Battery not detected -- Why?

[The Hun]

Sony VGN-Fs550 Laptop, Windows XP

Why does the "power meter" tab in the Control Panel say the battery is
"Not Present"?

Computer is only two years old, it's been treated excellently and is
in near mint condition, and the battery is indeed present. It's the
original factory battery that never gave me more than about 30 minutes
of power, so I've almost never used the battery. Everything was fine
until today. Now, the "power meter" says the battery is "Not
Present."

Thanks,

 

[The Hun]

Sony VGN-Fs550 Laptop, Windows XP

Why does the "power meter" tab in the Control Panel say the battery is
"Not Present"?

Computer is only two years old, it's been treated excellently and is
in near mint condition, and the battery is indeed present. It's the
original factory battery that never gave me more than about 30 minutes
of power, so I've almost never used the battery. Everything was fine
until today. Now, the "power meter" says the battery is "Not
Present."

Thanks,

My battery is shown as VGP-BPS2A 11.1V/4400mAh

 

[paulmd]

My battery is shown as VGP-BPS2A 11.1V/4400mAh

The factory battery was defective from the beginning if you only got
half an hour out of it new. The battery has finally died.

To find out for sure if the battery is dead, unplug the laptop while
it's powered on. If it instantly "dies", you've got a dead battery.

 

[GT]

The factory battery was defective from the beginning if you only got
half an hour out of it new. The battery has finally died.

To find out for sure if the battery is dead, unplug the laptop while
it's powered on. If it instantly "dies", you've got a dead battery.

To avoid any file corruption or potential problems, do this test whilst in
the BIOS, not windows!

 

[Michael Hawes]

My battery is shown as VGP-BPS2A 11.1V/4400mAh

What happens if you try and run it on battery? If does not run, battery
has failed! Why did you not complain about battery life when still under
warranty. Many batteries fail at 2 years. RTFM! Most laptops reccomend that
system should be run on battery at regular intervals, and once a month,
should be used to run battery flat. This prolongs the life of the battery.

Mike.