Some Laptop Questions

[BlackBird.]

Hello,

I just got a laptop for my 18th birthday, and I got some questions

I see a map called Program Files, and one called Program Files (x86), whats the x86 thing? Why are there 2 maps?

Also I have 3 maps on my C: drive called: ENZ1LP51, FRZ1LP51 and NLZ1LP41, what are those?

And another thing, I have a feeling that my battery goes empty real quick, I am installing some program which might cause that. But what makes the battery go empty real quick? Internet? Games? Installing programs?

Im totally new with a laptop so I would appreciate any help

Thanks,

~Bird.

 

[Blue Stealth]

x86 basically is for programs that dont support 64-bit. programs which lack the support will be installed there.

ENZ1LP51, FRZ1LP51 and NLZ1LP41

perhaps those are drivers of some sort? EN, FR, and NL look like language packs

power consumption differs from laptop to laptop. GPU's drain quite a bit of power, along with programs that are always running in the background such as anti virus, etc. The programs themselves dont use much batt, but the cpu operations do.

you can prolong your battery life by turning on power saving functions like speed step, or dimming the screen brightness. You can also turn off unneeded hardware such as your bluetooth stack or your wireless card is you are connected via ethernet.

-Blue

 

[BlackBird.]

Ok, thank blue I know power consumption is different, but what is like, avarage? I just heard from a guy he could play minecraft for 1 hour, and then hes out.

Can some people tell me how long they can do things? Not precisely, but just global so I get an idea

 

[Blue Stealth]

Ok, thank blue I know power consumption is different, but what is like, avarage? I just heard from a guy he could play minecraft for 1 hour, and then hes out.

Can some people tell me how long they can do things? Not precisely, but just global so I get an idea

like i said, depends on the hardware config.

on my integrated GPU I have power for a good 3 hours. Using my dedicated GPU's(SLI) I have about 45 minutes.

-Blue

 

[BlackBird.]

Ok thanks I quess i just use the laptop connected mostly. But that isnt bad for the laptop, right?

 

[Snipeye]

Yes and no. The quirk about lithium ion batteries is that the amount of power they store will deteriorate over time. The longer the battery has power stored, the quicker it will begin to deteriorate. Which is ironic, since to maximize your portability, you want to have the maximum amount of power stored. I think recommended battery replacement is like 3-5 years because of this. So when you're plugging the laptop in, your battery will hold less and less of a charge over time. But, if that's what you usually do, then it shouldn't be a problem.

Also, it probably helps to try to find a review of your laptop as they may have tested the battery. As Blue said, the configuration of the laptop itself affects its battery life, but the most relevant ones are:
Battery size (6-cell, 8-cell, 9 cell)
Onboard graphics or dedicated GPU (there are some that are switchable, so when you're playing graphic-intensive games, the GPU is on, but for word docs and Internet browsing, it turns off and uses onboard graphics, thereby maximizing battery life)
Display screen: Smaller screens have longer battery lives usually (requires less power). Plus the brightness affects battery life (use a lower brightness setting to extend life)
Hard drive: SSD vs Traditional

For an FYI, I'm using a Lenovo IdeaPad 14" with switchable graphics. So I get around 5 hrs with onboard graphics, and about 2.5hrs with dedicated GPU.

 

[Ric]

A trick I did to preserving battery life is when it's plugged in and the battery is fully charged, unplug the battery. That way, there's no chance of spillage or usage, except for what happens naturally. When I go mobile, I plug it back in. I'm on a bus, a lot..So, it's fairly useful to me when I don't have time to continuously charge my laptop's battery.

In Florida, we have a place called "All Batteries"..This store sells Laptop batteries specific to conserving energy..I bought my recent battery from them for 59.99, gave me about 2 hours additional idle time and about 1 and a half hour playing time verse my original lithium battery.

 

[iEye Captain]

A trick I did to preserving battery life is when it's plugged in and the battery is fully charged, unplug the battery. That way, there's no chance of spillage or usage, except for what happens naturally. When I go mobile, I plug it back in. I'm on a bus, a lot..So, it's fairly useful to me when I don't have time to continuously charge my laptop's battery.
/QUOTE]

This is a great way to make your batteries last longer.

I did this too until my friend accidentally kicked my power cord.. and since they don't attach really securely to the laptop.. I lost my work.

 

[BlackBird.]

A trick I did to preserving battery life is when it's plugged in and the battery is fully charged, unplug the battery. That way, there's no chance of spillage or usage, except for what happens naturally. When I go mobile, I plug it back in. I'm on a bus, a lot..So, it's fairly useful to me when I don't have time to continuously charge my laptop's battery.

In Florida, we have a place called "All Batteries"..This store sells Laptop batteries specific to conserving energy..I bought my recent battery from them for 59.99, gave me about 2 hours additional idle time and about 1 and a half hour playing time verse my original lithium battery.

What do you mean with "plug in". I thought you mean connect the charger, but you say: "when I go mobile, I plug it back in". How can you plug it in if you're mobile? dont really get what you mean

 

[Snipeye]

He's talking about two things when he say's It.

To rephrase:

"A trick I did to preserving battery is when the laptop is plugged in, and the battery is fully charged, I removed the battery from the laptop. That way, there's no chance of spillage or usage, except for what happens naturally. When I go mobile, I insert the battery back in."

You're confusing "IT" means the laptop when he means for the battery itself.

 

[BlackBird.]

Thanks Get it now