Signs of recognition and how to check laptop battery health

After a long period of use, the life of a laptop battery will most likely be reduced, a phenomenon called battery wear. TipsMake's article below will show you signs and instructions on how to check laptop battery health.

Why should you check your laptop battery?

For laptops, the battery is often the part that degrades the fastest over time. Regularly checking the status of laptop batteries helps users avoid battery damage that affects work and entertainment. At the same time, understand the battery's condition and find an effective solution.

Signs that your laptop has a dead battery

Most laptops, whether in the mid-range or high-end segment, will encounter battery wear due to long-term use. Here are the signs of a laptop with a dead battery that you need to pay attention to:

1. Battery notification is displayed from the operating system. In this case, users must quickly replace the laptop battery immediately.
2. Compared to when I first bought it, the time spent using the laptop is greatly reduced. In addition, you have to keep charging continuously. This proves that your laptop battery is gradually deteriorating.

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The main reason why laptop batteries run out

Below are the main causes of laptop battery drain:

1. The habit of plugging in the charger while using the laptop causes the laptop to charge and discharge the battery at the same time.
2. The battery charging process cannot take place continuously due to reasons such as loose sockets, power outages, etc.
3. Users use laptops with high intensity.
4. Wait for the laptop to run out of battery and turn off before plugging in the charger.
5. The heatsink is damaged or covered with too much dirt.
6. After a long period of use, battery life is greatly affected. This is inevitable in any laptop
7. Using a poor quality charger for a long time can cause laptop battery degradation.

Instructions for checking laptop battery health

How to check battery health is quite easy. To check the battery level of your laptop, you can apply the following 2 ways:

Check laptop battery using CPUID HWMonitor software

Step 1 : First download the CPUID HWMonitor software using this link:https://www.cpuid.com/downloads/hwmonitor/hwmonitor_1.40.zip > Click  DOWNLOAD NOW .

Step 2 : Right-click on the newly downloaded  file ' hwmonitor_1.40 ' > Click Extract files.

Select  OK  to decompress the file.

Step 3 : Double click on the HWMonitor_x32  or HWMonitor_x64  folder  (depending on your computer version)  to start running and configure the software.

Step 4 : Scroll down to see 3 parameters  Design Capacity ,  Full Charge Capacity  and  Wear Level .

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Accordingly :

1. Design Capacity is the battery capacity provided by the manufacturer.
2. Full Charge Capacity is the actual battery capacity of the laptop after completing the charging process.
3. Wear Level is the laptop's battery level.

If the Wear Level parameter is greater than 50%, you should replace the laptop battery immediately. Otherwise, you can continue to use your laptop as normal.

Note : This software is only at a relative level and cannot show accurate results. Users need to observe and pay attention to laptop battery usage time, replace it immediately if it is too short.

Do not use the software

You can check the battery level by manual operations on the computer. In particular, there are 2 ways to check without using software that you can apply:

Method 1 – Check with Window + R

Step 1 : Press the Windows  +  R key combination   to see the Run dialog box > Type ' cmd ' > Press  Enter , the Command Prompt  interface will be displayed.

Step 2 : Type the command  powercfg /batteryreport  > Press  Enter .

Step 3 : The message  Battery life report saved to C:User  is displayed. This means you have completed extracting the file reporting the current laptop battery status.

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Step 4 : Copy  the address line  just displayed in step 3 > Then enter it into the address bar at ' My computer ' > Press  Enter  to open the file.

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Step 5 : Scroll down, go to  Installed batteries  > Here will display the parameters  Design Capacity  and  Full Charge Capacity . From those two parameters, you can easily know the status of your laptop battery. The battery level is the difference between the above two indicators. If the difference is > 10,000 mWh, you should replace the battery immediately.

Accordingly :

1. Design Capacity represents the battery capacity provided by the manufacturer.
2. Full Charge Capacity represents the actual battery capacity after the laptop has been fully charged.

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Method 2 – Test using PowerShell

Step 1: Press the Windows + X key combination , the options panel will appear > Select Windows PowerShell .

Step 2: The PowerShell window appears, enter the command powercfg /batteryreport > Press Enter .

Step 3: Perform the steps to read the index in the retrieved file like method 1.

Instructions on how to use the battery properly so it won't last long

Using laptop batteries properly will help avoid wear and tear and prolong battery life. Here are some usage instructions to help your battery last longer that you should know:

1. You should place your laptop in a dry place to work, avoid using your laptop in environments with high humidity and temperature.
2. Using a cooling pad and placing the laptop on a flat place will help prolong battery life.
3. To keep the battery circuit long lasting, use the genuine charging cable sold with the device. In case of buying a new one, you must buy the correct charging cord that is compatible with the device.
4. Clean and periodically maintain your laptop at least once a year. This helps limit the laptop getting hot when in use and avoid battery drain.
5. Limit the situation of using up the battery, wait for the laptop to power down before plugging in the charger. When the battery shows 10-20% left, bring your laptop to charge immediately.
6. Be sure to turn off the device properly so that it is refreshed and ready for the next boot.

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Instructions for calibrating the battery so that the laptop does not wear out

In order for the laptop's battery capacity to be displayed most accurately, users should follow the process of fully charging and then completely discharging the battery. The following steps will help you calibrate the battery easily:

Step 1: Plug in the laptop charger until it's full. Then let the battery rest for 2 hours.

Step 2: Next, open the laptop and set the automatic hibernate mode when the battery capacity is 3%.

Step 3: Use the laptop until the battery runs out, at this point the device will be placed in hibernate state . Finally, you need to maintain this state for 5 hours then plug in the laptop battery until it is full again.

Instructions for battery preservation to limit laptop battery wear

In case you do not use the battery for a long time, you need to remove the battery and place it in a cool and dry place. Note : At this time, the battery only needs to be at 40%, not at 100%.

If you need to buy a backup battery, you should consider it. In reality, you will never be able to use both batteries at the same time. This will lead to battery life and storage capacity being reduced if not used.

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When should the battery be replaced with a new one?

After following the instructions above to check the laptop's battery status. Please compare with the following results to come up with the most optimal solution:

1. Wear Level notification 0% > Battery condition is normal and stable. You do not need to replace the battery at this time.
2. Wear Level is currently below 50% > The battery is currently worn out but is still usable and does not require replacement. But laptop usage time will be reduced to about 50% of the original time. For example, the battery normally lasts 6 hours but now it can only be used for about 3 hours.
3. Wear Level from 50% - 100% > Quickly go to reputable laptop warranty centers to replace a new battery for your laptop.

Epilogue

Hopefully after reading TipsMake's article above, you will clearly understand the signs and how to check the battery level of your laptop. From there, provide appropriate treatment to avoid affecting work and entertainment performance. Thank you for following the article.

Isabella Humphrey

Update 03 October 2023