Profoundly Short Battery Life

[chrislovespie]

I made the mistake of letting my battery run out when my computer was running (though I kid you not, it was for less than a second,) and now its run time is ridiculously short. Before my stupid little mistake, it would run for upwards of 3 hours, now I'm lucky if I get 30 minutes out of it.

In my experience, this is not how batteries work. If they run out, you recharge them, and though they give you less and less each time, it doesn't result in this dramatic of a difference.

Is there any way I can fix this, or do I just need to buy a new battery? Also, why does the battery work this way? Sure, letting your computer die is a bad thing, but if anything it should affect the overall system, not the battery itself.

 

[ElDiabloConCaca]

Try a battery calibration:

http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1490

You may also want to check the charge cycles your battery has:

http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1519
Anything too high (300 to 800 or more cycles, depending on the model of Mac you have) may indicate that the battery may need to be replaced. Removable batteries, like those in the polycarbonate black/white MacBooks, have a relatively short lifespan: 2 to 4 years at the most, with medium usage. Built-in batteries last longer, but may not, depending on your usage of the batteries.

Also, adhere to the "best-use" practices for batteries:

http://www.apple.com/batteries/notebooks.html