Laptop-Leave the battery in or take out?

[Jane Masri]

My laptop battery has finally stopped working.  As I use the laptop as a PC & is always plugged into the mains should I take the battery out or just leave things as they are?

Jane

[RJ_Paton]

Safety wise it is not a problem either way (you'll find plenty of experts on both sides of the fence) ... BUT  in some laptops the structure of the machine uses the rigid battery to provide structural strength to another wise relatively flimsy case.

[BucksFerret]

The second battery I've had in a now nearly nine year old Fujitsu packed up about three months ago. Most recently I've been using it to rip CDs to flac files, and it's had quite a bit of work to do but with no ill effects with the dead battery left in. I don't intend to replace the battery again, since the machine is technologically so old. If you prefer to take the battery out, Falkryn makes a good point about the structure of the machine, which only you'll be able to take a call on.

GRAHAM

[Jane Masri]

Thank you both for your replies.  I shall just leave it in as it's not going to harm anything,

Jane

[Jeanette H]

Hello,

We have (2) HP Pavillion G6 Laptops, having purchased both about 2-3yrs ago.
We always use them on mains power, only use the batteries when the power goes off.
(This enables us to watch a DVD or listen to a CD, when we have nothing else to do, while the Power is out.)

We keep them fully charged in case of emergency.
If we are going anywhere we take the Laptop with us on battery, but usually try to run it on power while away.
We have also found that the batteries do not last as long as they should, only last about an hour or so.
However, they do retain the charge, when not in use.

Jeanette H.

[groom]

We have also found that the batteries do not last as long as they should, only last about an hour or so.
However, they do retain the charge, when not in use.

That could be because you leave them plugged in all the time. I believe that you should allow your battery to run out completely every so often as that prolongs its life.

[Flattybasher9]

If your battery is finally refusing a charge, and you are leaving it in your laptop, you will need to inspect it every month. As you are using your charger with the battery in place, there is a possibility that the battery will eventually swell and burst. If this happens, and it turns out to be a serious leak, the alkali in the battery will attack the circuit board(s) and you will more than likely loose the laptop.

http://brokensecrets.com/2011/02/23/how-to-clean-up-a-leaking-battery/

Regards

Malky

[Jeanette H]

Hello,

Sorry if there is some confusion with what I meant, but I did not say that we leave the batteries in the Laptops all the time.
In fact, the batteries are removed when not in use.
The battery life is the same as when we first purchased the Laptops, perhaps this was a fault in the beginning.

Jeanette H.

[Jane Masri]

Mmmmm, doesn't sound good Malky  perhaps I will take it out.  Don't know what to do now 

Jane