Lucky!

Power Now

I got lucky, my computer cleared the bad battery message.

So I don’t need a new computer and I can put off spending the cash on a new battery.  As I was investigating the issue I confirmed that I was correct in my assessment that If I was going to be in the machine it made sense to replace the drive and the battery at the same time.

The battery is getting tired, but it’s not damaged. 

Maybe if I wait a little longer, the prices will continue to fall. 

HardDrive

Yeah, I’ve been looking at a drive upgrade for a while. The model I’ve had my eye on has fallen in price by about 100.00 over the past few months. Next year perhaps I’ll be able to do the drive and battery upgrade for 400.00 or less.

Ok Ok I’m cheap.

If there are any of you who are having similar issues, you might try just cycling the hell out of your system.

Make sure that you’ve got the latest OS updates. Sometimes Apple releases SMC updates that optimize both your power utilization and battery maintenance.

Once you’re sure of that, just run the hell out of your computer. Kill the battery, recharge it, kill it, recharge it and see what happens.

I was experimenting with run times on my machine to see just how long the battery would last. I’ve got a couple of client meetings coming up and wanted to pick locations where I could plug the machine in if I needed to. Then I figured if the machine lasted a couple of hours I’d be good.

macbookair

While I was trying to figure out the battery life, suddenly, the “Service Battery” message disappeared and I got nearly normal run time, just over 5 hours. Brand new, this machine ran 7 hours on battery.

I’m glad I didn’t place that upgrade order!

I’m wondering if this is a case of “Use it or lose it” When I’m around home I tend to keep the machine plugged in to the adapter while I’m using it. Maybe I should be running unconnected more often.

In anycase, It’s a GOOD DAY!

I hope you have similar luck in your world.