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[Matlock]

I'm on my HP laptop...and, well, since I got broadband and wireless, I've been using it unplugged.

The battery recharge time has stayed the time, but the length it stays charged has dove from about two hours to around twenty minutes (within maybe 40 days). Not only that, but it's picking up a nasty habit of going to battery mode when it's plugged into the wall (seemingly randomly) which will correct iself if the adaptor is unplugged and then re-inserted into the laptop.

Ugh.

Anyone know what to do here?

 

[123rl]

I'm having similar problems, but on a smaller scale. My battery used to last about 4 hours, now it lasts about 2.5 hours. It drains a lot quicker too.

Is it possible to replace laptop batteries altogether? Would that work?

 

[Matlock]

It's entirely possible, yes, but that wouldn't explain why the power supply seems to be failing.

 

[human5892]

Maybe it's two separate problems: the "random battery mode" issue could be occurring because of a loose power supply jack or bad cable, and the battery itself could be something else.

Did the battery degrade over time, or was it working fine the one day and giving you 20 minutes of time the next? If it's the latter, maybe you had a power surge or something that fried the battery (this happened to my laptop); if it's the former, maybe it's just a crap battery.

 

[Aruarian Reflection]

Get a new battery. Same thing happened to me, batteries just die over time. Laptop ones inexplicably seem to die a lot faster.

 

[123rl]

I think it's just something you have to accept that batteries lose their maximum charge after a while. On my laptop the power supply settings are adjustable in Windows itself. Maybe you could have a look there and see if something's been changed/reset accidentally

If it degraded over time, or fairly quickly is a good question and will probably tell you if it's a problem with the battery or the PSU (or both)

 

[Matlock]

Did the battery degrade over time, or was it working fine the one day and giving you 20 minutes of time the next? If it's the latter, maybe you had a power surge or something that fried the battery (this happened to my laptop); if it's the former, maybe it's just a crap battery.

I'm not quite sure which it would be for certain--it seems like it's degraded, but at the same time, it feels as if it happened all at once.

Get a new battery. Same thing happened to me, batteries just die over time. Laptop ones inexplicably seem to die a lot faster.

No fucking chance unless Best Buy will replace under the extended plan.

 

[aparisi2274]

Another issue is that if you have a lot of running tasks that you dont know about, that could be draining your power.

I have a Toshiba Laptop with a 17" WS monitor and a DVD drive, and if I have that unplugged and running on battery that shit drops fast.

Another thing you might want to check is to see what setting the battery is on. Is it on power saver, or long life. When its on things like that, it may dim your screen and shut down other things to help conserve power.

However I would check the running tasks... Do the standard CTRL + ALT + DEL and then click on the Processes tab....

 

[fart]

li-ion batteries are consumables.

check for loose jacks and damaged wiring on your ac adapter

 

[Matlock]

Wait, so Best Buy wouldn't replace an OEM part? Ugh.

Just checked the cord--and no damage...although the part before the first fuse is bent a bit. I pressed on it to straighten it out, plugged it back in, and it's working so far.


The crimp, post-straightening. Apologies for the lack of focus, but I'm too lazy to retake the picture on the right setting.