Laptop Battery

Apreciar

My laptop which I do not use very often appears to have a duff battery. Unless the laptop is plugged into the mains adaptor it will not power up and even when connected the battery charge indicator does not light up.

I want to be sure that it is the battery and not the charger before I go to the expense of purchasing a new battery. As the power adaptor powers the machine with no problem could there be a problem with this as the battery does not charge or could the problem be elsewhere, or it it safe to assume the battery is the problem. It is around four years old.

Osiris13

Its unlikely to be your charger thats faulty if its powering your laptop ok when plugged in, small chance it could be connection between battery and laptop.Remove the battery and look at connections on battery & where it plugs in,look for bent missing pins, dust etc.If its still sliding in smoothly though its probably just the battery mate. Ebay is your friend here replacements can be found cheaply and easily, dont be afraid of using sellers from Hong Kong & China in my experience they are more reliable than most UK sellers!!.

John_Gray

Apreciar wrote: »

Is it safe to assume the battery is the problem. It is around four years old.

Fairly safe to assume it's the battery!

Does the laptop work when you remove the battery then connect it to the mains?

Why do you want to buy a new battery? For a laptop at least four years old, you may find the cost of a reliable new battery is a significant proportion of the value of the laptop.

I'm prepared to assert that most laptops over a few years old are always used with a mains connection...

macman

Use a multimeter to check the DC output from the charger. If it's OK, then the issue is the battery.
Which, from the symptoms described, it almost certainly is.

jtk174

If the laptop powers up when the charger is connected, then it is the battery.

My experience of cheap batteries off ebay is that they are okay, but may not last as long as the original. Of course this depends to some degree on the type of technology used in the battery pack, e.g. NiMH or Lithium Ion and therefore how you use and charge them.