PCFix: My laptop battery lasts 15minutes

My laptop battery lasts 15minutes

My laptop battery doesn’t last more than 15 minutes; an engineer said it is because I just close the lid instead of shutting down. How can I increase the battery duration? A.M

Answer:

Hi A.M, first thing to note is that your laptop battery needs to be replaced. What caused the battery to go bad includes but not limited to age, over-charging, over-heating, moisture, and other technical reasons. By default, depending on the operating system software you have installed on your laptop, closing the lid of your computer would activate one of these functions; stand-by, hibernate or shut down. While hibernate and shut down powers off your computer completely, stand-by keeps it in a low powered state so that you can resume anytime.

If left for a long time, your laptop battery will eventually drain in standby mode; this however, does not harm your laptop battery. To prolong the lifespan of your laptop (or any other mobile device) battery, you should calibrate it once in a month; this involves using up the battery until the computer shuts down, then charge it all the way up, repeat the process and you are good to go.

How to fix a rip-off laptop key

I was cleaning the keyboard of my laptop with a cloth napkin and one of the keys came off. I tried putting it back but it just won’t stay in, what can I do? O.G

Answer:

Hi O.G, there is a tiny lever underneath each key; it can be either metallic or plastic, whatever material it is made from, please note that it is very fragile and cleaning with a cloth material would rip-off some of the keys. It is advisable to use a soft brush with a cleaning agent specialized for electronic devices.

You will find one of such cleaning agents in spray cans at your local electronics store; use this for cleaning your computer keyboard. If more than one key has been compromised, you can make use of a glue to stick the key to the rubber conductor that sits on the keyboard panel. If all else fails, you may have to replace the keyboard of your computer.

Installing trial software

I installed trial software and after it expired, I uninstalled it and re-installed, but it shows a warning message that my trial period is over. What do you advice? J.C

Answer:

Hi J, it is interesting to note that you are not the only one who has thought like this before. There is certain software we don’t intend to buy, but just want to use it on a trial basis, and get some work done before our time runs out (literally). Software publishers have since caught on to this thought pattern of end users and have included a chunk of codes into their software algorithm that makes it virtually impossible for you to continue using the software after the expiration of the trial period without purchasing a license or an activation code.

When you install any software on your computer, especially if you have the Microsoft Windows Operating System Software installed, certain files are installed in your computer registry; these files are left on your computer even when you uninstall the software. You can buy the software if you really cannot do without it to enjoy the full benefits including support from the publisher.

Alternatively, you can search online for other software that can get the same work done; if you are on a budget, you should consider free and/or open source software, as these will not give you a time limit to try the software. It is worthy of note that free software may not offer the robust features and support that paid versions do.

Effects of having more than one anti-virus on a PC

What are the effects of having more than one antivirus software installed on a computer? F. T

Answer:

Hi F, antivirus software is written to access the root of the system directory of your computer, and as such, multiple antivirus software would cause conflict on your computer and could eventually cause system failure.

The popular belief that more antivirus software equates greater security is a myth and you are better off with single updated antivirus software on your computer than multiple conflicting antivirus software.

How to balance trade with Internet Service Providers

How can I monitor my internet usage so as to cross-check with my service provider’s billing system? G.E

Answer:

Hi G, depending on the operating system software installed on your computer, you will find lots of bandwidth monitor software on the internet, and they log all incoming and outgoing network traffic both on your computer and on your home/office network.

They also allow you export daily, weekly, monthly reports.

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