Determining whether your laptop battery needs to be replaced - Q&A: Why is my Chrome browser running really slow?
Enjoy today's selection of practical, easy-to-follow tech tips.
Rick's Daily Tips Tech Update for Saturday, September 18, 2021.
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Topics covered in this issue...
• Does your laptop battery need to be replaced? Here's how to decide...
• Q&A: Why is my Chrome browser running really slow?
• Review: EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard Pro
• Q&A: Can I set an iPad to give a visual alert for new notifications?
• Does Publishers Clearing House really give away all that money? How can they afford it?
• Info about my photo / file recovery service
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Today's Quick Tip....
Does your laptop battery need to be replaced? Here's how to decide...
I receive lots of emails and IMs asking for help figuring out why a laptop's battery either won't hold a charge for longer than a few minutes or won't even fully charge up at all.
In the vast majority of those cases the solution is simple: Buy a new battery.
Based on my experience it seems that most laptop users don't understand how quickly a laptop battery can deteriorate and go bad.
The OEM batteries that come pre-installed in most laptops are only warranted for one year, and while most batteries will last longer than that, there's never a guarantee.
I've seen laptop batteries last for 5, 6 or even 7 years, but those are definitely rare exceptions to the rule.
In most cases they'll last anywhere from 1 to 3 years, depending on the initial quality of the battery and the way it's used with the laptop.
Here are a few general guidelines to consider when trying to decide whether a misbehaving battery needs to be placed or not:
1 - Is the battery more than a year old?
2 - Does the laptop shut down a lot sooner than it did when the battery was new?
3 - Does the battery fail to charge all the way up to 100%?
4 - If the battery is removable, does the laptop operate correctly without shutting down with the battery removed and the machine running on AC wall power?
If the answer to either of those questions is yes, you might as well plan on simply replacing the battery.
On the other hand, if the laptop is completely dead and/or it won't run at all with the battery removed, the the fault likely lies with the AC adapter/charger or the laptop itself.
Bottom line: Although there are rare exceptions, the AC adapter/charger and the charging circuitry inside the laptop itself are much less likely to be at fault than the battery.
Therefore, it's almost always safe to assume that you need to buy a new battery unless the battery is brand new.
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The latest from Rick’s Daily Tips...
• Q&A: Why is my Chrome browser running really slow?
A reader asks for help with fixing an issue with his computer's Chrome browser running very slowly.
• Review: EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard Pro
For this post I test and review the latest version of EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard Pro.
• Q&A: Can I set an iPad to give a visual alert for new notifications?
A reader wants to know if there's a way to make her hearing-impaired husband's iPad light up every time a new notification comes in. The answer is yes, and this post explains how to set it up.
• Click here to see today's 'Picture of the Day' .
Every morning I post a new photo that I find inspiring, intriguing, or just plain beautiful to look at. Jumpstart your day by checking it out.
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Rick's Daily Pick...
Every day I feature a tech item that I’ve hand-picked to be among the best of the best.
Click here to see what I’m loving today.
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Today's post from 'My Daily Smile'...
Does Publishers Clearing House really give away all that money? How can they afford it?
Do you ever wonder if the Publisher's Clearing House Sweepstakes giveaways are legit (and how they can afford to simply give away all that dough every year)? This post has the answer.
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Tech news that caught my eye...
• Starlink Internet service to exit beta status next month
• Treasury to issue new cryptocurrency sanctions on ransomware payments
• TikTok challenge encourages students to steal soap dispensers and COVID tests
• Here's everything Apple unveiled at its big iPhone event
• Google Pixel Fold could launch before the end of 2021
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Rick's Photo / File Recovery Service...
Do you have precious photos and/or other irreplaceable files that you'd like to recover from a non-working computer?
Chances are I'll be able to recover them for you, even if the machine won't turn on or start up correctly.
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Thanks so much, and have an amazing day.
Your tech buddy,
Rick Rouse