MSFT Investigating Windows 7 Battery Problems

News
By Jane McEntegart
published

Microsoft is investigating the mounting reports that Windows 7 is having a negative effect on laptop batteries.

Users on Microsoft forums have been complaining that after installing Windows 7, their battery life has decreased significantly and in some cases is suggesting they actually replace their battery.

Threads relating to the issue have been active since before Windows 7 went to general release. Folks running the Windows 7 RC began posting in June 2009 and the threads are still active today.

ComputerWorld cites a Microsoft spokesperson who yesterday said the company was investigating the issue. "We are investigating this issue in conjunction with our hardware partners, which appears to be related to system firmware (BIOS)," the spokesperson said, referring to the firmware that boots the PC and initializes the hardware components. "The warning received in Windows 7 uses firmware information to determine if battery replacement is needed."

Worryingly, there seems to be a sizable number of forum posters who believe Windows 7 has permanently damaged their battery. They claim to have tried reverting to XP or Vista or charging their battery in another OS or when their machine is off but report no improvement.

Read more here.

Jane McEntegart
34 Comments Comment from the forums
  • indian-art
    I think Ubuntu is way better.
    Reply
  • Shadow703793
    indian-artI think Ubuntu is way better.Sure, I'm all for pro Linux (esp. Fedora and open SUSE, imo Ubuntu is over rated). HOWEVER, MOST people DON'T know how to install, troubleshoot, upgrade,etc Linux systems. Not to mention that they don't wan to re-learn software that already works fine for them (ie Photoshop -> GIMP). Also don't even mention the inability of Linux to play recent games.
    Reply
  • zorky9
    If it's a BIOS issue, it doesn't matter what OS you're using.
    Reply
  • HolyCrusader
    I seem to recall a similar problem back a few years ago with certain Intel-based laptops. I'd have to dig through old articles, but it seems that it had something to do with an Intel driver not working properly and causing the laptop to not throttle-down like t should have been. The OS in question was I think XP, but may have affected Vista as well.
    Reply
  • maestintaolius
    So, what I gather from this is that there's nothing wrong with the battery but rather win7's interpretation of a BIOS or board value or how it's reported to win7. Not terribly surprising, getting CPU-z and Speedfan to read things properly off some boards (*eyeballs Gigabyte menacingly*) can sometimes be an issue.
    Reply
  • wolflive
    I just upgraded to win7 pro and got a little red X on my battery too. This is kind of an odd issue. Then again my laptop came with Vista.
    Reply
  • JohnnyLucky
    Hmmmm.....a power hungry version of Windows 7? Is it an accident or is it by design?
    Reply
  • tenor77
    Software cannot kill your battery. It can mis-report the charge if not done properly. Li-Ion's are a finicky tech.
    Most people kill their batteries by treating them like NiMh or NiCads.

    They're right about one thing though. Once the batteries damaged, it's gone for good.
    Reply
  • pbrigido
    Windows 7 Battery Problems? Correct me if I am wrong, but how could any OS damage a battery?

    Is this just another case of idiotic consumers?
    Reply
  • duckmanx88
    i doubt win7 broke my battery. im sure toshiba just made it really crappy considering it has a 1 star rating out of 200 reviews. mine lasts about 3 minutes after a full charge
    Reply