This is the first problem i've had with my laptop, and i've had it almost 2 years...
I came home tonight and tried to turn the laptop on. It wouldn't cut on. So I plugged it in, and it cut on.
It says it is running totally on AC power. I unplugged it b/c usually if i unplug it, it will start using the battery. Instead, it just cut off.
The battery isn't dead, b/c if it was it would show it as "charging" down in the toolbar. Plus, when I double-click the toolbar icon, it shows the battery as having 78%..
For some reason, the computer does not recognize that there is a battery.
It worked fine before I went out. THen when i came back home, it doesn't work.

Did the battery just completely die or quit working? Can that happen? Or do you think it is the parts that connect to the battery that have gone bad? Any suggestions or remedies? Thanks

Update... i took the battery out (while the computer was plugged in) and put the battery back in. it charges for about 5 seconds, then goes back to AC power mode...
Is there a loose connection? Or some sort of setting i've turned off?

[Edited on June 17, 2006 at 12:22 AM. Reason : yep]

6/17/2006 12:14:12 AM

You could try this, it used to work sometimes for my HP lappy 3 years ago or so. HP called it conditioning the battery:

Put the battery in the computer

Plug the computer into AC power

Disregard any indicators and the battery meter, as they may be displaying falsly

Let the whole thing sit like that for 24 hours

Unplug the computer and let it run on battery until it dies from dead battery

Repeat this process of plugging the computer up for 24 hours and totally running down the battery several times (3).

If that doesn't work, the battery may be bad (HP tells me they have an average life of 2 years)

6/17/2006 12:30:11 AM

Well... when i take out the battery and put it in...the charging icon appears, then 5 seconds later it goes back to AC power...

when laptop batteries die, do they just quit working suddenly? I always thought they would drain down to 0% first but can they just quit working!?

I think the battery just died... everything works fine while the computer is plugged in. when i take out the battery and put it back in...the charge icon comes up for 5 seconds and then goes away...
i've used the battery about a year and a half. is this average life?

[Edited on June 17, 2006 at 12:58 AM. Reason : yea]

6/17/2006 12:32:55 AM