Useful article re Battery life on laptops and how to preserve it
 

found this and whilst its sort of what I've been doing for years some of you may find it useful

Zen and the Art of Laptop Battery Maintenance • Register Hardware

Re: Useful article re Battery life on laptops and how to preserve it
 

My laptop is plugged in, therefore on charge, almost all of the time, either in the office, at home, or in the car, my phone is on charge every evening for an hour, but let it run low at weekends, this is more by habit than anything to do with extending battery life.

Re: Useful article re Battery life on laptops and how to preserve it
 

someone once told me if you have something plugged in perminantly it can drain the battery, therefore doing more harm than good

Re: Useful article re Battery life on laptops and how to preserve it
 

I only ever use mine on battery. The charger is at the side of the bed and that is where it gets charged. I don't see the point in having a laptop that you have to tie to the wall. I use it in bed, in the living room or at the dining table. I take it here and there and bring it to work and never take its charger unless I think I may need to use it for more that 4 hours.

Rhonda has hers plugging in all the time. She does occasionally unplug it and run it on its battery though and then plug it back in when it complains.

Re: Useful article re Battery life on laptops and how to preserve it
 

They don't drain as such. They loose their ability to hold the same amount of charge as when they were new. All batteries loose capacity over time but constantly being on charge is bad for them.

If you use rechargeable AA batteries and leave them in the charger when they have finished charging they will slowly discharge on their own due to internal resistance. That could mean they will be flat when you come to use them.

Re: Useful article re Battery life on laptops and how to preserve it
 

You could probably do with letting it run on batteries every once in a while. If you're moving the laptop between home/office/car, pick one where you'll get a couple of hours (or less) before moving it again, and just don't bother plugging it in.

As well as giving the battery a bit of a break from being continually trickle charged, it also reduces the physical stress on your power adapter and the laptop's power jack, as you're plugging/unplugging less often.