Laptop not plugged in but charging
I've been using this laptop with its original battery for many years now...thought I'd check the battery using System Diagnotics>Battery Test at boot up. Test result says "Battery Good". For kicks, tried again because I knew battery life was far less than when new. 2nd test result says "Replace Battery". 3rd test result confirms 2nd test. Immediately ordered new battery. In the meantime, when operating laptop on battery power, battery icon showns "Plugged in, Charging" when not plugged in. Ususally happens between 30-40% battery power remaining. When it happens, screen brightens and other "plugged in" characteristics take over, so laptop truly believes it is plugged in. Battery is eaten up quickly at this point, gives no notice when its about to shut off, shuts off without saving anything that's open, and repeatedly tries to restart 8-10 times until battery is completely dead (quick on/off cycles). I can plug it in and everything resumes as normal. Will recharge to 100%, but will do the same thing all over again when battery level drops to 30-40% again. Others have posted in the HP Support Forum this similar problem: https://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Notebook-Operating-System-and-Recovery/plugged-not-charging-but-it-s-n... and in a Windows Support Forum: https://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/windows/en-US/8a74c53b-406f-4ce6-a1ae-da1dd11b8d1a/windo... I've followed the Microsoft ACPI-Compliant Control Method Battery driver uninstall/reinstall directions, nothing changed. I've disconnected the battery, waited, pressed power button to discharge any remaining power, reinstalled the battery, and restarted...still no changes. I followed the detailed installation/charging instructions that came with the new battery...no changes. The new battery life has been diminished greatly, too, since its first install. I am convinced that this problem stems from running the Battery Test in System Diagnostics because the problem didn't appear until minutes after running this program. Called HP Tech, but since out of warranty, they wouldn't help unless I purchased "HP Care SmartFriend" service. Told me techs would fix immediately as it is probably a driver issue. So, I purchased. Techs checked my computer for malware and claims to have fixed "several virus infections", although I saw the reports that were generated by the software downloaded by him...all were clean. They now tell me it must be a hardware problem because they can't remotely fix this problem. So, I wasted money and time. Any suggestions?
What do you do if that charger port appears to go bust? Support for Windows 7 has officially ended, which means it's time to upgrade to Windows 10 to keep that old PC running smoothly and securely. You can check for issues before installing a Windows 10 update, but even then you still might experience a hiccup. After installing a previous Windows update, for example, my laptop's battery stopped charging. My laptop showed it was plugged in, but then at the same time it would tell me it was also not charging. Argh! Thankfully, I found that this problem was not uncommon and would occasionally arise after a Windows update. And more thankfully, there was an easy fix. I haven't been able to replicate it since it occurred two years ago, but the Device Manager in Windows 10 hasn't changed since then, so my fix is worth trying if you encounter this problem. Here's how I got my laptop's battery back to charging when it was plugged in. Read more: 11 easy Windows 10 tricks you didn't know about Plugged in, not chargingIf your laptop refuses to charge the battery even though it acknowledges that it's plugged in, here's what you need to do:
By reinstalling my Lenovo laptop's battery drivers and disconnecting its battery and then reconnecting it, I got my laptop's battery back to charging when it's plugged in. With differences in manufacturers, your mileage may vary. If you encountered this plugged-in-not-charging problem and found a fix that differs from mine, please describe your method in the comments below. For more, check out Six security changes all Windows 10 users need to make and Windows 10 update: Everything you need to know. Read more: 20 pro tips to make Windows 10 work the way you want (free PDF) (TechRepublic) Originally published last year and updated periodically with new information. |