Fully Discharge a Laptop Battery

Fully discharging and recharging a Nickel-based laptop battery can result in better battery performance and longer battery life. Here are two ways to discharge your Nickel-based battery.

Steps

Draining the Battery While Using Your Computer

  1. Disable Hibernation on your computer temporarily. This will allow your battery to drain fully.
  2. Select the Power Meter icon on the taskbar, or select Start > Control Panel > Performance and Maintenance > Power Options > Power Schemes
  3. Write down the three settings in the Plugged In column and the settings in the Running on Batteries column, so you can reset them after calibration.
  4. Select the drop-down lists and set all six options in both columns to "Never."
  5. Select the "OK" button.
  6. Disconnect the notebook from the external power source, but do not turn off the notebook.
  7. Run the notebook on battery power until the battery pack is fully discharged. The battery light begins to blink when the battery pack has discharged to a low-battery condition. When the battery pack is fully discharged, the Power/Standby light turns off and the notebook shuts down.

Using the BIOS Screen

  1. Before you begin any of the following steps, make sure to write down the three settings in the Plugged In column, as mentioned above.
  2. You can also discharge your battery using the BIOS screen.
  3. Restart your computer.
  4. Press the "Del" key as soon as your computer turns on again.
  5. Go to the BIOS screen. Your computer should automatically boot to the BIOS screen after you press the "Del" key. The BIOS screen will not allow your computer to shut down or go into hibernation.
  6. Let your computer battery run down until the Power/Standby light turns off.

Tips

  • If you are unable or cannot enter the BIOS, you can disable automatic Hibernation/Sleep within Windows:
  • Select the Power Meter icon on the taskbar or access the Power Options control panel. Disable the appropriate settings.

Warnings

  • Not all laptop batteries require a discharge due to the type of battery they provide. Please make sure the battery you have is a type that should have discharging. If you discharge a battery that does not require discharging, it will lead to the life of the battery being shorter.
  • Do not fully discharge your laptop battery too many times, just one per month, usually charge your battery in 20% state.

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Sources and Citations

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