[Joshman]

Hello,

I have an HP Pavilion dv6000 laptop that I got just a few months ago. Just a couple weeks ago, I found that if I closed my laptop's lid and came back a few hours later, it would be just as hot and have lost just as much battery life as if it had been running the whole time. But when I open the lid, it goes to the login screen, so I know it's gone to sleep.

This is becoming a problem because whenever I want to take my laptop somewhere, it dies within a few hours.

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It's still running Windows even in 'standby' mode so will still be consuming battery power. You could try using the 'hibernate' mode instead, which uses no power at all (because it effectively shuts down) yet still boots into Windows really fast from the 'memory' file on the hard disk. This is the preferred option for longer absences. Standby is only intended for short 10-30 minute absences.

In Power Options set the laptop to 'Hibernate' when the lid is closed, instead of 'standby'. Many Vista owners do this anyway even for the power button since Vista boot time is ridiculously long.

Be aware also that if you use the laptop from the mains power for extended periods, you should fully charge the battery and remove it. Failure to do this when on mains power for long and frequent periods will eventually overcharge the battery and shorten it's useful life --- it will become flat faster than you expected because it can no longer hold it's charge. I failed to take this precaution and now my battery lasts for no more than a few minutes even when the charge-meter says it's 100% charged.

It's a problem that gets gradually worse when it first starts --- you only get maybe an hour from it when you expect two hours, until eventually you get only minutes but the charge meter doesn't reflect this. So be warned!

Edited by Grandad Phillip, 07 December 2008 - 02:50 AM.

[Grandad Phillip]

It's still running Windows even in 'standby' mode so will still be consuming battery power. You could try using the 'hibernate' mode instead, which uses no power at all (because it effectively shuts down) yet still boots into Windows really fast from the 'memory' file on the hard disk. This is the preferred option for longer absences. Standby is only intended for short 10-30 minute absences.

In Power Options set the laptop to 'Hibernate' when the lid is closed, instead of 'standby'. Many Vista owners do this anyway even for the power button since Vista boot time is ridiculously long.

Be aware also that if you use the laptop from the mains power for extended periods, you should fully charge the battery and remove it. Failure to do this when on mains power for long and frequent periods will eventually overcharge the battery and shorten it's useful life --- it will become flat faster than you expected because it can no longer hold it's charge. I failed to take this precaution and now my battery lasts for no more than a few minutes even when the charge-meter says it's 100% charged.

It's a problem that gets gradually worse when it first starts --- you only get maybe an hour from it when you expect two hours, until eventually you get only minutes but the charge meter doesn't reflect this. So be warned!

Edited by Grandad Phillip, 07 December 2008 - 02:50 AM.

[Joshman]

This just started happening a couple weeks ago. It's going into sleep mode, not standby mode. Before, I could leave it overnight with the lid closed and still have it have 95% juice left in the morning. Now I can't leave it for a few hours.

[Grandad Phillip]

'Sleep' and 'Standby' are the same thing, which is why you don't get an option to have one or the other. On XP it's called 'Standby' but on Vista it's called 'Sleep' as Microsoft decided this would be a more appropriate term to use. But they both do the same thing.

http://windowshelp.m...24dc111033.mspx

I still think may be your laptop's battery is not holding it's charge and may be faulty. If new you are entitled to persue this matter with HP.

[Gnomad1600]

Have you double checked your power settings? Make sure it is set for portable/laptop. Then check your advanced settings, what are the actions set for when you close the lid?

[PedroDaGR8]

Have you double checked your power settings? Make sure it is set for portable/laptop. Then check your advanced settings, what are the actions set for when you close the lid?

Bingo....there is a setting to prevent the laptop from turning off when the lid is closed. My guess is that somehow got turned on and your laptop is not hibernating when the lid is closed. I'll have to see where it is again. I had to turn it on at my dad's dental office on one of our operatory laptops because the hygenist KEPT closing the [bleep] thing when she would leave. So I turned the hybernation off so it could get updates and stuff in the middle of the night.

Edited by PedroDaGR8, 07 December 2008 - 01:02 PM.

[Joshman]

Problem resolved.

I talked to the HP Tech Support, and he recommended updating my BIOS and reinstalling the power management. After doing those, my computer no longer sucks juice while the lid is closed.

Thanks for trying to help me out, though.

[qammari143]

One thing we must understand is that the battery of a laptop does not store charge forever. The battery will drain even if the laptop is shut down.

But this drainage will be so minimal that we don’t feel it unless we keep the laptop shut down for a long period of time. Some time one or more software is running during sleep mode or for some reason the CPU is getting hot, and the fan is always on to try to cool it off.

Check Closing the Lid Settings

To check this, follow the steps below:

1. Go to Run –> powercfg.cpl
2. From the left-hand menu, click on “Choose what closing the lid does“.
3. Make sure you have selected Sleep or Hibernate under “When I close lid” option for both On battery and Plugged in.