Holey cow I wondered what was going on!
I have an Everex SA2053T (2 years old) and both my batteries died.
I did an upgrade to Windows 7 Pro and wow did it ever smarten up that old 1.73 GHz Core duo CPU, you know compared to Vista Home Premium. However one day I figured I'd just recalibrate my 3 cell battery (there's a BIOS routine that does that). Wow, it killed it! I repeated the calibration 3 times and each time the capacity diminished by 30% until whammo it says same thing as the article, 100% charge but only 5 minutes capacity left. So I pulled out the 6 cell battery from the box and charged it up, unfortunately with Windows 7 running. Same thing! Windows 7 told me the battery was completely ruined, even though I never had used it before (not even once). I bought another new battery, this time with 9 cells. Charged it up but this time with Windows 7 turned off (didn't do that with the 6 cell battery). So far, so good. I completely ruined the 6 cell battery by trying to dismantle it, I discovered that the case is designed to splinter into bits if you try that -- so it has to go to the recycler. But I'll try that trick of discharging completely & recalibrating with the 3 cell battery. It's 2 years old but man just last week it was perfectly fine.
I'm running dual boot with OSX 10.5.6, and Leopard didn't help either. Bummer.

L2Build a colder computer. - It sin't my computer.
The operating system isn't bla bla bla- -- no but it has more processes running that effect video performance.

Ill bet you think Windows 7 is the leading cause of global warming :| -- what? pull your head out of your arse and read what I typed, not your imagination.

The one person I know that has this issue dual boots xp and 7, his video cards over heat on 7 after a few min of games, under xp they stay cool. I have read reports of others having the same issue. I don't have the issue.

The hardware needed to charge a battery, and swap between the battery and the mains, should work perfectly fine without an opearting system at all! Why all the compulsion to have the OS get involved in everything, just so the user can see "45% remaining (2.2 hours)" when he's on battery? The OS should know if the box is being powered by the battery or the mains so it knows when to downclock/reduce screen brigntness, to save battery life, but the OS has no need to controll anything about the battery itself.

What next, will the OS control screen calibration and contrast, so the OS can brick monitors too?

I said Nick is an apple fan???? LOL - did you even read what I said?

Please...go back and have another go. Seriously.

That's the article title and you say he is Apple biased. Lol.

Nick is great, he's one of the better reasons The Inq is still popular.

Another remark he said:

"BIT TWIDDLER Microsoft is investigating complaints that its Windows 7 operating system seems to eat batteries for lunch."

How is that any better or worse than what he says about Apple? It's the same.

He even says that a MS MVP tried a fix and it didn't work and that he even bought a new battery. lol.

It looks like he is treating them the same, IE with wit, a few funny jibes and some FRICTION.

Please read the header on every page here" The Inquirer, News, reviews, facts and friction."

FRICTION - this is what Nick F does well. So well that you and others like you often get Friction Burns.

If you don't want it the Friction then this is not the place for you.

Or you could do what those who enjoy these pieces do, smile. I like his sarcastic wit and comment on otherwise dull stories.

If you define an "apple" as "proprietary software designed to control the user and restrict their options to ones your company benefits from", then comparing Apple to Microsoft is an "apples to apples" comparison. They are both manipulative, aggressive companies with only their own interests at heart.

I think people defend Apple because they seem to be vulnerable to Jobs' "reality distortion field". And I think people defend Microsoft because they are paid to do so (perhaps like our friend, "Fred"). In the end, both are out to get your money by restricting you (Apple to their iTunes/ app store, Microsoft to their own applications, document formats, and Microsoft-exclusive partners). Personally, using or patronizing either one makes me feel ill (so I just use open source instead).

I think Fred is right in pointing out that Apple is an overbearing and oppressive company, but Fred's other four fingers point back at him (and his probable employer).

@ Fred
Actually...I think Balmer's already reserved the hottest, spikiest seats in hell for the Google twins, and has already stated publicly he wants to "kill" Google. Not exactly the words of a man enamoured by the Google empire. Also witness his *alleged* "furniture re-arranging" antics apon hearing about another senior defection to Google.

And yee gods - I mostly agree...except by calling them apple idiots yourself, you've essentially caught your own point in a self-defeating loop...

@ S Ansell (+ followers)
To clarify - my point was about Nick's journalistic double standards...not the standards (or lack thereof) of either Apple or Microsoft. So while your points are valid - and most of which I agree with - they're actually irrelevant in answering my point.

I never noticed that problem in the 7000 beta build on my netbook.

You forgot...

5) Microsoft did not try to blame Adobe for the problem.

6) Microsoft did not claim it was all part of a giant Google conspiracy against it.

Farrel does not use Windows he is a famous Linux fan-boy. YOu Apple idiots always think that someone who is anti-apple must be pro-Microsoft.

L2Build a colder computer. The operating system isn't in charge of the speed of the fans on your video card, the drivers are (or a different fan control you have installed). Ill bet you think Windows 7 is the leading cause of global warming :|

Actually, I was merely commenting on Nick's double standards (Apple = Satan's spawn, Microsoft = glorious) - I didn't personally pass judgement on Microsoft - sh*t happens afterall.

Nor was I defending Apple, in the same manner.

Wow...I think I'm getting deja vu from comments in a similar story...

I agree with the 4 points made by Ansell. Microsoft do at least acknowledge their problems and don't blame it on everyone except themselves. They are at least professional about it. They are not perfect, just look at the Xbox360 red ring debacle. But they are trying...isn't that's important and making the more humans to their consumers ?

I would like to see an article that covers the overheating of video cards during gameing on win7. It is a issue.

I'm so glad I use Ubuntu.

In answer to your question:

"Why the double standards?"

1) Microsoft did not try to suppress this story in any way.
2) Microsoft did not delete posts about it or threaten to ban users for talking about it openly on its forums.
3) Microsoft did not claim the problem did not exist and has in fact said it will investigate further.
4) Microsoft has not blamed the users for the problem or tried to fob off the situation as a feature.

Microsoft is far from perfect, but Apple acts badly in such areas, just like Nvidia has been known to do also. Apple just happens to be one of the worst in this regard, yet is given a "get out of jail free card" by a lot of the American & British media and by Apple users who perpetually turn the other cheek when Apple messes them around, when they should be screaming from the rooftops for justice just like they would with a normal company.

Seeing most people use and defend Apple products, to me, is like watching a battered wife defending her aggressive husband who beats her regularly. Sure, the husband is good most of the time and fairly attentive, but he lies, cheats and randomly beats her up. He has good qualities, but the whole violence thing makes you think, "Just divorce the guy and find someone who really cares!"

I know the analogy is a bit OTT, but that's how annoyed I get when people defend Apple as if it's a saint when the reality is actually quite shocking.

It's because Nick is running Windows 7. By the time he gets through with slamming Apple he's spent his batteries. You should see where she shoves replacements. :-)

Oh wait...it's not about apple.

C'mon Nick - we all know this article would have been laden with bile had this been OS X...instead we get a factual article, with no hint of jibes, wit, sarcasm or downright vitriol. Why the double standards?

"Windows 7 RC candidate"
Windows 7 Release Candidate candidate?

I'm guessing Windblows has a very flaky badly programmed interface between it and the bios. I just bought a compaq, declined the lisence and installed linux and now it gives a red screen every time it is booted stating it was shutdown due to overheating which was never the case. This tells me micky mouse is trying to do some flaky communicating with the bios by sending some message when it is shut down correctly and when the bios does not recieve the message, it flakes out which is probably the case with the batteries as well. If it does not recieve the message, the battery life suddenly goes to ZERO in the bios all because windows is evil.

I might be wrong.

As battery manufacturers sit in the corner like the family guy bug monster..

**GOOOOD, GOOOOOOD**

It's a notification issue - the BIOS or Windows (or both) is getting confused and saying batteries are flat or 'clapped out' when they are not. This is not the same as the OS draining the battery or 'killing' it..