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Question:

is it good to leave the power cable plugged in your laptop always?

Is it? I leave the power cable for hours when at home, when letting it process video and such and sometimes drain the battery when not used much.Thanks for any help.

Answer:

It isn't good to overcharge a Li-Ion batter, but some devices/batteries are better than others at preventing damage even when there is a continuous supply of power. I'm assuming it's a lithium-ion battery. If it isn't you need to throw your laptop away and buy a new one with a li-ion batter :) On a more serious note, it probably isn't GOOD for it, but it isn't TERRIBLE either. They say that li-ion batteries aren't susceptible to memory loss, but that is debated by people who actually use the device. However, li-ion batteries WILL expire after being charged a certain number of times, so it is best to allow it to (almost) fully discharge before recharging. When you notice that it's fully charged, go ahead and unplug it if possible, and when you need it to charge, just plug it back in. But I'm no battery expert, so your best option would be to call a computer store (or battery store) and ask them. Or perhaps there are some battery experts browsing Yahoo answers tonight?
Your battery life will be reduced if you don't exercise your battery regularly by allowing it to drain and charge completely. It is recommended that you deplete and fully charge the battery at least on a weekly basis to help maintain good battery performance.
When I first bought my laptop I tried to research this. Keep the battery in and keep the ac adapter hooked up. Use the ac adapter and take the battery out. Just charge with the ac adapter and run off the battery when fully charged. Everybody had an opinion on what to do. The confusing thing is that they all made sense. So I decided to stop driving myself nuts. I leave the battery in. The ac adapter is always hooked up. I leave my laptop on pretty much 24/7 and have done so for over a year now. Once a month as part of my maintenance I unplug the ac adapter and let the battery run down till the warning pops up. Plug it back in and do the same next month. I keep track of how long the battery lasts without the ac adapter on. It always charges back to 100% and if the life is decreasing it is so minimal that I am not noticing. Is this right or wrong? Depends on who you ask. Hope this helps. Good Luck.

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