Microsoft investigates Windows 7 battery life complaints

Microsoft is currently investigating a number of user complaints pertaining to the battery life of laptops running the Windows 7 operating system. While the exact numbers of affected users are not available, some users have complained of deteriorating runtimes, with extreme cases citing a runtime of just 15 minutes. The issue seems to affect users who have upgraded their laptops from either Windows Vista or Windows XP.

Of course, isolated complaints of battery life issues have surfaced as early as June. This is the first time though that Microsoft has admitted to something being amiss, much less that the company is actively looking into it.

In a forum posting, a Microsoft manager, Anthony Mann, says that Microsoft is investigating the issue with its hardware partners.  Mann noted that the problem "appears to be related to system firmware. We are working with our partners to determine the root cause and will update the forum with information and guidance as it becomes available."

Personally, I have experienced a drastic reduction in the battery runtime with my Sony laptop immediately after upgrading to Windows 7. However, the problem went away after I installed the (Windows Vista) drivers over my vanilla Windows 7 Enterprise installation. Has anyone else experienced battery life problems with Windows 7?

For more on this story:
- check out the article at Microsoft Watch
- check out the article at eWeek 

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