In this digital age, if you are a money-saving person, buying a refurbished laptop can be a cost-effective option. Here, one of the most critical components of the laptop is the battery. A poor battery can affect your work performance and reduce laptop portability. In this case, you need to check battery health on a refurbished laptop to evaluate the laptop’s battery life and other conditions, ensuring your purchase is worthwhile.
Why Battery Health Matters in Refurbished Laptops?
Before we get into the methods, I’d like to take a moment to discuss some basics on battery health, especially related to refurbished devices. Batteries wear out from use following charge cycles. A used laptop could have been through hundreds of charge cycles, so along the way the capacity of the battery has gone down. Understanding battery health is useful for three reasons.
– To know how much longer the laptop will run unplugged.
– To understand potential costs if replacement is necessary.
– To help with pricing negotiations prior to purchase.
1. Use Built-in Battery Report Tools (Windows)
The easiest way you can check the battery health on a refurbished laptop is to use the built-in battery report tool that Windows has. Step-by-step directions are:
- Open Command Prompt as an Administrator.
Next, enter the following command:
powercfg /batteryreport - Then hit Enter, which will save a battery report to the system directory.
- Open the file, usually in HTML format, to see the details.
You will examine:
- Design Capacity vs Full Charge Capacity.
- Cycle Count.
- Battery usage and recent statistics.
This is an accurate, system-based way to assess battery health, and does not require a third-party software application.
2. Use Windows Settings
Windows 10 and 11 have a nice way of looking at battery performance.
Steps:
- Select Settings > System > Power & Battery.
- Review the Battery usage and Battery saver sections.
Although it doesn’t give you a lot of health data, it will help you determine if your battery is draining faster than expected.
3. Use Third-Party Battery Diagnostic Tools
Another dependable technique for checking battery health on a refurbished laptop is through dedicated battery software. Tools such as HWMonitor or BatteryInfoView , or BatteryCare provide real-time voltage, temperature, wear level, and charge cycle stats.
These tools provide:
- Wear percentage.
- Current charge vs designed capacity.
- Estimated battery life based on usage patterns.
This may help you further supplement the built-in Windows report and provide a more granular look.
4. Mac Users: Check via System Information
You can confirm battery health on refurbished MacBooks using internal macOS tools. You can:
- Hold the Option key and click the Apple Menu > System Information.
- Then, under Power, check the battery condition (e.g. Normal, Replace Soon). Check Cycle Count and Full Charge Capacity.
Looking for more macOS tips? You can learn how to view hidden files on Mac to see battery logs or system diagnostic information!
5. BIOS or UEFI Diagnostic Tools
Most refurbished laptops, like HP, Dell, or Lenovo, have a battery diagnostics built into the Bios.
Here’s how to do it:
- On reboot press the key for your brand’s bios (usually F2, F10, Del, Esc).
- Then go to Diagnostics > Battery Test.
- Begin the test and check the battery status.
A useful feature especially when the operating system is not working properly, or you wish to run pre-boot diagnostics.
6. Cross-check with Usage Symptoms
In some cases, battery health cannot be assessed strictly by number. So here are some things to look out for:
- Is the battery draining faster than it usually does?
- Is the laptop shutting down without notice?
- Does the laptop get hot when charging?
If you notice any of these signs, it might mean your battery health is degraded from its actual state reported by the system.
7. Consider a Secure Cleanup Tool
While checking your device’s hardware, also ensure its software and data are in good shape. Sometimes, residual software or corrupted files may affect battery performance.
In such cases, you might consider SysTools Data Erasure Software. It’s an effective solution not just for data wiping but also helps clean up digital clutter that may tax system performance and battery. It adheres to the US DoD 5220.22-M data wipe standard, ensuring secure and efficient cleanups.
Final Thoughts
Knowing how to check battery health on a refurbished laptop is an essential trait to protect your purchase. Whether you use Windows tools, a third-party app, or BIOS diagnostics, these methods allow you to check battery health with confidence. Evaluate your usage symptoms and listen to system reports when needed. Balance these checks with good digital hygiene, like temporary and corrupted files deleting unexpected no matter how busy your system is, the new battery can be kept in its best possible state of performance while also doing the same for your laptop.
And if you’re just getting ready to sell or refurbish your device, I recommend that you remove your data securely, etc, with an application that you’re used to or that you trust.
