A Friday announcement by the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has extended the recall of Hewlett-Packard (HP)'s lithium-ion batteries - used in HP and Compaq computers - by an additional
54,000; over and above the 70,000 batteries already recalled earlier.

The expansion of the recall has come after new reports about overheating and rupturing of the batteries, and injuries from users. One of the essential components of laptop computers, the batteries generate heat, and can even spark a fire - thereby leading to injuries.

With accidents associated with HP batteries, IT administrators need to be responsive to the details of the HP battery recall; and should act accordingly to have any applicable batteries replaced before they cause potential physical harm to users or spark a fire.

In the recall-related details, posted on the CPSC site, the precautionary instructions for the users read thus: "Consumers should immediately remove the batteries referenced above from their notebook computer and contact HP to determine if their battery is included in this recall - even if the battery was previously checked. Consumers with recalled batteries will receive a free replacement battery."

In addition, the site suggests that once the recalled batteries are removed from their notebook computer, users should power their computers with the AC adapter until the battery is replaced. Furthermore, HP also advises users to ensure that the replacement batteries are obtained either from HP or HP authorized resellers.