The operating system reports the capacity of the hard drive using the assumption that 1MB is equal to 1,048,576 bytes. This is technically correct. The hardware manufacturers compute the size a bit differently. They consider 1MB to be equal to 1,000,000 bytes. You can see how this can cause confusion! If the drive is advertised as 20.0GB (20,000,000,000 bytes), the operating system will see it as approximately 19.07GB (20,000,000,000 / 1,048,576 / 1000=19.07). The full 20,000,000,000 bytes are really there.

There are several steps you can take to help you get maximum performance from your battery:

• Prevent the Memory Effect - Keep the battery healthy by fully charging and then fully discharging it at least once every three weeks. Exceptions to the rule are lithium ion batteries which do not suffer from the memory effect.
• Keep the Batteries Clean - It's a good idea to clean dirty battery contacts with a cotton swab and alcohol. This helps maintain a good connection between the battery and the portable device.
• Exercise the Battery - Do not leave the battery dormant for long periods of time. We recommend using the battery at least once every three weeks. If a battery has not been used for a long period of time, perform the new battery break in procedure described above.
• Battery Storage - If you don't plan on using the battery for a month or more, store it in a clean, dry, cool place away from heat and metal objects. NiCad, NiMH and Li-Ion batteries will self-discharge during storage; remember to recharge the batteries before use.

New batteries arrive in a discharged state and must be fully charged before use. It is recommended that new batteries be fully charged and discharged two to four times to reach maximum rated capacity.

Battery Reconditioning

Place a non-system disk into the floppy drive (a blank disk will do fine).

Boot the system without any AC power (just running off of battery power).

What will appear on the screen, is a non-system disk error that will tell you to replace the disk and hit any key. DO NOT DO THIS!!!

Let the error message sit on the screen until the system has died because there is no power going to the unit.

When the battery has been totally drained, reconnect the AC power and recharge the battery with the computer off.

Repeat steps 1-5 at least two more times. With each recharge cycle, you should notice an improvement in the magnitude of charge that the battery will hold.

 My battery life is very short, is there something I can do?

I hear scratchy noises from my speakers, what could be wrong?

Sounds like what the music industry refers to a closed ground loop back feed. In other words you have ground that is picking up other electrical noises and it feedbacks

through your speakers. Not much different then when you turn on a blender and the TV goes haywire. First thing is to check your outlets for ground. Then find you ground

stake wherever you live and see about driving another ground stake in at least 10 feet from all other stakes or wires, then you can have the ground transferred. The ground

may be fine for grounding purposes but when it was installed there was no need to concern themselves with were it was installed. Too close to your electric service or the

grounding stakes and it can pick up that EFI and feed it back to your sensitive computer components. You can also buy a power supply that filters for EFI and RFI. that

may prove to be your easiest solution.
 

You can also see if a different outlet helps. Sometimes sharing a circuit with a refrigerator or other heavy appliance can cause EFI and make this noise.
 

If you feel none of these are the answer then feel free to call your tech support at 888-576-6776