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stop laptop suspending when battery gets low


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Guest Andy Fish
Posted

Hi,

 

I have a sony TR5 laptop which is about 3 years old now. Although the

battery will last a good 2 hours, the battery meter drops to 0% after about

1/2 that time.

 

That's not a problem in itself - I've seen it on other laptops before. I

simply went on to the "alarms" section of the power control panel and made

sure that it didn't hibernate when the battery level goes below 3%. I have

to suffer the occasional unexpected shutdown when the battery actually runs

out but I can live with that.

 

That was fine until I reinstalled windows XP and now the PC always

hibernates when it thinks the battery is low i.e. after an hour, regardless

of how I configure the low battery alarms.

 

is there something else that is taking priority over these settings. It's a

PITA only being able to use 1/2 the battery life of the laptop.

 

TIA

 

Andy

Guest David Webb
Posted

Re: stop laptop suspending when battery gets low

 

Check your owner's manual to see if there's a calibration procedure required

when you install a new battery. If so, try it using your existing battery.

 

Good luck!

 

"Andy Fish" <ajfish@blueyonder.co.uk> wrote in message

news:oYtMi.62888$BW4.55530@fe1.news.blueyonder.co.uk...

| Hi,

|

| I have a sony TR5 laptop which is about 3 years old now. Although the

| battery will last a good 2 hours, the battery meter drops to 0% after about

| 1/2 that time.

|

| That's not a problem in itself - I've seen it on other laptops before. I

| simply went on to the "alarms" section of the power control panel and made

| sure that it didn't hibernate when the battery level goes below 3%. I have

| to suffer the occasional unexpected shutdown when the battery actually runs

| out but I can live with that.

|

| That was fine until I reinstalled windows XP and now the PC always

| hibernates when it thinks the battery is low i.e. after an hour, regardless

| of how I configure the low battery alarms.

|

| is there something else that is taking priority over these settings. It's a

| PITA only being able to use 1/2 the battery life of the laptop.

|

| TIA

|

| Andy

|

|

Posted

Re: stop laptop suspending when battery gets low

 

Andy Fish wrote:

> Hi,

>

> I have a sony TR5 laptop which is about 3 years old now. Although the

> battery will last a good 2 hours, the battery meter drops to 0% after about

> 1/2 that time.

>

> That's not a problem in itself - I've seen it on other laptops before. I

> simply went on to the "alarms" section of the power control panel and made

> sure that it didn't hibernate when the battery level goes below 3%. I have

> to suffer the occasional unexpected shutdown when the battery actually runs

> out but I can live with that.

>

> That was fine until I reinstalled windows XP and now the PC always

> hibernates when it thinks the battery is low i.e. after an hour, regardless

> of how I configure the low battery alarms.

>

> is there something else that is taking priority over these settings. It's a

> PITA only being able to use 1/2 the battery life of the laptop.

>

> TIA

>

> Andy

>

>

Did you save the drivers for the laptop before you reloaded it?

Did you visit the vendor site for sw updates? Driverguide.com?

It's not unusual for the vendor (Sony) to overlay a separate power

management utility.

 

FWIW, the failure mode of LiION batteries is increased series resistance.

The electrons are in there, but the laptop won't let you have them

because it thinks the voltage is low (due to series resistance under

load). So, your battery is "bad". Yes, the vendors could design around

that issue, but then they'd make less money. Some clever dude could

make a fortune with a battery utility that was aware of this problem...

at least until the bankruptcy due to the first lawsuit

they got caught up in through no fault of their own.

 

mike

mike

 

--

Return address is VALID!

Guest PA Bear
Posted

Re: stop laptop suspending when battery gets low

 

How old is the battery? How long have you been using it? Was it

remanufactured/recycled battery or a brand new one? Did you purchase it

from Toshiba? Do you leave the battery in the bay even when running on AC

power? Do you store the battery at 100% charge?

 

Why did you find it necessary or choose to reinstall Windows? Did you do a

Repair Install or format & reinstall? Is the machine fully patched at

Windows Update? Are there driver and/or BIOS updates available from the

computer manufacturer's website that you've not install yet?

--

~Robear Dyer (PA Bear), working offline

MS MVP-Windows (IE, OE, Security, Shell/User)

AumHa VSOP & Admin http://aumha.net

DTS-L http://dts-l.org/

 

Andy Fish wrote:

> Hi,

>

> I have a sony TR5 laptop which is about 3 years old now. Although the

> battery will last a good 2 hours, the battery meter drops to 0% after

> about

> 1/2 that time.

>

> That's not a problem in itself - I've seen it on other laptops before. I

> simply went on to the "alarms" section of the power control panel and made

> sure that it didn't hibernate when the battery level goes below 3%. I have

> to suffer the occasional unexpected shutdown when the battery actually

> runs

> out but I can live with that.

>

> That was fine until I reinstalled windows XP and now the PC always

> hibernates when it thinks the battery is low i.e. after an hour,

> regardless

> of how I configure the low battery alarms.

>

> is there something else that is taking priority over these settings. It's

> a

> PITA only being able to use 1/2 the battery life of the laptop.

>

> TIA

>

> Andy

Guest Andy Fish
Posted

Re: stop laptop suspending when battery gets low

 

thanks for all the responses (and thanks to mike for the explanation)

 

basically I reinstalled because it just seemed to be full of crap and I

wanted to clean it out - it runs much faster now so that part of it was a

success. Because the dvd drive is broken I could not use the sony recovery

DVD so I had to install vanilla windows xp.

 

I reinstalled all the sony drivers and also the sony specific power

management, and I've checked on their web site and there are no more

updates. I've also done all the windows updates

 

the battery is the original battery that came with the laptop and there

aren't instructions on how to recalibrate. I don't particularly want to

replace the battery because I know it's good for 2 hours which is fine for

me - it's just a PITA not being able to use the last hour of it

 

Andy

 

"PA Bear" <PABearMVP@gmail.com> wrote in message

news:OgkODcUBIHA.1168@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...

> How old is the battery? How long have you been using it? Was it

> remanufactured/recycled battery or a brand new one? Did you purchase it

> from Toshiba? Do you leave the battery in the bay even when running on AC

> power? Do you store the battery at 100% charge?

>

> Why did you find it necessary or choose to reinstall Windows? Did you do

> a Repair Install or format & reinstall? Is the machine fully patched at

> Windows Update? Are there driver and/or BIOS updates available from the

> computer manufacturer's website that you've not install yet?

> --

> ~Robear Dyer (PA Bear), working offline

> MS MVP-Windows (IE, OE, Security, Shell/User)

> AumHa VSOP & Admin http://aumha.net

> DTS-L http://dts-l.org/

>

> Andy Fish wrote:

>> Hi,

>>

>> I have a sony TR5 laptop which is about 3 years old now. Although the

>> battery will last a good 2 hours, the battery meter drops to 0% after

>> about

>> 1/2 that time.

>>

>> That's not a problem in itself - I've seen it on other laptops before. I

>> simply went on to the "alarms" section of the power control panel and

>> made

>> sure that it didn't hibernate when the battery level goes below 3%. I

>> have

>> to suffer the occasional unexpected shutdown when the battery actually

>> runs

>> out but I can live with that.

>>

>> That was fine until I reinstalled windows XP and now the PC always

>> hibernates when it thinks the battery is low i.e. after an hour,

>> regardless

>> of how I configure the low battery alarms.

>>

>> is there something else that is taking priority over these settings. It's

>> a

>> PITA only being able to use 1/2 the battery life of the laptop.

>>

>> TIA

>>

>> Andy

>

Guest PA Bear
Posted

Re: stop laptop suspending when battery gets low

 

Reposting a few items:

>> Do you leave the battery in the bay even when running on AC

>> power? Do you store the battery at 100% charge?

 

If the machine and the battery are 3-years-old, I'm afraid it's time for a

new battery, Andy. Expect to pay ~$150US. With proper treatment, the usual

lifespan of a LIon battery is only 2-3 years. (I just had to replace a

3-year-old one.) See http://www.batteryuniversity.com/index.htm for some

tips.

--

~PA Bear

 

 

Andy Fish wrote:

> thanks for all the responses (and thanks to mike for the explanation)

>

> basically I reinstalled because it just seemed to be full of crap and I

> wanted to clean it out - it runs much faster now so that part of it was a

> success. Because the dvd drive is broken I could not use the sony recovery

> DVD so I had to install vanilla windows xp.

>

> I reinstalled all the sony drivers and also the sony specific power

> management, and I've checked on their web site and there are no more

> updates. I've also done all the windows updates

>

> the battery is the original battery that came with the laptop and there

> aren't instructions on how to recalibrate. I don't particularly want to

> replace the battery because I know it's good for 2 hours which is fine for

> me - it's just a PITA not being able to use the last hour of it

>

> Andy

>

> "PA Bear" <PABearMVP@gmail.com> wrote in message

> news:OgkODcUBIHA.1168@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...

>> How old is the battery? How long have you been using it? Was it

>> remanufactured/recycled battery or a brand new one? Did you purchase it

>> from Toshiba? Do you leave the battery in the bay even when running on

>> AC

>> power? Do you store the battery at 100% charge?

>>

>> Why did you find it necessary or choose to reinstall Windows? Did you do

>> a Repair Install or format & reinstall? Is the machine fully patched at

>> Windows Update? Are there driver and/or BIOS updates available from the

>> computer manufacturer's website that you've not install yet?

>> --

>> ~Robear Dyer (PA Bear), working offline

>> MS MVP-Windows (IE, OE, Security, Shell/User)

>> AumHa VSOP & Admin http://aumha.net

>> DTS-L http://dts-l.org/

>>

>> Andy Fish wrote:

>>> Hi,

>>>

>>> I have a sony TR5 laptop which is about 3 years old now. Although the

>>> battery will last a good 2 hours, the battery meter drops to 0% after

>>> about

>>> 1/2 that time.

>>>

>>> That's not a problem in itself - I've seen it on other laptops before. I

>>> simply went on to the "alarms" section of the power control panel and

>>> made

>>> sure that it didn't hibernate when the battery level goes below 3%. I

>>> have

>>> to suffer the occasional unexpected shutdown when the battery actually

>>> runs

>>> out but I can live with that.

>>>

>>> That was fine until I reinstalled windows XP and now the PC always

>>> hibernates when it thinks the battery is low i.e. after an hour,

>>> regardless

>>> of how I configure the low battery alarms.

>>>

>>> is there something else that is taking priority over these settings.

>>> It's

>>> a

>>> PITA only being able to use 1/2 the battery life of the laptop.

>>>

>>> TIA

>>>

>>> Andy

Guest Andy Fish
Posted

Re: stop laptop suspending when battery gets low

 

yes I normally leave it plugged in with the battery in all the time, and yes

I realise this isn't the best way to prolong the battery life - it's just

the most convenient

 

to be honest I think i'll live with it rather than shell out for a new

battery

 

like i said it's a PITA That I know the battery will last for 2 hours but it

suspends after 1

 

"PA Bear" <PABearMVP@gmail.com> wrote in message

news:ObwphYfBIHA.3716@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...

> Reposting a few items:

>>> Do you leave the battery in the bay even when running on AC

>>> power? Do you store the battery at 100% charge?

>

> If the machine and the battery are 3-years-old, I'm afraid it's time for a

> new battery, Andy. Expect to pay ~$150US. With proper treatment, the

> usual lifespan of a LIon battery is only 2-3 years. (I just had to

> replace a 3-year-old one.) See http://www.batteryuniversity.com/index.htm

> for some tips.

> --

> ~PA Bear

>

>

> Andy Fish wrote:

>> thanks for all the responses (and thanks to mike for the explanation)

>>

>> basically I reinstalled because it just seemed to be full of crap and I

>> wanted to clean it out - it runs much faster now so that part of it was a

>> success. Because the dvd drive is broken I could not use the sony

>> recovery

>> DVD so I had to install vanilla windows xp.

>>

>> I reinstalled all the sony drivers and also the sony specific power

>> management, and I've checked on their web site and there are no more

>> updates. I've also done all the windows updates

>>

>> the battery is the original battery that came with the laptop and there

>> aren't instructions on how to recalibrate. I don't particularly want to

>> replace the battery because I know it's good for 2 hours which is fine

>> for

>> me - it's just a PITA not being able to use the last hour of it

>>

>> Andy

>>

>> "PA Bear" <PABearMVP@gmail.com> wrote in message

>> news:OgkODcUBIHA.1168@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...

>>> How old is the battery? How long have you been using it? Was it

>>> remanufactured/recycled battery or a brand new one? Did you purchase it

>>> from Toshiba? Do you leave the battery in the bay even when running on

>>> AC

>>> power? Do you store the battery at 100% charge?

>>>

>>> Why did you find it necessary or choose to reinstall Windows? Did you

>>> do

>>> a Repair Install or format & reinstall? Is the machine fully patched at

>>> Windows Update? Are there driver and/or BIOS updates available from the

>>> computer manufacturer's website that you've not install yet?

>>> --

>>> ~Robear Dyer (PA Bear), working offline

>>> MS MVP-Windows (IE, OE, Security, Shell/User)

>>> AumHa VSOP & Admin http://aumha.net

>>> DTS-L http://dts-l.org/

>>>

>>> Andy Fish wrote:

>>>> Hi,

>>>>

>>>> I have a sony TR5 laptop which is about 3 years old now. Although the

>>>> battery will last a good 2 hours, the battery meter drops to 0% after

>>>> about

>>>> 1/2 that time.

>>>>

>>>> That's not a problem in itself - I've seen it on other laptops before.

>>>> I

>>>> simply went on to the "alarms" section of the power control panel and

>>>> made

>>>> sure that it didn't hibernate when the battery level goes below 3%. I

>>>> have

>>>> to suffer the occasional unexpected shutdown when the battery actually

>>>> runs

>>>> out but I can live with that.

>>>>

>>>> That was fine until I reinstalled windows XP and now the PC always

>>>> hibernates when it thinks the battery is low i.e. after an hour,

>>>> regardless

>>>> of how I configure the low battery alarms.

>>>>

>>>> is there something else that is taking priority over these settings.

>>>> It's

>>>> a

>>>> PITA only being able to use 1/2 the battery life of the laptop.

>>>>

>>>> TIA

>>>>

>>>> Andy

>

Guest PA Bear
Posted

Re: stop laptop suspending when battery gets low

 

Save your work...OFTEN.

 

Andy Fish wrote:

> yes I normally leave it plugged in with the battery in all the time, and

> yes

> I realise this isn't the best way to prolong the battery life - it's just

> the most convenient

>

> to be honest I think i'll live with it rather than shell out for a new

> battery

>

> like i said it's a PITA That I know the battery will last for 2 hours but

> it

> suspends after 1

>

> "PA Bear" <PABearMVP@gmail.com> wrote in message

> news:ObwphYfBIHA.3716@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...

>> Reposting a few items:

>>>> Do you leave the battery in the bay even when running on AC

>>>> power? Do you store the battery at 100% charge?

>>

>> If the machine and the battery are 3-years-old, I'm afraid it's time for

>> a

>> new battery, Andy. Expect to pay ~$150US. With proper treatment, the

>> usual lifespan of a LIon battery is only 2-3 years. (I just had to

>> replace a 3-year-old one.) See

>> http://www.batteryuniversity.com/index.htm

>> for some tips.

>> --

>> ~PA Bear

>>

>>

>> Andy Fish wrote:

>>> thanks for all the responses (and thanks to mike for the explanation)

>>>

>>> basically I reinstalled because it just seemed to be full of crap and I

>>> wanted to clean it out - it runs much faster now so that part of it was

>>> a

>>> success. Because the dvd drive is broken I could not use the sony

>>> recovery

>>> DVD so I had to install vanilla windows xp.

>>>

>>> I reinstalled all the sony drivers and also the sony specific power

>>> management, and I've checked on their web site and there are no more

>>> updates. I've also done all the windows updates

>>>

>>> the battery is the original battery that came with the laptop and there

>>> aren't instructions on how to recalibrate. I don't particularly want to

>>> replace the battery because I know it's good for 2 hours which is fine

>>> for

>>> me - it's just a PITA not being able to use the last hour of it

>>>

>>> Andy

>>>

>>> "PA Bear" <PABearMVP@gmail.com> wrote in message

>>> news:OgkODcUBIHA.1168@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...

>>>> How old is the battery? How long have you been using it? Was it

>>>> remanufactured/recycled battery or a brand new one? Did you purchase

>>>> it

>>>> from Toshiba? Do you leave the battery in the bay even when running on

>>>> AC

>>>> power? Do you store the battery at 100% charge?

>>>>

>>>> Why did you find it necessary or choose to reinstall Windows? Did you

>>>> do

>>>> a Repair Install or format & reinstall? Is the machine fully patched

>>>> at

>>>> Windows Update? Are there driver and/or BIOS updates available from

>>>> the

>>>> computer manufacturer's website that you've not install yet?

>>>> --

>>>> ~Robear Dyer (PA Bear), working offline

>>>> MS MVP-Windows (IE, OE, Security, Shell/User)

>>>> AumHa VSOP & Admin http://aumha.net

>>>> DTS-L http://dts-l.org/

>>>>

>>>> Andy Fish wrote:

>>>>> Hi,

>>>>>

>>>>> I have a sony TR5 laptop which is about 3 years old now. Although the

>>>>> battery will last a good 2 hours, the battery meter drops to 0% after

>>>>> about

>>>>> 1/2 that time.

>>>>>

>>>>> That's not a problem in itself - I've seen it on other laptops before.

>>>>> I

>>>>> simply went on to the "alarms" section of the power control panel and

>>>>> made

>>>>> sure that it didn't hibernate when the battery level goes below 3%. I

>>>>> have

>>>>> to suffer the occasional unexpected shutdown when the battery actually

>>>>> runs

>>>>> out but I can live with that.

>>>>>

>>>>> That was fine until I reinstalled windows XP and now the PC always

>>>>> hibernates when it thinks the battery is low i.e. after an hour,

>>>>> regardless

>>>>> of how I configure the low battery alarms.

>>>>>

>>>>> is there something else that is taking priority over these settings.

>>>>> It's

>>>>> a

>>>>> PITA only being able to use 1/2 the battery life of the laptop.

>>>>>

>>>>> TIA

>>>>>

>>>>> Andy

Guest M.I.5¾
Posted

Re: stop laptop suspending when battery gets low

 

 

"PA Bear" <PABearMVP@gmail.com> wrote in message

news:ObwphYfBIHA.3716@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...

> Reposting a few items:

>>> Do you leave the battery in the bay even when running on AC

>>> power? Do you store the battery at 100% charge?

>

> If the machine and the battery are 3-years-old, I'm afraid it's time for a

> new battery, Andy. Expect to pay ~$150US. With proper treatment, the

> usual lifespan of a LIon battery is only 2-3 years. (I just had to

> replace a 3-year-old one.) See http://www.batteryuniversity.com/index.htm

> for some tips.

> --

 

Rubbish.

 

Properly looked after Li-ion batteries can last 10 years or more. I have

several examples that are 14 years old and still give full capacity.

 

The things that cause batteries to fail are:

 

1. Use. Li-ion batteries only have a (typically) 300-500 cycle

charge/discharge life (or 600-1000 half cycle).

 

2. Lack of use. Leaving batteries unused causes the internal resistance to

rise due to oxidation. How quickly this occurs depends on many factors

mostly related to the actual construction.

 

But worst of all

 

3. Heat. Even modest amounts of heat will kill a Li-ion battery. Which is

why they should be removed rom a laptop if it is being used on AC power

(unless being charged - best done with laptop otherwise off).

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