In this article, we will talk about ways to determine the degree of wear of a laptop battery. Two methods will be considered and their results compared for the same laptop.
Method 1: Built-in Windows Tools
The advantage of this method is that it does not require the installation of additional programs, and the disadvantage is that it works on versions of Windows 7 and higher. For Windows XP or Vista, use the second method.
Before starting the test, close all running programs, click the "Start" button, find "Command Prompt" in the list of programs, right-click on it and select "Run as administrator" from the context menu.
Type in the command line window the command:
powercfg energy
and press the Enter key.
Wait for the completion of the battery test process (test duration 1 minute).
Upon completion of the test, you will see something like:
Ignore the errors that will be displayed in the command line window. Open the html file at the path specified in the console using any Internet browser. If you cannot open this file from the "system32" folder, copy it to any other folder and open it from there. Scroll down to "Battery: Battery Information". Calculate the ratio of the values "Last full charge" and "Estimated capacity" on the calculator.
As can be seen from the example, the battery capacity is: (8410mAh / 41760mAh) * 100 ≈ 20%, that is, battery wear is 100% - 20% = 80%. It follows that the owner of the laptop will soon need to replace the battery.
Method 2: AIDA64 diagnostic program
To determine the state of the laptop battery, you can use the popular computer diagnostic application - AIDA64. The program is paid, but on the official website you can download a portable, installation-free trial version for 30 days.
Download, unzip and run the program. In the left pane of the window, go to Computer > Power Options.
In the "Battery properties" section, you can immediately see the degree of deterioration of the battery. As you can see, the value within the rounding off of the value converges with the value obtained in method 1.
Laptops are convenient not only due to their compactness and portability, but also the ability to work without being connected to the mains. For this, a special battery is designed, which has a certain capacity. Laptop battery wear and tear is an inevitable nuisance. It depends not only on the age of the computer, but also on compliance with the rules of operation.
The consequences of high wear are not critical, but unpleasant:
- Cost of buying a new battery. Its cost can be up to 25% of the price of the PC itself.
- Work only from the mains. The laptop turns into a desktop computer.
Ultimately, wear and tear is still inevitable, but to delay it, you must follow a number of rules and monitor the condition of the battery in a timely manner.
How to check battery wear on a laptop using the command line
The powercfg.exe system utility, located in the C:\windows\system32 folder, will help determine the degree of wear. To use it, run the command prompt as an administrator and type the command powercfg energy.
After completion (approximately 5 minutes) you will be able to view the report.
It is located in the same folder and is called energy_report.html and opens in the browser.
You can see a list of processes that load the processor, power settings, etc. At the very end, look for the "Battery: Battery Information" section. It has two lines: Estimated capacity and Last full charge.
Divide the last capacity by the passport capacity (the first indicator) and get the remaining resource. In our case, 24310/26640=91%. So the degree of wear is 9%.
Checking laptop battery wear using programs
There are many programs for determining the wear and tear of a laptop battery. But you should take into account that the data they give out is approximate. In fact, wear can only be assessed in the laboratory.
Battery Care
This is free software that can be downloaded from the official website.
With it, you can find out:
- declared capacity.
- Maximum charge.
- current charge.
- Voltage.
- Wear.
All battery options are presented on the "Advanced" tab.
battery eater
Download, extract from the archive and run the BePro.exe file.
Click on the "Info" button and create a report using the button of the same name. Save it, as required by the program, and it will immediately open in the browser. You will not be able to see the degree of wear, but determine it in the same way as in the first case with the command line. Divide the full capacity value by the design capacity. In addition to information about energy carriers, the program will show the characteristics of the following components:
- CPU.
- System memory.
- HDD.
The program runs for a long time and consumes a lot of resources.
battery bar
You can download it for free from the developer's website.
The result of the software operation will be displayed in the tray. You will see indicators of power, current charge and wear. The advantage of the utility is the gradual self-learning, in connection with which the accuracy of the readings is gradually increasing.
Imtec Battery Mark
Supports older laptops as well.
Allows you to test in accelerated and normal mode. In addition, it simulates an increased or reduced load on the hardware. Next, a detailed graph of the change in the charge level is built. All information is stored in a report that lists all battery parameters.
The advantage of the software lies in the support of multi-core processors, so it is possible to produce the maximum load for testing in extreme conditions.
AIDA 64 - laptop battery wear checker
One of the most popular PC diagnostic software is AIDA64. It can be downloaded here.
It allows you to check the entire hardware and software of a laptop or computer:
- Bios.
- Installed applications.
- Multimedia.
- DirectX.
- Net.
- Safety.
- configuration and more.
The application allows you to test memory, CPU and FPU. You can find out cpu temperature, voltage, power. In the "Computer" tab, you will find the "Power Options" section, where all battery parameters are displayed:
- passport container.
- capacity when fully charged.
- current capacity.
- Voltage.
- State.
- Discharging speed.
- Here you can also see the degree of deterioration.
How to extend battery life
- If you are working from the mains for a long time, remove the battery from the laptop. It should be stored in a cool place (up to 20 degrees) and have a charge of at least 60%. Do not remove and insert frequently - the contacts may be damaged.
- Don't exercise your battery like you used to. It does not work for modern components.
- Don't let it run out completely. Every time you find yourself near a power outlet, plug your laptop into electricity.
Have a great day!
The main advantage in the use of portable computer technology is mobility and the ability to use in the absence of a direct connection to the AC mains. The battery is responsible for this, but over time this element fails. In order to determine its remaining life, it is necessary to perform a laptop battery test.
Battery problems
Physical wear and tear is the main cause that occurs with a power supply. Most of their mass is not designed for a cycle of more than 800 charges. This is about 2, rarely 3 years. The ability to lose about 15% of capacity every year makes the battery a consumable item among laptop components. To extend the service life, it is recommended to take it out when using a constant power supply, and fully put it down and charge it every few weeks.
Other faults include:
Checking Status Programmatically
Any measures to restore the PC should be entrusted to professionals. But even with minimal knowledge, you can try to figure out the reasons yourself. There are many ways to do this - both using Windows tools and third-party helpers for testing a laptop.
Command line
To obtain information about the current state of the energy storage device and the time until its full landing, click on the corresponding icon in the system line. To determine the real capacity, all Microsoft operating systems, starting from version 7, are equipped with a built-in tool that allows you to determine the degree of deterioration of the battery. To test it, you need:
Of all the information, only the last two points will be useful to the user: From the beginning - the state of the battery immediately after manufacture and From the real - the capacity of the battery at the moment. The percentage of wear can be easily calculated using the formula (From start-F real.)/From start.
This is a program for checking a laptop battery with a minimum volume and functionality for owners of outdated models of portable computer equipment. It shows the current state of affairs with the battery. All information is displayed in one window, in which you can select the test mode: full or fast. The program offers:
- Battery test for voltage, power and other electrical parameters.
- On-screen display of graphs and numerical values.
- Generation of reports in the form of log files.
- Adjusting power settings by laptop model (Acer, HP, Asus, etc.) - for maximum energy efficiency.
The information processing time is approximately 10 minutes.
This assistant works with computers of any brands and is free to download. The objectives of the program are to control and optimize the use of batteries. By tracking the charging cycle, it is possible to calibrate it for savings. During installation, an icon appears in the system tray. By clicking on it, you can change the electricity supply plan to the most favorable, economical or high-performance one.
The main window of the laptop battery test program will show the following parameters:
- current capacity.
- State.
- Remaining work time.
- computer model.
- wear level.
The utility provides the ability to disable the use of applications with high power consumption, the Aero effect, recommend in the notification section, remind you that it's time to put the battery on charge. The meal plan can be drawn up manually or automatically. Constant monitoring allows you to extend battery life.
This is one of the complete programs to determine the state of the computer. At first, the appearance of the main window will seem difficult to extract the necessary information. However, the user can get help at any time in a special help menu. Testing an arbitrary parameter occurs in a few seconds.
To check the laptop battery status, you need to follow this procedure:
- Download and install AIDA 64.
- Connect the charger and fully charge the battery.
- Turn on the PC in standalone power mode.
- Run the utility through a shortcut on the workspace. This will take some time to analyze the state of the system.
- Go to the "Power" tab, located in the left corner of the main screen. On the right you can see the parameters of the battery, allowing you to judge the quality of its work and wear.
- Based on these results, a conclusion is made about the suitability of the element for further operation or the need to replace it.
The program allows you to calculate the time of independent operation of the computer in the increased load mode for each specific system, for example, CPU, RAM or HDD. Multithreading ensures the rhythmic use of any of them. In addition to information about the current source, this add-on will tell you which processor, video card or memory is installed on the machine. Can work with new or older laptops.
To measure the parameters, it is necessary to run the utility with a fully charged battery and disconnected mains power. This will be determined by the program itself and will go into the verification mode. Testing will continue until the system shuts down or reboots. During the next working session, you can find out the results in the saved event log.
A small assistant who monitors the remaining energy in the battery will be able to check the laptop battery for performance. It will also calculate its estimated battery life. All calculations are based on averaging charge retention values. The program window is located in the notification bar. All parameters are calculated at the time of operation, when the AC power is turned off. If necessary, the window can be expanded and get maximum information about the nature of the power supply.
Like most such utilities, Battery Bar evaluates the remaining battery life and gives preliminary recommendations for its replacement. In addition to the simple version, you can download online and install the Pro version, which will give you the chance to customize the look and upgrade the product to the beta version. The Russian-language interface is simple and understandable to any user.
This app is designed to be installed on offline devices. The report generated by the program includes:
- Battery manufacturer information.
- Name, date of manufacture and serial number of the product.
- Charge status and capacity.
- All electrical parameters of the element and their changes during use.
With the data included in the report, the PC owner can decide whether to repair the battery or replace it. You can customize the report update according to your need in the menu. Saving and printing are allowed in several user-friendly formats. To install, just download the installer and place the utility in the desired folder. You can launch the program using a shortcut on the desktop.
If you have problems with autonomous power sources for laptops, you should not immediately purchase a new battery. There is a chance to restore it. In order to check the laptop battery for performance, you can resort to this method.
If the PC battery is defined, and its status is visible in the tray, but it does not receive its portion of the charge, you can try to restore the original BIOS settings:
The cause of the malfunction may be a newly purchased battery, which is installed instead of a failed one. Visually, they can completely coincide, but differ in some characteristics. In this case, it is important to check the inscriptions on the cases, there should be no difference. Information about the power supply can be found on the computer manufacturer's website.
Over time, any laptop or smartphone, due to constant use from the built-in battery, its capacity begins to decline. It is especially unpleasant when a fully charged battery runs out after an hour of operation. CHIP tells you how to find out how worn out your mobile device's battery is and whether it's time to replace it.
You can get information about the state of the laptop battery both using the built-in Windows tools and using third-party free utilities. To begin with, let's try to do without extraneous tools.
Battery information via command line
Disconnect the laptop from the power supply. In the Start menu, type "cmd" and right-click on the search result that appears, select "Run as administrator" from the context menu.
Battery data prompted by Battery Care
A small free Battery Care utility will help you get almost complete information about your laptop battery. The program almost does not load the system and displays data in a visual form.
Click on the program icon in the tray and click on the "Advanced" tab. Here you will find detailed information about the battery. In particular, the program will show the name of the battery, declared capacity, current condition, wear, etc.
The program is completely free and is regularly updated by developers.
iPhone, iPad, and Mac OS battery health
To check the battery of an iPhone or iPad, until now it was necessary to contact the staff of Genius Bar. The free tool coconutBattery for Mac OS will help you to do it much faster and without unnecessary problems. The utility has already established itself as an excellent tool for checking the condition of the battery, as well as its recharge cycles. Currently coconutBattery supports iOS devices.
iPhone battery check. The coconutBattery tool displays a lot of useful information about the iPhone battery
With this tool, you will get detailed information not only about the state of the battery, but also about the current charge level, maximum capacity, as well as the recharge cycles already completed. This will help you quickly get to the bottom of common battery problems, such as draining too quickly.
