Do I really need a new battery??

GIRLPOWER_2

Hi there,

I have a Dell XPS L701x - 500.00Gb HD - 4096.00Mb Mem and it will not work unless the charger is plugged in.

I am happy doing this but a box keeps coming up saying I need to replace the battery. Is it trying it on or will it stop working by plugging it in to the charger eventually?

Also if the charger comes out I have to press F1 to start, is this doing the laptop any harm?

Thank you in advance, Nikki

GIRLPOWER_2

Can anyone please help??

Chickabiddybex

Yes you 99% need a new battery. You can get them from eBay very cheaply.

To be 100% sure (but I wouldn't bother) put your battery into another laptop (obviously one that takes that type of battery!) and if it still doesn't work you deffo need a new one.

Saying that, if you NEVER use your laptop without plugging it in then even if the battery is broken you don't need one anyway. But it defeats the point of having a laptop! And if you get a new one keep in mind that keeping it plugged in all the time depletes battery life.

Last thing - yes, if your battery is dead and you unplug your laptop from the power source without turning it off first it will very likely damage it.

andy2004

to add to the above.

If you have the laptop plugged into the mains, why not just remove the battery. You dont need the battery plugged in when connected to the mains unless 1. the battery needs charging or you afraid of losing your work if a power cut happens.
As the computer is saying it needs a new one, ebay it.

marisa

In theory it will always work as long as plugged into the mains, however if the battery is volatile eventually it could blow/melt/other nasty. So as above poster said, take the battery out.
If you ever want to use it as a portable again buy a laptop battery from the manufacturers own website, or if they have a list of trusted stockists. Be prepared for the expense!
You can get them a little cheaper with a lot of research but its not worth it if you end up with a cheap Chinese replica as it will break in a few months anyway so it is well worth getting a real one.

macman

Unless you are using it on the battery, you don't need one.

Niv

Personally I charge mine up, run the battery down then plug it back into the mains. I believe that this helps keep the battery healthy without the hasstle fo removing the battery (or more likely -forgetting to put the battery back in when I need it and not realising until I am miles away from my battery).

If this is not helping battery condition as i believe, please can one of you knowlegable types let me know?

Cheers,
Niv

Lum

Running a lithium ion battery down below around 20% is generally not advised as it wears them out faster.

You are thinking of the old NiCad rechargeable batteries. It was best to completely drain them before recharging. These batteries are not used in modern laptops or phones, they're mostly used in things like electric drills these days.