Don't Forget to Reset the SMC

crwdns2853023:0crwdne2853023:0

My girlfriend's 2009 unibody MBP was seeing some pretty poor battery life. The nearest Apple-certified shop seemed keen to charge extra for installation. I'd just upgraded the HDD, so why not do the battery as well?

crwdns2853024:0crwdne2853024:0

I ordered a new battery from iFixit. Installation was quick & painless, ~15 mins tops. Luckily I got one of the iFixit kits randomly from ThinkGeek, or those tri-screws at the battery would have been a nightmare.

crwdns2853025:0crwdne2853025:0

Reset the SMC after installing the new battery! The laptop adamantly believed the battery was old and died quickly, until I reset the SMC and all was well (see here for the steps: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3964 ).

This step is not listed in the Battery Replacement Guide, but is necessary to use a new battery to its fullest potential.