Charging battery before first time use?

[bellullabob]

Got UPS notification my new 8430 has been deliverd and is waiting for me to get home....yeah!

Quick Battery question: Does the laptop need to be completely charged before using to maximize battery life? Can you turn on the laptop while the battery is charging or is it best to let it completely charge the first time around? Thanks.

[Eurasianman]

Eh.. rules of thumb is to let the battery charge for a full 12 hours before using... that is, the last time I remembered... it's been a while since I've read the sheet of paper that comes with the batteries =P

Also, I think you're suppose to leave the laptop off while charging. I could be wrong though...

[bellullabob]

Well I am home. This lappy looks and feels solid. The manual is not clear at all and it seems that it would be okay to just turn it on. Anyone else with an opinion? Thanks.

-Took about an hour for battery charging light to go off...

I was good and waited to be safe!

-Screen is absolutetly gorgeous... Way way better than my lcd by samsung (931C). Midtones and greys are fantastically well rendered. Image and text is super crisp. It's making me hate my samsung! Or at least showing me I really need to recalibrate this thing. I'll try writing a mini review once I am done with burning the recovery disc (boy is that slow)...

[Deuce]

actually there's no need to charge a battery for that long even on the first charge. Go read the Battery Guide. This type of battery (lithium based) doesn't have "memory"... meaning it doesn't matter if you had fully charged it the first or if you charged it only half way. Charging it for 12 hours the first time will not increase the battery life.

[Cory]

When i received my laptop I just plugged it up to the wall and got on it and started to delete the bloat ware and installing updates.