How to Fix Low Battery Power And Overheating Issue In Ubuntu 11.10

By Abhishek Prakash | March 2, 2012 | Leave a Comment

One of the many things that Linux users boast of is the better performance of the hardware in Linux as compared to Windows. Unfortunately, it has not been true in many cases. One of the major issues with the latest Ubuntu releases (11.04 and 11.10) were a dramatic decrease in the battery life along with overheating of laptops. The issue is faced by a large number of people that claimed to reduce the battery life by around 2 hours on average. Interestingly, Windows still performs better and gives greater battery life than the latest version of Ubuntu.

A lot has been discussed about the issue. Lots of bug reports has been filed but nothing conclusive came out. Ubuntu LTS (Long Term Support) versions for e.g., Ubuntu 10.10 and the upcoming 12.04 are known to perform better than Windows but it does not mean that one has to suffer from poor battery life until the LTS version 12.04 comes out. In this post we will discuss two workarounds that could help you in improving the battery performance. You can use either or both of them.

Improve battery life by using Jupiter

Jupiter is a Linux applet for display, power, and device control. It can be used to change screen resolution, screen orientation, disabling WiFi, bluetooth and touchpad, and above all, battery performance. Jupiter has 3 Performance Modes: Maximum Performance, Performance on demand and Power Saver (the one we are interested in). In Power Saver mode it underclocks the processor and hence improves the battery life.

Unfortunately, Jupiter doesn’t work by default with Ubuntu 11.10, but thanks to WebUpd8 team, we have a work around for it. Open your terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and type the following commands:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:webupd8team/jupitersudo apt-get updatesudo apt-get install jupiter

After installing it, you need to log out and login again. You can see Jupiter in your system tray on the top. You can select Power Saver mode from there. This picture could be helpful:

After you put it on power saver mode, the icon turns green. It help you in remembering what mode you are using. You can see a considerable improvement in both battery performance and over heating.

Changing the Grub configuration to improve the battery performance:

If you are not satisfied with Jupiter, you may want to use the other work around which is a Kernel tweak. It was found that battery and over heating issue is related the Linux kernel. Let’s see how to use this trick:

Open your terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and open the Grub config file by using the following command:

sudo gedit /etc/default/grub

Now here search for this line:

GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="quiet splash"

Replace the above line with this one and save the file:

GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="quiet splash pcie_aspm=force"

Update the Grub by using this command:

sudo update-grub

This fix was mainly meant for Linux Kernel 2.6.38 and the issue was “supposed” to be solved in later versions of Linux Kernel but that, unfortunately, never happened.

PowerTop can also be used instead of Jupiter but personally, I preferred Jupiter over PowerTop. I hope these tips increase the battery life and solve the overheating problem of your laptop. I sincerely hope that things will be better with Ubuntu 12.04 which is bound to release in April’12. Your questions and suggestion are always welcomed. Cheers :)

Image credit: " target="_blank">Orange warning low battery signal by Big Stock Photo.

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Abhishek is a Software Engineer by profession and a Tech-Blogger by passion. He takes a keen interest in day-to-day computer life and wishes to share his experience with others to make their computer experience better and easier. He is the owner of increasingly popular tech blog Computer And You.Random PostClear for iOS: The Future of Simpler Technology Advertise hereRecommendationsTake Our PollFollow Us On Facebook About Make Tech Easier

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Paddy Power taking bets on next Apple announcement

10/11 on one iPad announcement this year?Apple News By Patrick Goss 13 hours ago | Tell us what you think [ 0 comments ]

Tweet iBet you think you can win

Irish betting giant Paddy Power has opened a book on what Apple will be announcing at its New York event in a week's time.

Apple's events have always been high-profile offerings, but now punters can put their money where their mouth is and put their hard earned cah on what they think will be announced.

Topping the list at 1/6 are electonric/digital textbooks, with an iPad Lite at 6/1 and 9/1 for the iPad 3.

Tech junkie

"Like all tech junkies I'm awaiting the latest Apple announcement with bated breath, it looks very likely that they're on the verge of launching electronic textbooks but I don't think it's beyond those geniuses at Apple to build a robot teacher!" said Paddy Power.

And for those that are even more confident they know what Apple is doing, you can also bet on the number of iPad releases that will occur in 2012.

You can get 10/11 that it will be just one and 4/5 on two. We should point out at this point that betting is for adults and that you can lose all your money if you're not very good at it.

We've spoken to Paddy Power and the bets will go up shortly if you fancy a punt.

What will the Apple announcement be regarding?
1/6 Electronic/Digital Textbooks
6/1 iPad Lite
9/1 iPad 3
14/1 Return of the iMac desktop
16/1 Apple Television set
20/1 iPhone 5
40/1 Apple Robot Teacher

How many iPad releases in 2012?
16/1 None
10/11 One
4/5 Two

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Review: MiLi Power Pico Projector

If you have an iPhone or an iPod then there is a good chance that you have a lot of pictures and movies stored on them. The MiLi Power Pico Projector enables you to show them off.

This connects to your iOS device and throws the images onto your wall, creating a 'screen' of up to 70 inches. The images look good, although movies in our test were less impressive than still photos.

The MiLi Power Pico Projector attaches to the Apple iPhone or iPod neatly and runs off the device's battery, but if you plug it into the mains you can charge your iPhone or iPod through the projector.

When opened up, the MiLi Power Pico Projector turns itself into a decent stand, which makes adjusting the projection easy.

If you don't have an iPod or iPhone then that doesn't matter, because there are inputs for all kinds of smartphones, MP3 players and other devices included. However, the functionality of the projector is a lot more limited on these, because it has been designed for Apple devices.

It also comes with some built-in speakers too, which sound pretty good considering their size – although it's no replacement for a home cinema system, and there are cheaper portable projectors out there.

If you have an iPhone and want to show off your photos and videos in a stylish manner, then you might find the MiLi Power Pico Projector to be right up your street. Others might want to steer clear though.

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Data centers use less power than anticipated

A new study conducted by a Stanford University consulting professor contradicts a 2007 report from the Environmental Protection Agency regarding future data center power consumption, despite the fact that data centers are being built at a record pace.

The 2007 EPA report suggested that data center power consumption would nearly double from 2005 to 2010. Estimated power usage was set at 100 billion kilowatt hours, resulting in a total cost of $7.4 billion.

The new report, prepared by Jonathan G. Koomey at the request of the New York Times, reveals that worldwide data center power consumption only increased roughly 56 percent from 2005 to 2010. In the United States, power consumption only increased by 36 percent.

A growing number of factors have led to the increase in data center usage over the past half decade. Cloud computing, content streaming services and the social networking boom have all contributed to the demand for more server space. Internet connected computer and smartphone ownership is at an all-time high.

On the flip side, the study points to several reasons why consumption didn’t hit the projected numbers from the EPA’s 2007 report. At the top of the list is the global recession.

“Mostly because of the recession, but also because of a few changes in the way these facilities are designed and operated, data center electricity consumption is clearly much lower than what was expected, and that’s really the big story,” said Mr. Koomey.

More efficient hardware is also partly responsible for lower numbers, although according to the New York Times, Mr. Koomey wasn’t able to separate the impact of the recession from that of energy-saving technologies.

Computer Won't Power on But the LED Power Is Lit on the Board

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When the computer won't turn on, but still LED light lit on the motherboard, here are the potential causes. If there is beeping sound while starting the system, reference the motherboard manual; those beeps will indicate the problem.

RAM

Improperly seated RAM will cause the system to not turn on. This is because RAM is integral to the computer's operation. Turn off the system and unplug the power cord, then re-seat your RAM modules.

CPU

Reseat the CPU. Make sure no pins are bent and that it's sitting properly in its slot. CPUs lock into the motherboard. Reapply any thermal paste before remounting the heat sink.

Motherboard

If all else fails, the problem could be the motherboard. Getting a faulty motherboard is not unheard of. This is typically the last resort; this should be done only if all the above steps are exhausted.http://hardwaretexpert.blogspot.com/2010/10/different-types-of-rams.html