Oops - will feminize Sumana. A friend of yours?

Yep!
...And I've been out of touch since one of the health-blahs of the last couple years, so thank you for the kick in the pants to say hi again ;)

So you mean that if my laptop is plugged in, I don't actually need to have the battery in at the same time?

Yes, exactly. So long as you remember to put the battery back in before unplugging -- it's amazing how many of us forget this bit.