Compaq 520 notebook and power problems

[TheGolfersWife]

I have just bought the latest HP compaq notebook and everything works
ok except for the power options. I plugged in the power option hoping
that this would save on battery use, but NO NO - it kept on using the
battery. I have now charged the battery up again, but would like to
know how I can use only AC power when I want to. I have the correct
acaptor but the salesperson told me I should actually disconnet the
battery from the computer (this is a tricky operation believe me)
whenever I wanted to convert to normal AC power.

Help please? I am a 70+ female and quite computer literate, but I
simply dont want to have to always use the battery and keep on
recharging it - know what I mean?

Thanks out there all.


The Golfer's Wife

 

[Shenan Stanley]

I have just bought the latest HP compaq notebook and everything
works ok except for the power options. I plugged in the power
option hoping that this would save on battery use, but NO NO - it
kept on using the battery. I have now charged the battery up
again, but would like to know how I can use only AC power when I
want to. I have the correct acaptor but the salesperson told me I
should actually disconnet the battery from the computer (this is a
tricky operation believe me) whenever I wanted to convert to normal
AC power.

Help please? I am a 70+ female and quite computer literate, but I
simply dont want to have to always use the battery and keep on
recharging it - know what I mean?

You 'just bought' it...
Call them up and make them support it.

This sounds like a hardware failure or a user misinterpretation - the only
ones that will be able to help you are the manufacturers of said hardware
and/or someone sitting there with you.

 

[C.Joseph Drayton]

I have just bought the latest HP compaq notebook and everything works
ok except for the power options. I plugged in the power option hoping
that this would save on battery use, but NO NO - it kept on using the
battery. I have now charged the battery up again, but would like to
know how I can use only AC power when I want to. I have the correct
acaptor but the salesperson told me I should actually disconnet the
battery from the computer (this is a tricky operation believe me)
whenever I wanted to convert to normal AC power.

Help please? I am a 70+ female and quite computer literate, but I
simply dont want to have to always use the battery and keep on
recharging it - know what I mean?

Thanks out there all.


The Golfer's Wife

Hi Golfer's Wife,

In your SysTray should be an icon that looks like an AC
plug. If you don't have one and instead see a battery, then
that means either your power-supply is bad or the power
controller is bad. Either way, it is a hard ware issue and
not your fault. Assuming you bought the computer from a
reputable dealer, you should be able to take it in and show
the technician that you are not getting power from the power
supply.

Ciao . . . C.Joseph

"A promise is nothing more than an attempt,
to respond to an unreasonable request."

http://blog.tlerma.com/
(A Windows professional's view of entering the Linux world)

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

I have just bought the latest HP compaq notebook and everything works
ok except for the power options. I plugged in the power option hoping
that this would save on battery use, but NO NO - it kept on using the
battery. I have now charged the battery up again, but would like to
know how I can use only AC power when I want to. I have the correct
acaptor but the salesperson told me I should actually disconnet the
battery from the computer (this is a tricky operation believe me)
whenever I wanted to convert to normal AC power.

Help please? I am a 70+ female and quite computer literate, but I
simply dont want to have to always use the battery and keep on
recharging it - know what I mean?

The salesperson is either lying or doesn't know what he's taking
about. Demand to speak with someone who knows something.

 

[Plato]

Help please? I am a 70+ female and quite computer literate, but I
simply dont want to have to always use the battery and keep on
recharging it - know what I mean?

ps the guys in the store you got it from perhaps took advantage of your
age and gave you a previously owned/returned laptop, thinking you
wouldn't notice the difference.

 

[Plato]

I have just bought the latest HP compaq notebook and everything works
ok except for the power options. I plugged in the power option hoping
that this would save on battery use, but NO NO - it kept on using the
battery. I have now charged the battery up again, but would like to

Sounds like you got a bad laptop. Return it ASAP and get your money
back.

 

[TheGolfersWife]

Ok helpful people - thanks for responding. I went back to the shop
today with the laptop. There is absolutely nothing wrong with it, but
the instruction handbook is, as I suspected, inaccurate in its
description of AC/battery usage. The sales guy was quite correct in
recommending I detach the battery if I wanted to use AC for an
extended period of time.

And yes, it is recommended that the battery be disconnected when the
laptop is able to use AC power for any length of time. This is
because the constant charging in small amounts causes battery failure
over a period of 2-3 years. This may not sound like much, but I then
discovered the battery is not all the difficult to detach.

However, I am discovering more and more programs that are not yet
compatible with Windows Vista (which is installed on the laptop) so
that's yet another chapter in the saga I guess!

Cheers all and many thanks.


The Golfer's Wife

 

[C.Joseph Drayton]

Ok helpful people - thanks for responding. I went back to the shop
today with the laptop. There is absolutely nothing wrong with it, but
the instruction handbook is, as I suspected, inaccurate in its
description of AC/battery usage. The sales guy was quite correct in
recommending I detach the battery if I wanted to use AC for an
extended period of time.

And yes, it is recommended that the battery be disconnected when the
laptop is able to use AC power for any length of time. This is
because the constant charging in small amounts causes battery failure
over a period of 2-3 years. This may not sound like much, but I then
discovered the battery is not all the difficult to detach.

However, I am discovering more and more programs that are not yet
compatible with Windows Vista (which is installed on the laptop) so
that's yet another chapter in the saga I guess!

Cheers all and many thanks.


The Golfer's Wife

Hi GolferWife,

I have been using laptop computers for almost 20 years, and
technicially what the salesman told you is correct, but for
most peoples use, it is irrelevant.

If you use your computer on the battery on a regular basis,
you will be luck if you get 2 years out of it. I use my
laptop on battery 3 - 5 times a week, and I think the
longest I have had a battery is about 21 months or so.

The other thing that you might want to keep in mind is that
if the AC goes out, you will lose everything. With the
battery installed, if the AC dies, then it switches over to
the battery and you continue on though all the lights are out.

Also, if the icon is showing that you are on battery when
the AC is plugged in then the computer is not working
properly. When the AC is plugged in, it should show an AC
plug icon or a battery be charged. NOT a battery in use.

Ciao . . . C.Joseph

"A promise is nothing more than an attempt,
to respond to an unreasonable request."

http://blog.tlerma.com/
(A Windows professional's view of entering the Linux world)