laptop battery

[dgbrehm]

I have a dell laptop runing XP and the battery (new a year agao) is not
charging although the Icon says it it.

Am wondering if anyone knows if it could be the battery died or maybe
something is wrong with the power adapter ????

 

[Mark Adams]

I have a dell laptop runing XP and the battery (new a year agao) is not
charging although the Icon says it it.

Am wondering if anyone knows if it could be the battery died or maybe
something is wrong with the power adapter ????

Take the battery out and run the laptop from the power adapter. If it runs,
the battery is suspect. If it doesn't run, the adapter is suspect. Take the
machine to a repair shop and have the battery and adapter tested.

 

[boatman312]

I have a dell laptop runing XP and the battery (new a year agao) is not
charging although the Icon says it it.

Am wondering if anyone knows if it could be the battery died or maybe
something is wrong with the power adapter ????

This is an XP group, not Dell hardware. Try here:
http://en.community.dell.com/support-forums/laptop/f/3518.aspx

 

[Bob I]

If the icon says charging, then it is seeing the power adapter signal.
Doesn't mean the adapter is necessarily working properly, or that the
battery isn't at fault. You will need to contact Dell tech support, as
it can't be fixed through XP.

 

[PA Bear [MS MVP]]

Do you keep the battery in its bay even when you're running on AC power?

Did you buy the battery a year ago from Dell or a third-party? Was it a
brand-new battery or a reconditioned one?

cf. http://www.batteryuniversity.com/parttwo-34.htm

 

[Big_Al]

dgbrehm said this on 6/14/2010 8:38 AM:

I have a dell laptop runing XP and the battery (new a year agao) is not
charging although the Icon says it it.

Am wondering if anyone knows if it could be the battery died or maybe
something is wrong with the power adapter ????

I'm on my 2nd battery and have ordered a 3rd now. Mine just died last
week.

Dell Inspiron 6000. This time the battery shows charging 0% forever!
My battery has a test button on it to test the charge. I found that
hitting it, it would show 40% or so and 10 seconds later it shows 0%.
So it just won't hold a charge. But my batteries last about 2 years.
My laptop is 4 years+ old and I'm just about on schedule for the 3rd
battery.

 

[Bob CP]

dgbrehm said this on 6/14/2010 8:38 AM:

I'm on my 2nd battery and have ordered a 3rd now. Mine just died last week.

Dell Inspiron 6000. This time the battery shows charging 0% forever! My
battery has a test button on it to test the charge. I found that hitting
it, it would show 40% or so and 10 seconds later it shows 0%. So it just
won't hold a charge. But my batteries last about 2 years. My laptop is 4
years+ old and I'm just about on schedule for the 3rd battery.

If the power supply wasn't too dear, I'd replace that. You might just
be unlucky with batteries, but you're pushing the probability window
here. The only other possibility is that the machine has a bad charging
filter, if there is such a thing.

Is there such a thing as an external charger for the battery?

Have you talked to Dell (or hit their boards, if they exist) to explain
your experience?

 

[Bob CP]

dgbrehm said this on 6/14/2010 8:38 AM:

I'm on my 2nd battery and have ordered a 3rd now. Mine just died last week.

Dell Inspiron 6000. This time the battery shows charging 0% forever! My
battery has a test button on it to test the charge. I found that hitting
it, it would show 40% or so and 10 seconds later it shows 0%. So it just
won't hold a charge. But my batteries last about 2 years. My laptop is 4
years+ old and I'm just about on schedule for the 3rd battery.

I forgot to mention...
The proper technique is to wait until the battery gets low before you
charge it. Some batteries will acquire a "memory" that prevents it from
fully charging if you constantly charge it when it's almost full already.

 

[PA Bear [MS MVP]]

Bob CP wrote:

The proper technique is to wait until the battery gets low before you
charge it. Some batteries will acquire a "memory" that prevents it from
fully charging if you constantly charge it when it's almost full already.

Kinda/sorta. See...

How to prolong lithium-based batteries
http://www.batteryuniversity.com/parttwo-34.htm

 

[Bob I]

I forgot to mention...
The proper technique is to wait until the battery gets low before you
charge it. Some batteries will acquire a "memory" that prevents it from
fully charging if you constantly charge it when it's almost full already.

That only applies to NiCD bateries, so check the battery label for the
type. It will say there.