A practice I have followed with prior laptops is when using in a desk environment I elavate the back half so air will pass through the bottom of the laptop.  It seems to keep it cooler.  Heat is the major problem with any computer.  Just a suggestion.

Thanks for your reply!
I always try to keep an open airway to that air intake area on the bottom left of the computer.

I have the 1505 and keep it on a coolpad. Fans hardly ever com on.

That is a very good article. Thanks!
So, keep the battery cool and don't do frequent full discharges.
But mostly, battery life is based on heat, not recharges.
Guess it's a cool-pad for me then!

I like to switch back and forth often.
I'll just pull the plug and go walk off somewhere with my computer.
The power of portability. =)

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@bynum3 wrote:

A practice I have followed with prior laptops is when using in a desk environment I elavate the back half so air will pass through the bottom of the laptop. It seems to keep it cooler. Heat is the major problem with any computer. Just a suggestion.

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I've found old VHS tapes to work very well as an el-cheapo way to do this. :)

I've had an I7500, I8500 and now the E1505.  I leave my laptops on for almost 22 hours a day.  I'm pretty hard on it as laptops go, but why not!  Isn't that what CompleteCare is for? ;-)

I typically go through one battery a year, more if I travel, and try to keep 3 good ones on hand and in my backpack, rememberinng to rotate them to keep them all charged (good for the battery, good for the user).  For the most part, though, my laptop is always plugged in and it's more of a desktop replacement for me.

I encode video over nite at times, and sometimes it just sits there, but for the most part, this guy is always on.  I work in tech-ops, so I pretty much need to be able to get to a computer all the time, some times even at 4am! UGH! :)

Cheers!

Are the batteries covered under CompleteCare accidental damage protection and the regular limited warranty? Both? Just one? Which one?

No, they consider the batteries a consumable! :)

http://www.dell.com/content/topics/global.aspx/services/en/completecare_svc?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs

Well you say you've had 3 or 4 laptops. Ever had to replace a Dell battery?

Latitudes and Insprions. I've never had Dell replace a battery, but I typically have to replace my batteries every 12-18 months on my own. I've had a power brick recall previously though.

I normally go with thirdparty vendors, cheaper and just as good. I won't name any publically as they can all advertise for themselves! :)

Message Edited by knitterb on 05-16-200605:07 PM

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@Outvit wrote:
Well you say you've had 3 or 4 laptops. Ever had to replace a Dell battery?

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I seem to always be lucky with batteries. My Inspiron 8200 is nearly 4 years old and still achieving near full capacity on original batteries. :)

Hopefully my E1705 turns out similar.