Windows 7's Battery Battle
Well, this just figures, doesn't it? As soon as we at RCPU start to go and brag on Windows 7 and tell partners what a great opportunity it'll provide for them, the whole operating system goes kaput.
Well, not really. Windows 7 is still popular and working well for most folks. But for others, it literally is going kaput -- or at least threatening to, due to a puzzling bug that keeps telling users that their laptop batteries are dying or faulty. In fact, it seems as though Windows 7 might be damaging the batteries themselves. Or, Windows 7 might not be at fault at all. Everything's a bit murky right now. The root of the problem isn't clear at this point.
Microsoft is investigating the snafu and looking to develop a fix. The bug is nothing new, by the way; users have been reporting it since June, apparently. Given Windows 7's meteoric rise up the OS charts, this isn't the best time for a problem like this to come to light. However, we hope that Microsoft will be able to fix this problem relatively quickly now that it has gone mainstream.
After all, it would be a shame for all the post-Vista credibility that Microsoft has rebuilt with Windows 7 to drain away like so much...well, battery acid, we guess. Microsoft and its hardware partners need to make this a top priority, which they are no doubt doing, so that Windows 7's (and Microsoft's) momentum can continue to build.
Have you experienced the Windows 7 battery problem? What has your experience been? Send it to lpender@rcpmag.com.
Posted by Lee Pender on 02/04/2010 at 11:27 AM