Hardware Analysis Community Forums http://www.hardwareanalysis.com/content/topic/71391/ 2008-11-22T19:19:52-05:00 http://www.hardwareanalysis.com/content/topic/71391/ http://media.hardwareanalysis.com/halogo.gif text/html 2008-05-02T22:41:08-05:00 Gerritt http://www.hardwareanalysis.com/content/topic/71391/#535043 Jules,<br /> Like John alluded to, the 2 year battery life may be indicative of what you'd expect from NiCads, but the newer lithium batteries should do better. Having said that, the old standard was to periodically totally discharge NiCads periodically so as to preclude level &quot;memory&quot;, but it seems the oppisite is true for Lithiums; you shouldn't totally discharge them as this will shorten the battery usable life. I have a IBM Laptop dating from around 2000 that I've not replaced the batteries on, but have had to replace the AC/DC converter on 3 times.<br /> <br /> Gerritt text/html 2008-05-02T17:56:49-05:00 Jules http://www.hardwareanalysis.com/content/topic/71391/#535027 Two years is an average lifetime for a laptop battery.<br /> You should replace the battery. text/html 2008-05-02T15:02:04-05:00 john albrich http://www.hardwareanalysis.com/content/topic/71391/#535011 A power 'black out' could have sent power surges/spike through your charger and computer. It depends on what caused it, and how the power system reacted while restoring power to your neighborhood. Sometimes multiple attempts can be made to restore power which can cause the voltage to vary widely. Damage <b>could</b> have been done.<br /> <br /> However, 3 years is a very good run for a laptop battery that has been constantly being used, discharged, and re-charged. The <i>odds</i> are that the battery has finally given it up.<br /> <br /> But, sometimes the battery status can be mis-reported or mis-interpreted by the computer, and the firmware will refuse to allow the computer to power-up even when the battery has plenty of power. Something you can try, is to check your computer manual for a 'battery refresh', or 'battery synchronization' or 'battery <i>something</i>' procedure. Many laptops have a special procedure to make sure what your computer <b>thinks</b> is the battery condition, is actually the condition of the battery. The procedure basically 'resets' the battery condition reporting sub-system. <br /> <br /> <br /> (BTW, at this point, I'm assuming your battery pack is NOT composed of nickel-cadmium cells. If it is, another battery factor can be involved.)<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> edit-add a few details, and add this suggestion to be sure to use at minimum a high quality surge arrestor. Understand however, that a surge/spike protector's protection can be destroyed after just a single event and it may not protect your system from subsequent surges. Even more protection is obtained using a UPS that provides real-time voltage fluctuation control. This is sometimes referred to as Automatic Voltage Regulation (AVR). text/html 2008-05-02T15:00:04-05:00 MrBungle http://www.hardwareanalysis.com/content/topic/71391/#535010 Edg0020 said: <div class="quote">I have reseated and does not show that it is charging. Could it be that a black out caused this?</div><br /> <br /> a surge is more dangerous (especially to a laptop) than a black-out, either way some sort of power flucutuation causing damage to a computer is entirely possible. text/html 2008-05-02T14:49:10-05:00 Edg0020 http://www.hardwareanalysis.com/content/topic/71391/#535008 I have reseated and does not show that it is charging. Could it be that a black out caused this? text/html 2008-04-30T21:45:31-05:00 Gerritt http://www.hardwareanalysis.com/content/topic/71391/#534881 Well, there's not a lot of information to work off of here, but check the seating of the battery, it may have bumped loose.<br /> Another issue is that these batteries do go bad over time. If you've re-seated it, does it show as charging, or just that you're on AC?<br /> <br /> Gerritt text/html 2008-04-30T00:30:16-05:00 Edg0020 http://www.hardwareanalysis.com/content/topic/71391/#0 I don't understand. My laptop for 3 years has been working fine without using the ac adapter. I'll just leave it to charge and then use it where ever i go, but now the laptop only turns on when it is connected to the ac adapter.<br /> <br /> What can be going on? How can i have my battery work properly again.