Battery not charging

[floridasheila]

My Gateway laptop stopped charging a couple of nights ago. I always use it plugged in. The screen went dark on and off a few times and then went dark as if not charging. I bought a new ac adaptor, but it still won't charge. I am down to 14%. Do you think the battery is bad? The computer is 3 1/2 years old so the extended warranty is up.

Any ideas?

Thanks.

[plodr]

a) bad battery (notebook batteries last from 3 to 5 years then they start not being able to hold a charge)
b) even though new; it could be a bad adapter or the wrong adapter. Make sure the volts match and the amperes are equal to or greater than what is on the old adapter.
c) connection on the motherboard between power adapter and computer faulty

[Sir_GeekALot]

After a couple years depending on how heavy the use, a battery will stop performing as well. Take a moment to reflect on the massive amount of energy stored in such a small unit that provides wonderful illumination to your digital needs for hours on end. Then also reflect upon how each time you partially charge the battery, a small cell in the battery is destroyed that cannot be charged again. Over time, numerous partial charges will result in many of those random destroyed cells accruing inside your aging battery. This is most likely why you can only charge it to 14%.

I always try to charge my batteries fully each time to avoid cell death, which has let me nurse one for over 5 years and counting, although it can only hold a charge for 30 minutes tops. But, you know, highly utilized products such as lithium ion batteries will tend to deteriorate in their quality because of the nature of their chemical composition.

Options would be to purchase a new battery before they stop manufacturing the type you need if you like your laptop and don't see yourself replacing it very soon, but it can really bite to buy an expensive battery for a computer that is probably on its way out. Otherwise, look into a new laptop since you will probably find one that is a lot faster for a decent price right now.

Also check out issues with the power adapter, cause bad connections or incompatible adapters are just as likely to cause this brand of mischief.

[dell1705user]

I have a similar issue...

Dell Inspiron E1705... the adapter seems to working fine. I plug the laptop into the adapter and into the wall, everything works fine. Unplug the adapter from the wall or from the adapter cord... laptop immediately shuts off. While off, the battery light blinks green every 10 seconds or so. When I first plug the adapter in, the battery light on the laptop flashes green then flashes orange 3 times very quickly and then resumes it's flashing green light every 10 seconds. Any ideas?

I already checked Dells site for a recall on this specific battery number an dit wasn't listed. I'm beginning to think it's just a matter or "dead battery"

Thanks,

Adam

[foogoo]

Most likely a dead battery. But with the Dell 630s we have here several people have had the unit turn off when it was unplugged from the wall - ie not switching to battery power. The fix was to remove the battery, hit the power button (with no power source plugged in) then put the battery back in. Seems to fix that issue.

[plodr]

dell1705user, please start a new thread. It is not polite to hijack a thread, even if you feel you have the same or a similar problem. The original poster will not know which posts apply to the Gateway laptop.

[floridasheila]

Thanks for the replies (even if some were for Dell).

The new adapter was correct. I plugged directly into the wall both with and without the battery installed--no juice either way. I tried this with both the new and old adapter. I took the new adapter back to the store and the sales person said the problem might be the plug-in component in the computer. He told me that even if I could find the part it would be about $200.

Do you think this means a new computer? I can't see spending that much on a part, when I could buy a new computer for a few hundred more, even though money is tight right now.

Any input appreciated.

[plodr]

You might be able to find someone willing to open the laptop, look at the solder joint on the current connector and fix it for less than $200 but I don't really know.
The safest thing is to buy a new system or maybe you can find a refurbed cheaper.