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Geek Culture / Worldwide Laptop Bug: "Plugged In - Not Charging"

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RUCCUS
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Posted: 9th Sep 2010 19:18
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Ill start off my just saying it, this is rediculous.

A few days ago, I was on my laptop and I accidentally unplugged the AC Adaptor. No problem, the laptop has a battery right? Weird thing was even though I knew the battery was charged to around 15%, it shut right off when the AC came out.

Alright I though, Ill plug it back in and see what happened. Did that, turned the laptop on, and when I checked my battery status it said "Plugged in, Not Charging".

It was right, the battery was not charging at all. My laptop just turned into a desktop as now I need to have it plugged in in order to use it. I cant turn it on without being plugged in and taking the AC out results in an auto-shutdown everytime.


So I obviously decided to look into the problem. Turns out this is everywhere. Literally hundreds of people using either Windows Vista or Windows 7 on a huge variety of laptop makes (HP, Dell, Acer, Gateway, Alienware, the list goes on) have experienced the same problem. Turns out there are also quite a few "fixes" for it (none of which have worked for me, but have seemed to work for others on rare occasions).

Fix 1: (What an HP Tech Support guy suggested)

- Unplug the laptop / remove the battery and perform a power drain by holding the power key down for 3 minutes, then waiting 2 minutes, then re-inserting the battery and power cord and starting the computer.

- Flash the BIOS with the latest version.

Didn't work.


Fix 2: The Battery Driver

This one is all over the internet. It seems to have several ways about going about it, but all of them revolve around the idea of taking out the battery, opening up the Device Manager and uninstalling the battery's driver, re-inserting the battery and re-installing the drivers. I've tried every possible combination of these steps to no avail as well.


Fix 3: Replace the battery (duh?)

Obviously Im now considering this one, but I have also read in dozens of occasions people have spent the $100+ for a replacement battery only to find the issue hasn't been fixed at all.

Fix 4: Replace the motherboard (Oh, great)

Sure I could try this, and it would probably work as Im having my doubts that this is purely a software-only problem, but this little fix is going to run me $400+ and a 16 - 20 day waiting period. Thats all assuming the issue really does lie in the motherboard. This fix isnt feasible for me right now anyways as I need my laptop everyday for my work and Im on a tight enough college budget as it is.

There are many other fixes floating around but all of them refer back to some sort of combination of the above 4 fixes in some order. I've tried dozens with nothing to show for them.


Anyways, this isn't really a request for help as Im sure any suggestions made here will likely be the same as those suggested on the countless other message boards and blogs Ive visited in the last few days. I just figured Id throw it out there and see if anyone else has ever experienced this problem and if so what they ended up doing.

Funny thing is, I've yet to see this issue mentioned about a Mac. I think Im finally starting to convert to the apple side.
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David R
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Posted: 9th Sep 2010 19:33 Edited at: 9th Sep 2010 19:37
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Quote: "Funny thing is, I've yet to see this issue mentioned about a Mac. I think Im finally starting to convert to the apple side."


Nah, Macs do this too, although generally (since the battery contains some Apple circuitry rather than relying on a driver) it will explicitly say "Battery needs replacing"

However, one thing I'd like to say: Where are you plugging it in? Is the wiring in your house OK / are you plugging it into an extension cable of some form?

Just that I have actually received an inexplicable 'Not charging' (from a Mac) on occasion when it's plugged into certain extension cables (presumably the adapter works and gives it power to run, but doesn't receive sufficient juice to charge the battery at the same time). Have you tried multiple sockets in your house?

Plus, have you tried leaving it to charge whilst off? (In case there's some issue related to it being powered on at the same time)

09-f9-11-02-9d-74-e3-5b-d8-41-56-c5-63-56-88-c0
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ionstream
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Posted: 10th Sep 2010 00:20
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HP batteries are unfortunately not very good. My friend's laptop, which is newer than mine, can only hold a charge of about 10 minutes or less. I would replace the battery.

Also Windows is by default set to put the laptop into hibernation when its below 15%, so that would be why it shut off instantly.

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Interplanetary Funk
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Location: Ipswich, United Kingdom
Posted: 10th Sep 2010 00:28
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Quote: "Funny thing is, I've yet to see this issue mentioned about a Mac. I think Im finally starting to convert to the apple side."

macs are overpriced and do that too, for the price of a cheap mac you could buy 2 or 3 laptops that are perfect for college work and a bit of light gaming.

on topic:
It might be the battery, but from what you've been saying it probably isn't. I had this problem on my old laptop but it went away on its own so I didn't look into it, have you tried using a Linux or WinXP live CD to see if it charges on that OS? if it does it's almost definitely a software issue, otherwise it's likely to be a hardware problem.

BASIC programmers never die, they GOSUB and don't RETURN.
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Slow Programmer
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Location: USA, Tennessee
Posted: 10th Sep 2010 00:40
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Quote: "macs are overpriced and do that too, for the price of a cheap mac you could buy 2 or 3 laptops that are perfect for college work and a bit of light gaming."



My Macs have never had any battery charging problems...Please tell me more about, "Your," Macs' problems and maybe I can help you figure out what you are doing wrong. Why did you buy a Mac since you can buy two or three laptops that are prefect ?
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Interplanetary Funk
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Posted: 10th Sep 2010 02:23
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I don't own a mac and never stated that I did. I find information through research and friends, and just because you haven't had this problem doesn't mean it doesn't happen.
And they're still overpriced. for the specs of a mac at the price it is you could get a windows based laptop or Desktop PC with far superior performance. The only advantage of a mac is that apple don't preload a load of useless trial software onto it, but anyone who can uninstall something isn't going to have a problem there anyway.
Either way, I am not anti-apple, I just feel a PC is better value for money than a mac, and unless apple drop their prices to match competition my mind will remain that way.

Back on topic:
If it's still on warranty then the only real option is to contact the laptop manufacturer and see if they'll fix it free.

BASIC programmers never die, they GOSUB and don't RETURN.
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Slow Programmer
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Posted: 10th Sep 2010 05:03 Edited at: 10th Sep 2010 05:04
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Quote: "I don't own a mac and never stated that I did."


I actually knew that, but my attempt at sarcasm seems to have failed It seems like there have been a multitude of Mac bashing posts lately and hardly anyone doing the bashing actually owns a Mac. Yes, they cost more, but as the old saying goes, "You get what you pay for." On the original post no offense intended.
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Satchmo
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Posted: 10th Sep 2010 05:42
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Yes and you got what you paid for, when you bought a shiny piece of aluminum filled with overpriced crap.

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Libervurto
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Posted: 10th Sep 2010 06:23
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Batteries have drivers? This seems like biting the hand that feeds you.

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Aaagreen
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Posted: 10th Sep 2010 12:05
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My mum just took the failing HP back and got an IBM instead.


I'd love to see things from your point of view but I can't get my head that far up my bum.
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David R
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Posted: 10th Sep 2010 15:46 Edited at: 10th Sep 2010 15:47
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Satchmo, STFU troll. You're trying to create flamewars all the damn time. Just zip it for once

09-f9-11-02-9d-74-e3-5b-d8-41-56-c5-63-56-88-c0
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Interplanetary Funk
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Posted: 10th Sep 2010 16:03
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@David
would you please explain your sig to me? I've just spent the last 15 minutes trying to convert it to ascii but to no avail
(I get bothered by things like this rather easily)

BASIC programmers never die, they GOSUB and don't RETURN.
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David R
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Posted: 10th Sep 2010 17:45 Edited at: 10th Sep 2010 17:45
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Quote: "would you please explain your sig to me? I've just spent the last 15 minutes trying to convert it to ascii but to no avail
(I get bothered by things like this rather easily)
"

It's not ASCII but the AACS encryption key - a while back AACS-LA thought they had the ability to outlaw hexadecimal numbers by sending cease and desist to anyone who posted it

09-f9-11-02-9d-74-e3-5b-d8-41-56-c5-63-56-88-c0
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Interplanetary Funk
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Posted: 10th Sep 2010 18:56
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ooooooh!!! that makes sense!!! try not to get TGC shut down

BASIC programmers never die, they GOSUB and don't RETURN.
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Seppuku Arts
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Location: Cambridgeshire, England
Posted: 10th Sep 2010 19:35
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Quote: "
Nah, Macs do this too, although generally (since the battery contains some Apple circuitry rather than relying on a driver) it will explicitly say "Battery needs replacing""


I think Windows 7 does this do, at least when I was running the beta it told me my battery needed replacing and it was right...it only lasted like 20 minutes off the mains, but then it was more or less my fault.



Also, I like how yet again the word 'Mac' is mentioned and the haters appear. This fanboyism is getting rather old isn't it?

Click!
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Jeku
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Posted: 10th Sep 2010 19:55
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Quote: "I think Im finally starting to convert to the apple side."


The same thing happens to my iPad. I can't charge it with my PC's USB port, only by an AC adapter in the wall.


Senior Web Developer - Nokia
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David R
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Posted: 10th Sep 2010 20:13 Edited at: 10th Sep 2010 20:15
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Quote: "The same thing happens to my iPad. I can't charge it with my PC's USB port, only by an AC adapter in the wall."


Isn't that a well known limitation of it though? I think the battery in the iPad is some crazy wattage that needs a serious amount of power to charge (i.e. intentional unless you're using the weird keyboard hub on an actual iMac which provides a non-standard amount of power for a USB hub iirc)

09-f9-11-02-9d-74-e3-5b-d8-41-56-c5-63-56-88-c0
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Phaelax
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Posted: 10th Sep 2010 22:42
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Quote: "Yes and you got what you paid for, when you bought a shiny piece of aluminum filled with overpriced crap"


Overpriced yes, but Macs are some of the most stable laptops there are. As for failing batteries, Apple doesn't make their own batteries, I believe Sony does. And over time, any battery will begin to lose its ability to hold a charge.


When I was working at a bank last year, I was refreshing dozens of HP laptops. I started to notice that while they were all the same, their supplied AC adapters were not. Some had a higher voltage than others. I discovered that the higher adapters allow the laptop to charge while it's in use, the lower voltage ones only supply enough power to either run the laptop or charge it, but it could not charge it while it was in use.

According to Apple, the iPad has a 25w battery and charges with a 10w adapter. (In comparison, my powerbook uses a 65w adapter) Your computer's USB port only supplies 500mA, with newer high-powered USB ports (special power-charging protocol) that can supply up to 900mA to 1500mA.

Wiki:
Quote: "A Dedicated Charging Port [USB] can supply a maximum of 1.8 A of current at 5.25 V"

That's only 9.45w which would be barely enough to provide the charging capability needed for the iPad from a computer. Supposedly, Apple has been adding these higher-power ports to the new Macs, but most of us probably don't have them. So for your typical USB 2.0 running at 500mA (as what most of us have), you can only get 2.6w from it, not enough to meet the requirements for the iPad.


"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic" ~ Arthur C. Clarke
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AutoBot
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Posted: 11th Sep 2010 01:05
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Steve Jobs: "I'm going to create a hyped up commerce agenda about how macs are so much "better" than windows, all because Microsoft has to deal with hardware compatability with Dell, HP, Compaq, etc, and we don't... Bwhahaha....... "

What a wuss. Why should Apple be able to say "we're better than Microsoft" while hiding behind their shield of self-compatability?

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Satchmo
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Posted: 11th Sep 2010 05:58
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Quote: "Satchmo, STFU troll. You're trying to create flamewars all the damn time. Just zip it for once"


I'm not trying to create flame wars, I'm just stating FACT.



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Fatal Berserker
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Posted: 11th Sep 2010 06:19
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my laptop has been working all the time for the past few weeks, i dont see the problem.

Smoke me a kipper, ill be back for breakfast.
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Jimpo
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Posted: 11th Sep 2010 07:05
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I had the same problem and just bought a new power adapter. The battery probably works fine; it just can't get the power to charge. Mine seem to break like every year I think they're designed to be terrible just to make you spend money, but luckily, you can buy a cheap knock-off adapter that works just fine.

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RUCCUS
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Posted: 11th Sep 2010 19:39
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Ive already bought 3 ACs in the last year and a half, this one is relatively brand new so Im chocking it up to either the battery or motherboard.

In my situation, I dont doubt that this could really be just a dead battery as its about 2 years old. I just found it rediculous that so many others have had this problem with brand new batteries even. It seems there are a tonne of things that can cause this.

Im about to turn off my laptop and leave it plugged in for the day to see if it gains any charge but I have my doubts. Tomorrow Im going into Best Buy to get the pins checked to see if they're still working properly. Unfortunately there isn't a single Staples or Best Buy in Toronto that carries the same 8-cell battery I need, so I cant swap one out to see if this really is the problem before purchasing a new one.

If all-else fails Ill put the order in for a new battery on Monday and hopefully they wont be too stingy on the return policy if it doesn't work.
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Jeku
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Posted: 11th Sep 2010 21:20
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Quote: "Isn't that a well known limitation of it though? I think the battery in the iPad is some crazy wattage that needs a serious amount of power to charge (i.e. intentional unless you're using the weird keyboard hub on an actual iMac which provides a non-standard amount of power for a USB hub iirc)"


It was only well-known to me after I tried to charge it for the first time It's not a big deal. It *does* charge with a Mac, apparently as you said, but I haven't tried it yet. I just find it funny that I can charge every other geek gadget I have with a USB adapter, *except* my iPad haha. I'm not saying it's a conspiracy or anything like that, but I *did* have to buy a "special" USB car adapter to charge my iPad.... branded as an iPad charger of course. A regular USB charger wouldn't work.


Senior Web Developer - Nokia
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RUCCUS
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Posted: 11th Sep 2010 23:03
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Hah, I just fixed a different problem I had with my laptop and turns out I was right along, it was HP's fault!

Several months after I bought the laptop I noticed dust beginning to slightly build up behind the screen near the edges, I didnt make much of it.

Its been near 2 years now and the dust had gotten insanely bad. Im not under warranty anymore but even when I was HP refused to repair the screen as they kept saying it was due to neglegence and not a manufacturing flaw.

Well guess what, I (painfully) removed the screen by slowly prying it's glued seal apart, only to find that the top middle portion of the screen where the webcam is, isn't sealed at all! No wonder dust was getting in there.

Anyways, fixed that, cleaned it up and taped it back in place with a strong black electrical tape. You don't even notice the tape so it looks alright. I figured itd be better than gluing it again incase the dust starts coming back.
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