Hellooo peopleee!!

Wondering where I disappeared? 😅 Well, I got caught up in submissions and had a pretty big mishap—my laptop (HP EliteBook) gave up on me.

Let me explain. The battery had already given up a while ago, so I had to keep it plugged in 24/7. It was basically functioning like a desktop. Genius, right? NOPE. Turns out, constantly overcharging it (staying at 99-100%) caused the battery to swell up.

But that’s not even the worst part.

One fine day, there was a power cut. The electricity kept flickering and I, being me, forgot to unplug the laptop. Boom—battery got fried, and a few motherboard components got damaged too. 😓 It's a refurbished laptop and barely a year old... yep, I caused all that drama. Sorry, dear laptop.

But did the work stop? Absolutely not!

I stopped writing here for a while because I had to switch to my PC and ended up using a different Gmail account—forgot this one's password (classic clumsy me). But I’m back now!

We’ve completed all our B.Tech submissions. My orals are on 9th May, followed by practicals and final exams in the last week of May. Then—second year, DONE! 🥳

We also completed the ZeroLag project—an OS-level AI agent built for our Python submission. The teacher wasn’t too impressed because I used a pre-trained AI model for the chatbot (looked like low effort to her). But trust me, I was the only one in my group of four who worked on it, and I’m definitely going to improve it. I won’t stop here!

Next up, I really want to build my own operating system (yes, I know all my projects somehow revolve around OS 😅) and maybe even develop a small game just for fun. Once the ESEs are over, I’ll be diving back into DSA, problem solving, and polishing these projects for my resume.

Got any project suggestions? Drop them in the comments—I’d love to hear!

For now, check out a few tips on how to take better care of your laptop battery 🔋👇

Tips to Avoid Laptop Battery & Hardware Damage (Learn from my chaos 😅):

1. 🔌 Don’t Keep Your Laptop Plugged in All the Time

Keeping your laptop constantly plugged in—even after hitting 100%—puts stress on the battery. It may seem harmless, but over time it reduces the battery's health and can cause swelling or even overheating.
👉 Best practice: Unplug it around 80-90% and plug it back in when it drops to ~20%. This keeps the battery in a healthy charge cycle range.

2. 🔋 Replace a Dead Battery Instead of Using It Like a Desktop

If your laptop battery is completely dead (like mine was), don’t ignore it. Using the laptop plugged in all the time isn’t a long-term solution—it leads to overcharging of internal circuits and puts pressure on the motherboard.
👉 Best practice: If your battery no longer holds charge, get it replaced ASAP—even if you're not planning to use the battery often.

3. ⚡ Use a Surge Protector or UPS During Unstable Power

Power cuts and voltage fluctuations can instantly fry laptop components. If your area has unstable electricity (like mine did), always use a surge protector or even better, a UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply).
👉 Best practice: Never plug your laptop directly into the wall during storms or outages.

4. 🌡️ Prevent Overheating: Keep Ventilation Open

Soft surfaces like beds, blankets, or your lap can block the air vents of your laptop, leading to overheating. This stresses internal components and can damage both the battery and the motherboard.
👉 Best practice: Use a cooling pad or place your laptop on a hard, flat surface. Also, clean the fans once in a while!

5. 📴 Unplug Your Laptop During Power Cuts

If there’s a power cut and the power keeps flickering, it can harm both the battery and your charging circuit. That’s likely what caused your battery and motherboard damage.
👉 Best practice: Immediately unplug your laptop when power goes out or fluctuates. It's safer to shut down and wait until it's stable again.

6. 🛠️ Schedule Regular Laptop Health Checkups

Especially for refurbished or older laptops, a small issue (like a battery warning or overheating) can turn into something major. Use system diagnostics tools to check battery health, CPU temperature, and voltage irregularities.
👉 Best practice: Run hardware diagnostics monthly and keep track of battery cycle count.

And that’s it for today’s entry!

Until next time…
Keep learning, keep building, and stay safe (and smart) with your devices 😄
See you in the next one! 💻✨

📢 Let’s Connect!

Feel free to reach out—let’s grow together! 💡

📩 Email: wanjalemansi23@gmail.com
🔗 LinkedIn: Mansi Wanjale

Always Learning, Always Growing

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Mansi Wanjale

Mansi Wanjale