This TechNote discusses several areas to investigate when you believe your computer is shutting off prematurely. You should do these first before replacing a battery or seeking service for your Satellite 16XX or 17XX series computer.

• Update your BIOS if necessary! "DO THIS FIRST" and retest the battery life.
• Incorrectly charging and discharging a portable computer battery is the most common cause of shortened battery life. Use the "Battery Conditioning" procedure shown.
• Next set the Toshiba Power Save features which allow you to conserve battery life by shutting the computer or specific computer components down when and if the computer senses that they are not being used.
  

Updating your BIOS

1. Verify your current BIOS
   a. Power on the computer.
   b. Press [F2] immediately when this message is prompted:
   "Press [F2] to enter SETUP. ...".
   Note: The BIOS version number can be checked in the lower left of the SETUP menu.
2. Download the latest BIOS for your computer from the Toshiba website at:
   http://pcsupport.toshiba.com
3. Install the new BIOS
   Note: The BIOS file is self extracting and will display a Readme file with installation instructions
   once the file has been extracted.
   
   

Battery Conditioning:
IMPORTANT!! Interruptions in the charging cycle can be responsible for an issue called "memory effect" which may reduce the battery's charging capacity. Whenever you suspect the battery performance is not at it's optimum you should try using the following "Battery Conditioning" procedure.

If you suspect the battery to be the cause of a premature system shutdown remember:

• the battery in this model only charges when the computer is plugged in and powered off.
• to always charge the battery up fully before using your computer on the battery.
• when using the computer on battery, let the computer run until the computer shuts off by itself as often as possible.
• Nickel Metal Hydride (Ni-MH) batteries can suffer from a condition known as "memory effect" which can be typically be reversed by Battery Conditioning.
  
  Special Note: You need to remember that the batteries in the Satellite 16XX and 17XX
  Series computers only charge when the computer is turned off.
  

Nickel Metal Hydride (Ni-MH) - Battery Conditioning
The "memory effect" with Ni-MH batteries can sometimes be reversed a bit by a procedure called "conditioning". To "condition" a Ni-MH battery use the following steps, 2-3 times, consecutively.

Before you start: Turn off your battery saving features temporarily.

***IMPORTANT*** Repeat the following steps 2-3 times!

1. Unplug the power cord from the computer
2. Turn the computer on and let it run until it shuts itself off.
   Note: Using the CD-ROM to play an Audio CD will speed the discharge.
3. Plug in the power cord (While the system is off) charge the battery until the battery light changes from flashing green to solid green
4. Remove the battery for 30 seconds and then replace it.
   Note: If the battery light isn't lit, wait a few moments, if it still does not light check your power connections.
5. Continue charging the battery until the battery light turns solid green once again.
   **REPEAT THIS PROCEDURE 3 TIMES**
   
   ----------END BATTERY CONDITIONING PROCEDURE-------------
   

Toshiba Power Save Features:
Toshiba portables have several features that can be set to shut down automatically after a specific period of time whether you are operating on battery or on AC Power.

While disabling these features may prevent the computer from shutting down, in some cases more battery power may be used. If you are running on battery and you leave your computer, these features, when set, automatically kick in and will power down the system and/or devices to conserve the power required for their use. Why keep the hard drive spinning while it is not being used?

Ultimately it is up to the user to balance performance and battery life. The users manual covers this in more detail.

To disable these settings during battery operation use the following procedures:
1. In the system BIOS settings select Power.
Note: Press F2 when prompted at power up to access the CMOS settings and then use your cursor to click on Power.

Verify the following settings:
Battery Save Mode: User Settings
Processing Speed: Low
Standby Time-out: Disabled
Suspend Time-out: Disabled
Save and exit.

2. Boot up to Windows
3. In Windows/Start/Settings/Control Panel/Power management:
   - set "Power Scheme" to Portable/Laptop
   - all options to NEVER, NEVER, ( Fig. 1)

4. Select Alarms and verify that "Power Mode" is set to "No Action" (see Fig.2).
   - If it is set to "No Action" then go to Step 5.
   - If not do Step 4 - a and Fig. 3.
   

a. To change Alarms, Power Mode to No Action:
1) Select Alarm Action (see Fig 3.)
2) Go to Power level - remove the check from the:
"When alarm goes off the computer will..." check box.

5. Back on the Power Management Properties screen click OK for both
   Low and Critical Battery Alarm.
6. Reboot computer.
7. Retest the computer's shutdown time.
   a. Verify battery is fully charged. Green Battery Light
   b. Unplug from power source.
   c. Time unit until shutdown.