Battery Question

[Rossua]

I have an Evesham Technology (UK) laptop (P4 2.6Hz, 512 MB DDR, 64MB nVidia VGA, 40GB HD), and wondered about a very simple matter, namely does the battery have to be inserted in the computer for it to work on the mains supply.

Or can it still work off the mains without the battery being installed (eg. if the battery failed).

The reason I am asking is because the user manual advises to keep the battery installed, even if using the external power, but I wonder if this is strictly necessary.

Would it damage the laptop if it were run on the external power, without the battery installed ?

Many thanks for any advice,

Ross.

[LaptopExtreme]

It shouldn't damage it, but then again, you won't be charging it in case you need to take it with you. Some laptops will alert you if there is not battery installed, some won't even care. You can try to pop it off and set it aside. If it doesnt do anything, then you're ok. It wont hurt your laptop, but your battery wont be charging. Some Li-Ion batts work better with constant high charges than complete drainage.