5 yr old laptop, suddenly switches off

silvercar

Any idea what could be the cause?

If it is an expensive fix, I may buy new.

Suddenly just switches off and the battery light turns orange (usually sign of needing charging) even when plugged in. Also fan noise has disappeared, though the lap top isn't hot. Not sure if these two things are connected.

Toshiba Satellite Pro C660, intel core i3, Windows 10.

debitcardmayhem

Sounds like vents and fan are clogged up

grumpycrab

Take battery out; does it work using external power brick only?

AndyPix

Your battery is goosed . Buy a new one

silvercar

The trick seems to be that posting on here encourages it to behave!

I've taken the battery out to trial grumpycrap's theory. I did hoover the intake vent yesterday (with case on) following a youtube, I will buy some compressed air today and see if that helps.

AndyPix

If it was a heat problem, the battery light would not be flashing orange

System

silvercar wrote: »

The trick seems to be that posting on here encourages it to behave!

I've taken the battery out to trial grumpycrap's theory. I did hoover the intake vent yesterday (with case on) following a youtube, I will buy some compressed air today and see if that helps.

No, just no. Neither of those solutions will cure the problem. This is what you probably have going on inside your laptop:



Using the hoover doesn't work because the dirt is fluff that will be compressed and look like old carpet underlay and as such won't pass through the grille on the heatsink.

Using compressed air doesn't work because if it does dislodge the fluff it'll only block the fan, cause it to re-block the heatsink if you're lucky, stop the fan rotating if you're not.

The only way to properly fix it is to open up the laptop, get access to the area between the fan and heatsink and manually take out the muck.

silvercar

So today, with the battery out and the lead plugged in, it is behaving much better. How do I tell if a new battery will solve the problem? Could it be the gibbins that are on the computer side of the battery that are the issue rather than the battery itself?

DoaM

Battery is probably goosed - it is at least 5 years old after all. Whilst batteries may well last longer, not all of them do.

If you post the precise details of your laptop (Toshiba Satellite Pro C660 is probably too vague) someone may well be able to point you to a suitable, inexpensive replacement. (Perhaps post the battery part number off the label on it).

silvercar

DoaM wrote: »

Battery is probably goosed - it is at least 5 years old after all. Whilst batteries may well last longer, not all of them do.

If you post the precise details of your laptop (Toshiba Satellite Pro C660 is probably too vague) someone may well be able to point you to a suitable, inexpensive replacement. (Perhaps post the battery part number off the label on it).

This is the second battery I've had, so it isn't 5 yrs old.

Battery is a Li-ion PA3817U 10.8v 5200mAh.

Could a faulty battery be enough to have an orange light when it is in the machine. I don't want to replace the battery only to find it's the contacts that are causing the problem.

Grateful for all your help.

Carrot007

silvercar wrote: »

This is the second battery I've had, so it isn't 5 yrs old.

Battery is a Li-ion PA3817U 10.8v 5200mAh.

Could a faulty battery be enough to have an orange light when it is in the machine. I don't want to replace the battery only to find it's the contacts that are causing the problem.

Grateful for all your help.

And where did you get the replacement? Was it a real one. A decent third party. Or just some cheap crap?


Anyway 2.5 years is a good life for a laptop battery. Most are killed quickly becuase they are left on charge 99% of the time which is bad (as it letting them often go to under 50%).


As for the contacts. Look at them. if they look corroded then yes get a new laptop. If they look normal then they are fine. (look on the bettery too).