Microsoft acts on Windows 7 battery issue

Windows 7 was meant to be a boon to the battery life of notebook PCs. And generally speaking it has been. But some people are experiencing a problem with battery life on their machines that only appears to occur when Windows 7 is installed. Enough people have reported the problem that Microsoft is now investigating the cause.

One of the key advantages Microsoft claimed Windows 7 offered was less drain on a computer’s resources. For notebook users, this would mean the batter life should be extended, and in most cases this has indeed proved to be the case.

However, a problem which first reared its head last year before Windows 7 was even released, has grown over the last month, with 350 posts on the Microsoft TechNet forums detailing it over the past month or so.

The problem appears to be twofold. Some users are reporting their batteries have been adversely affected since they installed Windows 7, with battery life dropping from around three hours to 10-20 minutes. Others are reporting their system warning them to replace their battery when there is actually nothing wrong with it. Those people are getting the following warning:

Consider replacing your battery. There is a problem with your battery, so your computer might shut down suddenly.

Microsoft has ignored the problem until now, with whatever is causing the problem remaining a part of the operating system from the beta release until now. But with this many people now confirming this is a widespread issue and not just certain machines playing up the company is investigating. Microsoft told Ars Technica:

We are investigating this issue in conjunction with our hardware partners. The warning received in Windows 7 uses firmware information to determine if battery replacement is needed. We are working with our partners to determine the root cause and will update with information and guidance as it becomes available.

The advice for anyone who receives this message is not to ignore it but to contact the computer manufacturer to see if the message is warranted or not.

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