Storing my backup laptop

TidBITS Talk
1

Now that I’ve replaced my mid-2012 MBP, I plan to keep it for a backup with the goal of being able to move whatever design project I’m working on (QuarkXpress) over to it in case my main machine fails. What’s the best method for keeping the backup machine in running order? Charge and shutdown? Keep it on a power supply… while shut down or sleeping?

Ideally, I suppose I would fire it up periodically and make sure the battery is charged. But realistically I’m not sure how often I’ll remember to do this.

2

Keep it in running order by giving it a daily or weekly job. I have a MBP (october 2006) that gets fired up daily to look at certain websites and fora. It’s switched on after the charger is switched on by a wall-outlet switch. So it charges only when I use it. Old hardware that needs to be available in case of… gets a single task assigned. So it keeps being in active use.

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3

Good idea… I’ll just need to come up with a schedule and a task.

4

I keep my wife’s old MacBook Pro plugged into its charger 24x7. It draws very little current because the battery is fully charged, but I want to make sure the battery doesn’t self-drain down to nothing after months of disuse, because that destroys their ability to hold a charge.

5

So it would seem it’s better to keep the laptop plugged in all the time vs taking it off the charger?

6

If you don’t plan on using it at all for an extended period, that would be my opinion.

If you will occasionally be using it (e.g. once a month or so), then I don’t think it will be necessary.