calibrating the notebook battery

8/7/2019 Calibrating the Notebook Battery

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HP Notebook PCs - Calibrating the Notebook

Battery

This document pertains to HP Notebook PCs with Windows 7 and Vista.

Calibrating the notebook batteryCalibrating the battery means recharging the battery to its maximum capacity and resetting the

battery gauge to display the level of charge accurately.

The Windows system tray battery meter may not correctly display the battery charge level whena notebook is new or has not been used for a long period of time. If the battery gauge becomes

inaccurate, use one of the methods below to calibrate the battery gauge reading.

Calibrate the battery while PC is in useA calibration cycle requires that the battery be completely charged and then completelydischarged. During the calibration cycle, the power management properties must be disabled to

allow the battery to completely discharge.

Follow the steps below to calibrate the battery power meter readings.

1. Connect the AC adapter and allow the battery to charge to 99% - 100% of capacity.

2. Disconnect the AC adapter from the notebook PC.3. ClickStart, enterpower in the Search field, and then select Power Options from the

list.4. Select create a power plan from the left sidebar.

5. Click in the Plan name field and type Calibrator. Then, press Enter.

6. Select Never for all topics in the On battery column.7. ClickCreate to accept the values and force the battery to consistently discharge.8. Allow the battery to discharge completely until the notebook PC shuts down.

NOTE: The battery power meter is now calibrated, and the battery level readings should be

accurate.

9. Connect the AC adapter and restart the notebook PC.10.After calibration, return to the Power Options dialog box (Step 3) and select your default

power plan setting.

Calibrate the battery while PC is not in useA calibration cycle requires that the battery be completely charged and then completelydischarged. The calibration may take one to five hours, depending on the age of the battery and

the notebook configuration.


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IntroductionStandby and Hibernation are energy-saving features that conserve power and reduce startup time.

They can be initiated by manually or automatically by the system.

StandbyStandby reduces power to system components that are not in use. When Standby is initiated,work is saved in random-access memory (RAM) and the screen is cleared. Upon resumption

from Standby, the system returns to the screen where it left off.

HibernationHibernation saves work to a hibernation file on the hard drive, then shuts down the notebook.Upon resumption from Hibernation, the system returns to the screen where it left off. If a power-

on password has been set, the password must be entered to resume from Hibernation.

Hibernation can be disabled. However, if Hibernation is disabled, the system does not

automatically save work if the notebook reaches a critical low-battery condition, while power ison or in Standby.

In the Power Options window, Hibernation is not displayed as an option if it has been disabled.

Enable Hibernation in order to select it in the Power Options window. To verify that Hibernation

is enabled:

In Microsoft Windows 2000, clickStart, Settings, Control Panel, then click the Poweroptions icon, and Hibernate tab. Make sure that the Enable Hibernate Support check box

is selected.

In Windows XP, clickStart, Control Panel , then click the Power Options icon, and

Hibernate tab. If Hibernation is enabled, the Enable Hibernation checkbox is selected.

CAUTION:If the configuration of the notebook is changed during Hibernation, resuming from

Hibernation may not be possible. When the notebook is in Hibernation:

Do not dock or undock the notebook in a Port Replicator.

Do not add or remove memory modules. Do not insert or remove the hard drive.

Do not connect or disconnect external devices.

Do not insert or remove a PC Card or a Secure Digital (SD) card.

calibrating the notebook battery

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