Windows 7 - Laptop - Total Noob - Battery Life Question

Hi All!

I just got a new laptop.

I went through the suggested 'break-in' cycle with the battery; that is, letting it drain, charging, letting it drain, etc.

So the question is this: Does running the laptop on AC power shorten the life of the battery? This may sound stupid, but I have other battery-run devices that suggest this is a bad idea.

What are best practices for optimizing battery life?
And what can I reasonably expect the life of the battery to be?

TIA,
Richard

If this article is anything to go by it appears that using mains power with the battery still connected can cause damage to the battery.

This week in batteries (TWiB): Pull the plug. Your battery will thank you.

Thanks for the rep, just pleased to have been of help to you.

I think most people feel you can keep you battery in your laptop while you're using electric power. I've even heard experienced users say that there aren't any negative side effects to leaving a battery in the system after it is charged, and there can’t possibly be any, unless your charging circuit does not work, and continues to dump unregulated voltage into the battery.

But most importantly, you should use your battery and let it run all the way down to about 10% power (and never more than 5%) on a regular basis, about once a week or so.

By the way, heat is very bad for batteries, but leaving it plugged in will not cause the battery to overheat.

Imperfect1:
TNX for the extra info!
Been doing a lot of reading about this and your info seems to jibe with that.

Richard