"Paul" wrote in message
...
Jo-Anne wrote:
"Paul" wrote in message
...
Jo-Anne wrote:
Using WinXP. I have a 3.5-year-old Dell laptop as my main computer. I
turn it off and unplug it at night but leave it on and plugged in all
day. Lately, I find that in the evening the power indicator in the
system tray shows that the battery is charging. When I hover the mouse
over the icon, it says 98 or 99 percent charged. Eventually, it
finishes charging and goes back to the AC power icon. It never
indicates charging when I first plug the computer in and turn it on in
the morning.

Is this likely to be a battery problem? What should I do next?

Thank you!


In conclusion, you can fret about what you're seeing, but even if you
change how you use the thing, it's still going to be dead after a
few years anyway. It's a consumable. And unlike some battery types,
being careful in this case, doesn't stretch the life that much.

Paul


Thank you, Paul, for your excellent information about batteries! I won't
worry for the time being. One more question: Regarding new laptop
batteries, any recommendations for good places to get them? I've used
Batteries Plus a lot for other batteries, since we have a store in my
town. I don't know, though, if laptop batteries are a high turnover item
for them.

Jo-Anne

I don't know the answer to that.

If the item is a "special order" at that store, try discussing with the
staff to see what they say about their stock.

Maybe someone else here, knows of a more trustworthy source.

Paul


FWIW ... I had a bit of a read up on laptop batteries a while ago, when a
friends old HP nx9005 !! laptop battery died, we got a replacement on ebay,
but, spotted on the web, a popular belief that if the laptop is used mostly
on mains power, that removing the battery from laptop would prolong its'
life. ...put it back in every two or three months to top it up etc.. I
remember thinking whilst reading those views, "fat lot of good that is
unless it's on a UPS."
....so it was nice to read some sense from Paul on the topic of laptop
batteries ! :-)

regards, Richard