MSFT Investigating Windows 7 Battery Problems
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Is this just another case of idiotic consumers?
When you consider how many devices now support firmware updates it's easy to see how significant damage can occur from malware. I think the only reason malware doesn't take advantage of these vulnerabilities is because it's more profitable for the black hats to keep your system running (spam serving, keylogging, etc.) than it is to disable it.
The average LI-Ion battery can maintain full capacity for about 300 - 500 charge/discharge cycles. The way most people use them, that's around a year. And people tend to be on a 3yr replacement cycle with the equipment, yet never replace the battery. Just like a car battery goes bad after time, so does a laptop battery. http://www.batteryuniversity.com/parttwo-34.htm
Linux is great and all (I run debian squeeze x64) but its no where near the quality of windows yet. As an example, flash still doesnt work properly and there are no official AMD 3D drivers. Also getting surround sound to work properly with ALSA is a pain in the ass. That being said, my linux desktop on an older 7200rpm drive boots up just as fast as windows 7 on a new OCZ vertex AND is ~20% faster in x264.
In the end, Windows 8 is going to fix all the problems Win 7 had. Right. (Meanwhile, Win 7 will have a bad reputation, while actually having improved significantly.)
I wonder if it's just certain models and motherboards.
tested the software better and perhaps longer...............