This old clamshell iBook 466SE is now four years in my possession. Who knows how long it sat on a shelf before that. So the lithium ion battery is well on its way to unuseability. I have to perform battery maintenance almost monthly. Look inside for my steps, which work for PowerBooks and new iBooks, too.

First, reset nvram:

Restart in open firmware - hit restart or the power button while holding down the command (Apple), option, o and f.

A command prompt will come up on the screen.

Type: reset-nvram

Type: reset-all

Then reset the computer's power management unit:

Shut down the computer.

Disconnect the AC power cord.

Take out the battery.

Press and release the reset button in the vents just above the power button (see the Apple KB for locations on non-clamshell laptops).

Wait 5 seconds.

Reconnect the AC power cord, before reinstalling the battery.

Reinstall the battery.

Restart.

Keep the laptop on AC power until it reaches 100% charge.

Remove the AC power cord.

Run it on battery power until it goes to sleep on its own after being on reserve power.

Replace the AC power cord again, put the laptop to sleep, and let it recharge to 100%.

These two procedures get me back to over an hour of battery time. I don't want to buy a new battery, since it costs over $100 and I plan to toss this thing in the creek as soon as a G5 laptop comes out.