How best to store laptops for 3-5 months
 

I have 2 laptops, one which will live in Europe where I go twice a year for about 2 1/2 months each trip, and one which will live in the US, where I stay for 3-5 months at a time.

They're both configured as close to identically as I can manage with WinXP Pro (unfortunately, had to go with Office 2007 on the new one), and I plan to update files via USB key thingy.

For storage, I'm planning to remove the battery and the adapter and store all of them in as cool and dry a place as I can find.

Does that sound like a good plan for storing them? Anything else that I should think about?

My biggest worry would be dust settling in to the computer and nothing else. Put it in a plastic bag with a silica gel pack and put it in a corner somewhere and you shold be fine.

pull the battery, vacuum seal it and put it in your deep freeze.

kidding aside, I would leave it closed and plugged in. it is supposed to live for years in that configuration.

The only reason I wouldn't leave it plugged in is that it will waste a fair amount of power (assuming the power is on) as the transformer will continue to generate the DC voltage to keep the battery topped off. All that heat loss in the transformation of the AC->DC current is coming from electricity being wasted.

Well, just don't do this:
http://www.luckywhitegirl.com/2005/1..._rare_ele.html

Long-term I imagine that could be bad...very bad.

I do the same, except I average 6 trips a year. People recommend keeping off-site backups; the Europe laptop constitutes an off-continent backup. :D

At first I'd pull the battery, but then the laptop clock would get off, and when I'd first plug it in I'd have to do lots of reconfigs. Now I just shut it down and lock it away securely.

That sounds like a good idea. Is it possible to buy silica gel packs? I know I've had them (when stuff was shipped with them), but I don't think I have any lying around.

I've read that battery life is extended if batteries are stored at low charge and cool temperatures. Here's an article with more specific advice

I've heard you can get them from camping supply stores. All mine are just from various purchases.

Thanks for that link. I've bookmarked it.

Thanks, all, for the advice. It's very helpful

Now, for one really stupid question. I've always run the laptops with the battery in, even when connected to the AC.

If I come back & find a problem with the battery, can I really just plug into the power converter minus battery until I can get a new one? I have a spare for the one in France, but not for the Lenovo.

I heard it's best to drain it to about 40%, put it in a resealable ziploc bag, and put it in your fridge.

Yes. That should be no problem at all.

Don't forget to make a backup first.

Shake out all the dust and gunk in the keyboard if you have any in there, pull the battery, wrap it in a plastic bag, and you should be OK.

No joke. Run the battery down to about 1/2 life. Then wrap it in a paper towel and then cool it down in the fridge briefly. To make sure that nothing condenses on it in case you live in a humid climate. Then put the whole wrapped thing inside a ziplock bag and leave it in the fridge, NOT the freezer.

That will extend the battery the longest.