Newsletter Archives

• Why does this PC shut down at about 80% charge?

  Posted on September 6, 2021 at 02:43 CDT by Fred Langa • Comment in the Forums

  LANGALIST

  

  By Fred Langa

  Lithium-ion batteries wear differently from classic dry- and wet-cell batteries, leading to some behaviors that seem, well, odd.

  But it also could be a matter of poor thermal management — simple overheating! Today’s column covers easy ways to investigate and cure either type of trouble.

  Plus: Recurring bank-account password problems lead a subscriber to ask about using a free password manager app.

  Read the full story in the AskWoody Plus Newsletter 18.34.0 (2021-09-06).

  AskWoody Plus Newsletter, LangaList AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Battery charging, hardware, LangaList

• A VPN dissenter speaks out

  Posted on August 23, 2021 at 02:44 CDT by Fred Langa • Comment in the Forums

  LANGALIST

  

  By Fred Langa

  A reader strongly disagrees with Fred’s recent recommendation about using virtual private networks (VPNs) to increase online security; that reader’s colorful letter leads off this column.

  Today’s second reader-requested topic covers battery-monitoring apps for PCs and smartphones, including the extensive (but hidden) battery health report that’s built into every copy of Windows 10.

  The third reader-requested topic looks at daisy-chaining charging devices — say, charging your phone from your laptop while the laptop itself is charging from a wall socket.

  Read the full story in the AskWoody Plus Newsletter 18.32.0 (2021-08-23).

  AskWoody Plus Newsletter, LangaList AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Battery charging, Battery management, LangaList, VPN

• Reader feedback on driver/software updaters, and more!

  Posted on August 2, 2021 at 02:44 CDT by Fred Langa • Comment in the Forums

  LANGALIST

  

  By Fred Langa

  CCleaner — the popular system-cleanup tool — recently added automated software and driver updaters to its features. A subscriber set out to see whether they’re any good.

  Plus: Another subscriber’s laptop is stuck at 79% battery charge and won’t charge any higher; and a third seeks advice on how to obtain the fastest possible PC-to-smartphone USB tethering.

  Read the full story in the AskWoody Plus Newsletter 18.29.0 (2021-08-02).

  AskWoody Plus Newsletter, LangaList AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Battery charging, Hardware drivers, LangaList

• New smartphone? Great! Now don’t charge it past 80%

  Posted on April 12, 2021 at 01:06 CDT by B. Livingston • Comment in the Forums

  PUBLIC DEFENDER

  

  By Brian Livingston

  Sales of new smartphones are skyrocketing — Samsung’s new S21 line sold three times as many units in the US in March 2021 as last year’s S20 series did in the same period, according to SamMobile — but few people are learning from the manufacturers about these phones’ dirty little secret.

  That’s the fact that charging these devices’ lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries to a full 100% wears out a great deal of your battery’s capacity within a year or two. This has been written about before. But in this story, I’ll show you how to triple the usable life of your gadgets’ batteries — either on your own or using a simple app.

  Read the full story in the AskWoody Plus Newsletter 18.13.0 (2021-04-12).

  AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Public Defender AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Batteries, Battery charging, Public Defender

• Easily back up all your PC’s current drivers

  Posted on October 14, 2019 at 01:15 CDT by Tracey Capen • Comment in the Forums

  LANGALIST

  By Fred Langa

  Free tools, including Win10’s built-in export-driver command, make backing up your device drivers simple.

  Plus: Free security info from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. And, do new laptops really require a 100 percent initial charge?

  Read the full story in AskWoody Plus Newsletter 16.37.0 (2019-10-14).

  LangaList AskWoody Plus Newsletter, backup, Battery charging, Hardware drivers, Security advice