Ive got an old Mac Powerbook G4, and ive noticed lately that the battery continues to drain even when its plugged in while im using it. When i stop using it the battery charges back up. Can you have to many accessories plugged into a laptop so that the battery on it will drain even when the computer is plugged in?

I currently have 5 external hard drives connected (3 of which drawing from their own power cords) my iphone and my ipod.

It's hard to make sense of it. If you remove the battery, does the computer shuts down?

I guess I would charge the battery completely, then remove the battery and keep the laptop plugged in and only put the battery back in when you need to move.