How do I fix this? It work's fine plugged up, but the battery never builds a charge.
It only started doing this over the past 3-4 days.

What can I do to fix it? Or at least find out what's wrong?

3/13/2008 3:05:41 PM

how long have you had the battery?

3/13/2008 3:08:49 PM

BTW: It's IBM Think Pad T60.

3/13/2008 3:09:53 PM

I've had the laptop about 1.5 years. But I have been "borrowing" the laptop from work. So it's probably a little bit older. So I would guess 2 years tops?

3/13/2008 3:11:18 PM

answer ^^^

if it's within warranty, call up IBM, because you've probably got a busted battery (though if it's truly an IBM and not a lenovo, then you're probably out of warranty and i would suggest checking ebay)

[Edited on March 13, 2008 at 3:12 PM. Reason : .]

3/13/2008 3:11:38 PM

How can I tell if I actually need a new battery? The computer doesn't even act like it's charging. How do I not know the problem is software created?

Like I said, this thing worked fine last week.

3/13/2008 3:23:17 PM

i've seen two other laptops in the past year do the same thing - one was an HP and one was a dell...one day they charged, the next day they wouldn't do squat...replacing the batteries (both were under the 1-year warranty) fixed the problem (which, apparently, was the battery itself)

best bet would be to find someone else who has the same model or at least that uses the same battery and try theirs out on your machine to see if it's the laptop or the battery itself

3/13/2008 3:38:15 PM

Google "lenovo battery recall" and follow the instructions. The machine is over 1 year old and the battery is no longer under warranty so the recall is your only real shot at a free replacement. Otherwise you're looking at between 60-120 bucks depending on where you buy the replacement battery and whether you get a 9-cell or 6-cell. Just cross your fingers and hope sony made your battery at the same plant they made the exploding dell batteries.

[Edited on March 13, 2008 at 3:44 PM. Reason : ]

3/13/2008 3:44:17 PM

i have a lenovo laptop that is about the same age and it's battery died at 11 months. they tried to tell me the warranty was up but i was quick to tell them to fuck off and send me a new battery.

3/13/2008 3:47:49 PM

I always found it funny that Sony never used their batteries in their Laptops. Heh.

3/13/2008 3:49:33 PM

Maybe they didn't meet the standards of their Vaio brand?

3/13/2008 3:50:30 PM

http://www.lenovo.com/support/parts

Go there - run battery test - if your battery qualifies -> profit!

If your battery does not qualify -> stay close to AC outlet or buy a new battery

3/13/2008 11:19:07 PM

^He better hurry, that only goes for 6 months past the 1 year battery warranty. That means if he bought it in august of 06 (when students would be buying t60's for school) he's already past the eligibility period.

3/14/2008 11:09:19 AM

this could also be the plug on the laptop - i had a dell that needed that part resoldered - got it done for $30 by an amp repair guy, and it works like a charm - usually charging issues don't stem from software issues (there's always a first time i guess) so i would focus on the power supply(does it light up) and the plug on the laptop(does wiggling it make it charge).

or you could crack open the battery and replace the cells (last resort imo)


Laptop Battery Hack! Don't Buy A New One! - The funniest home videos are here

3/14/2008 3:02:00 PM

I have a similar problem with a HP. The battery check software says its charging correctly. Is it likely the software is wrong or do those things usually do a good job?

3/14/2008 7:15:05 PM

my hp eats through batteries like candy. But I'm the dumbass who decided to get a p4 in a laptop.

3/14/2008 7:49:43 PM