers from the device manufacturer or from your laptop manufacturer website.


Step 1

1. Shutdown your laptop.

2. Remove the battery.

3. Connect the AC power adapter to your laptop.

4. Power on the laptop

5. Open the Device Manager by typing Devmgmt.msc into Start Menu or from Control Panel.

6. Under the Batteries category, right-click all of the Microsoft ACPI Compliant Control Method Battery listings, and select Uninstall (it’s ok if you only have 1).





7. Shutdown the laptop.

8. Insert the battery.

9. Power on the laptop.

If above suggestions wont resolve the battery charge issue then follow below steps.




Step 2

1. Shutdown the laptop.

2. Remove the battery.

3. Start the laptop with only AC adapter connected to laptop.

4. When you login to Windows OS connect the battery while Windows OS working.





Step 3

Reset the System Management Controller. Use one of these methods to reset the SMC, which controls battery management, battery status light.

1. Shut down the computer and disconnect the power cord.

2. Remove the battery.

3. Press and hold the power button for ten seconds.

4. Reattach the battery and AC power adapter, then start up the laptop.


Hopefully one of the above suggestions will help you resolve the battery not charging problem. If battery still doesn't charge, you may need to replace your battery.

 

Will leaving a laptop plugged in kill the battery?

It will lessen the life span, the notebook will run a bit warmer and the power supply stands a chance of burning out.

I have seen many friend charger boards on older dells due to people doing this and many dead chargers due to people using them plugged in with the battery in all the time, not to mention toasted batteries withing 6-12 months of new.

If it's plugged in for a long time, remove the battery or run it off the battery until it's dead and plug it in. Don't do both.

NiMH are the worst for this, Li-Ions are much better but still far from perfect.

 

battery plugged in not charging

To resolve this issue, please follow these steps:

• Unplug Laptop
• Remove the Battery
• Plug in Laptop and turn on the laptop
• Go to Control Panel - Devices and uninstall all instances of Microsoft ACPI Compliant Control Method Battery
• Shut down Laptop and unplug it
• Insert Battery and plug in the laptop
• Start the Laptop

Hopefully this will work for you, please let us know!