laptop battery Archives - Rick's Daily Tips

Q&A: Do you really have to fully charge a new laptop or phone before using it?

Posted on July 28, 2026

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Question from Brenda: I just ordered this new laptop for my son for his birthday. A friend of mine told me I need to charge the battery to 100% before I give him the laptop and let him start using use it.

In the past I have always just unboxed my new laptops and plugged them in and started using them immediately, and as far as I know there was never any problem. The same way with every new phone I have ever bought. [Read more…]

Q&A: Can you damage a new laptop’s battery by using it too soon?

Posted on May 24, 2026

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Question from Freida: Hi, Rick. I hope you can answer a question for me.

I recently ordered a new laptop from Amazon. When it arrived I took it out of the box and immediately started using it like I normally do.

This morning I read an article that said you’re supposed to charge the battery in a new laptop for at least 8 hours before you start using the laptop. [Read more…]

Here’s a great tip for conserving the battery charge on your laptop

Posted on December 18, 2025

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Like many laptop owners, you probably put your machine into sleep mode every time you shut the lid to transport it to a new location.

But if you constantly find yourself having to deal with a low battery, there is a better way. Hibernate your laptop instead! [Read more…]

Q&A: Does my laptop need a new battery?

Posted on November 17, 2023

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Question from Corrine: I have a 5 year old HP laptop that won’t work anymore unless it’s plugged into a wall socket.

The battery charge indicator is stuck on 2% charge and it won’t charge any higher than that.

I thought laptop batteries were supposed to last longer than this.

Do you think I need to buy a new battery or could the charger maybe be bad? [Read more…]

Q&A: Is it ok to use a laptop without a battery?

Posted on September 25, 2022

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Question from Oliver: I have an old Dell XPS 17 laptop that’s now running Ubuntu Linux.

This machine still works perfectly but the battery won’t hold a charge anymore.

Since it’s so old I don’t really want to buy a new battery for it.

Would it be ok if I just removed the battery and ran it straight from the charger?

[Read more…]