Laptop battery

[ShadoWolf]

Guys

Can anyone tell me what the best way to test a laptop battery is? Its just I recently bought a laptop and the battery never charged so they sent me a replacement battery and the same is happeing with this one. This would suggest there may be an issue with the laptop but they are going to send me yet another battery! Is there somthing I can do to confirm that the batterys they sent me are indeed dead

[streetster]

A Few Questions:

1. How are you charging the batteries?

2. What is the exact fault?

3. Can you turn the laptop on when it is disconnected from mains?

4. What happens if the laptop is on and you disconnect from mains?

5. Whats the make/model number for the laptop

6. How old is the laptop?

[ShadoWolf]

Thanks for your reply, In answer to your questions:

1. How are you charging the batteries? - I am charging the batterys by plugging the laptop into the mains

2. What is the exact fault? The battery light doesn't even light up when the laptop is connected to the mains and the battery doesn't charge

3. Can you turn the laptop on when it is disconnected from mains? The Laptop will not turn on unless it is connected to the mains

4. What happens if the laptop is on and you disconnect from mains? It turns off straight away

5. Whats the make/model number for the laptop - Compaq Evo N610c

6. How old is the laptop? No Idea, its a P4 1.8

Thanks

[streetster]

Hey,


Right, i've had a quick google and it seems that there are quite a few other people having exactly the same problem as you with their Compaq Evo N610c Laptop...

Have you tried:

1. Resetting the CMOS (may require you to remove the cmos battery, im not 100% sure for your model)

2. Updating the BIOS - check on hp.com and see if there is a new bios available

3. Most of the guys suggested replacing the battery, but seeing as you have already done that once, it seems more likely that there is an issue with the laptop itself - but I guess when the 2nd new battery arrives you will be able to confirm either way...

4. There is a service manual available here (PDF), so you could double-check that the lead from battery->motherboard is secure... and double-check that the battery connectors in the laptop are clean and not corroded...

5. Apparently there is an option to 'calibrate' the battery from within the bios (ie hit DEL or F1 (or whichever button it is to get into the BIOS) and see if that works)

Good Luck


Oh, and go for 5, 2, 1, 4, 3... sorry for the crazy order

[ShadoWolf]

Thanks, for the suggestions. I will give them a go

I did try the calibration but it just sat there and didn't charge the bat

However, I have noticed something strange, If I take the power cable out and put it back in the time and date reset in windows! is this normal if there is no charge in the battery? might there be a problem with the CMOS battery? if so why would it keep the details if the mains in left plugged in?

[ShadoWolf]

Additional: I flashed the bios ad got excited when the battery light flashed on when it restarted but for some reason after a few seconds of the restart it restarted again and the battery light hasn't turned back on since

[peterb]

Thanks, for the suggestions. I will give them a go

I did try the calibration but it just sat there and didn't charge the bat

However, I have noticed something strange, If I take the power cable out and put it back in the time and date reset in windows! is this normal if there is no charge in the battery? might there be a problem with the CMOS battery? if so why would it keep the details if the mains in left plugged in?

Not familiar with this particular machine, but if the date/time is resetting with no power applied, then that would suggest that the CMOS battery (which pwers the real time clock) needs replacing. Whether that has a bearing on the battery charging problem, I can't say, but if battery calibration figures are stored in the CMOS, then it would. The fact that the battery charge light flashed after reflashing the bios does give a faint hint that the problem might lie in that area.

[ShadoWolf]

UPDATE: the company i bought the lappy from are now saying the don't have anymore spare battery's to send me so they have refunded some money for me to buy one myself. As i am still not totally convinced that it is a battery fault does anyone know of a way I can test the battery's to confirm whether they are dead or not as I don't want to go out an buy a new battery and find that that doesn't charge either.