Let`s face it, most notebook manufactures don`t tell all the truth about their machines` battery life. When a notebook manufacturer tells you that their machine will last up to 4-5 hours, never take it at face value. The claim of notebook manufactures might be usually true under ideal circumstances, but we hardly find situations ideal in our day to day life. In order to make sure that the battery of your mobile machine lasts up to your expectation, there are a number of tips you can follow. Here are some of the essential guidelines you can follow to take control of your notebook`s battery.

Go for de-fragmentation - Regular de-fragmentation is useful for making your notebook battery last longer. It enables you to arrange available data appropriately and hence the hard drive takes less time for accessing the data. The faster functioning of the hard drive puts lesser load on the battery and hence ensures it lasts longer.

Prefer to pause scheduled tasks - Be it de-fragmentation or virus scanning, when you are near a power outlet; make sure that you schedule it for a specified time period. However, you can also put them on hold for some time.

Keep external devices unplugged - It is always advisable to keep your external devices unplugged, be it your PC cards, external speakers, external mouse, Bluetooth or even an attached iPod. These are USB devices that offer much load on the battery power and hence unplug them, when not in use.

Remove the CD/DVD drives when not in use - Avoid leaving CD/DVDs in the drives when you are not using them. This is important because a spinning drive drains away battery power, thus reducing its life.

Set the lowest level for screen light - LDC screen lights put immense load on battery power. It is always better to keep the brightness level as low as it is convenient for you. For this, you can use either the Display Settings applet in the Control Panel or the Function key toggles.

Reduce the volume and use of multimedia software - Multimedia software and installed sound schemes are complete drain on battery power. Avoid there usage when not required. Mute the speakers when not listening. All this will result in longer battery life.

Prefer hibernation mode over stand by mode - Always prefer hibernation mode over stand by mode because in the later case though the display and hard drive is turned off, the memory remains active and consumes power. But in the hibernation mode the computer is shut down, while saving the current state and hence there is no power consumption.

Avoid using several programs at a time - Using too many programs at the same time can kill your battery life. Moreover, there are some programs like graphic intensive applications like video games that consume lot of battery power. Try to minimize their use and avoid running multiple programs simultaneously because they will shorten your battery life.

Go for additional RAM - It is often recommended to use adequate RAM to reduce load on the hard drive. Although additional RAM may consume more power, it actually results in over all more savings because it reduces the power consumption requirements of the hard drive.

Use original adapters - While using an adapter, make sure that it is an original piece with accurate specifications. In case you use a wrong adapter, there are chances that it may cause over load on your battery and hence damage you notebook and battery.

With the above instructions in mind, you can surely offer your notebook battery higher longevity, which can come to your rescue, saving a lot of frustrations for you during work emergencies.