Computer battery issues

[lucybelle]

Not really LDR related, but anyways...

I went on vacation for 2 weeks, came back and my laptop battery is no longer charging. It's like if it isn't plugged in, it's turned off. There's a little icon where the battery amount shows up and it has an X over the battery and says "consider replacing your battery" when you scroll over it. My computer is only 2 years old, I can't imagine the battery screwing up so soon. I'm a little pissed at my SO since he was using my computer the whole time I was away. Although he probably had nothing to do with it, just gotta blame someone right?

Any advice on what to do or what to check? I'd really HATE to buy a battery here. It'd cost me a freaking arm and leg. And if there's anyway to make it last until January when I'll be back in the USA and be able to buy a much much cheaper battery.

Oh and my laptop is a Toshiba.

Thanks!!

[notyourexgirlfriend]

Toshiba laptops have a reputation for batteries dying. You will probably have to replace it or at the very least keep the laptop on.

[Moon]

lucybelle, laptop batteries are considered consumer consumables and are actually only meant to last a year I know, it doesn't seem like much, but your battery actually outlasted itself. You can easily get a non-OEM battery that will be as good as the name brand, I do this for people quite often. Unfortunately, there's not a damn thing you can do to make it last or stretch it out, when they're done, they're done. This is the crap I do for a living, so if you need more help with it, feel free to PM me.

[lucybelle]

Well shoot. Thanks for the info. I guess I'll try to find one that won't completely break my bank account.

[kittyo9]

You can try taking it out and cleaning it a little bit and putting it back in, but it probably won't do much for you. Unfortunately I've had a couple friends whose batteries only lasted 2-3 years before dying completely. If it's not 100% necessary that you need to use battery, you might consider just taking it out entirely and only running your laptop when plugged in. One of my friends ended up doing that until her laptop wore out a few years later.

Otherwise, the only solution is probably getting a new one.

[s.a.sajib]

Actually, which brand laptop bettary is long lasting?

[kittyo9]

Actually, which brand laptop bettary is long lasting?

Good question! My Acer lasted me about 3 years before I noticed the battery life becoming substantially shorter.

[mllebamako]

You can easily get a non-OEM battery that will be as good as the name brand

I second this suggestion. My SOs old old Dell battery was no longer holding any charge so I bought an off-brand version on Amazon which was a fraction of the price and has worked really well for him!

[notyourexgirlfriend]

My Acer laptop (currently using) is just on 4 years old and its battery still lasts quite well. Not that I use it without mains power much.

[kirbycat]

I've had similar problems with both a Dell laptop (battery started fading significantly in under 2 years) and an Asus netbook (battery conked out within a few months). I've had a MacBook for just under a year now, and it runs like a dream - as long as I'm not watching a lot of videos or playing games with lots of fancy animation or anything, I can make it through most of the day without having to plug it in.

I've also been told by multiple people that it's actually better for your battery's overall lifespan to NOT have your laptop plugged in, unless you're recharging it. I'm not good at remembering to do this, and my battery still works so well that I don't know how much of a difference I'd notice anyway, but I've heard it from enough people that I'm assuming it's true. Just run off your battery until it's almost out of juice, then plug it in just long enough for it to recharge.

[Moon]

If anyone really wants to read more about laptop batteries, here are some resources for you....

https://www.articlesbase.com/informa...s-4807039.html

https://batteryuniversity.com/learn/...ased_batteries

https://www.zbattery.com/laptopbatterycare.html


https://voices.yahoo.com/how-take-care-laptops-battery-make-393338.html

Your manufacturer is only going to guarantee your battery for a year, after that, you're on your own. Your battery will work worse as time goes on, they're only good for so many charges. Your manufacturer doesn't really matter - Dell, HP, ASUS, Lenovo, Apple, etc. - the batteries are all pretty much the same, they all work in the same way, and each company outsources battery manufacturing to the same bunch of other companies anyway. There are extended life batteries, but they don't have a longer lifespan, they just hold a longer charge, and they are expensive.

Over time, all batteries are going to wear out, you probably won't notice it for awhile. If you use a laptop for a long time, you'll eventually have to replace your battery. Hope this helps!

[Tooki]

There are a few little tricks to extending the life of your battery

*Letting the battery run to about 20% before recharging it (discharging the battery completely is BAD)
*Using it only when you need to. Use your laptop without a battery is good!

And you get a year or so out of a battery as Moon said. I've had mine for 2 years now and it's on its' last legs.

[rixue]

There are a few little tricks to extending the life of your battery

*Letting the battery run to about 20% before recharging it (discharging the battery completely is BAD)
*Using it only when you need to. Use your laptop without a battery is good!

And you get a year or so out of a battery as Moon said. I've had mine for 2 years now and it's on its' last legs.

Thanks for the advice!

I had the option of ordering two batteries when I purchased my laptop online. So I will be saving that one for when my current one goes bad XD

[Jade_Crystal]

I think 2 years is a considerate amount for the battery to be worn out or screwed up if not taken care of properly (charged only till 100%, then unplugged; and mainly NOT using the battery - aka getting it out - when you are in a spot where you can simply keep the computer plugged). I personally rarely use the battery while at home... I charge it 100%, then take it out and just use the accumulator for the laptop.

I can advice 2 ideas that you could take before replacing your battery (which is easiest and most efficient). First, you could try cleaning the contacts of the battery and the laptop slot with a q-tip and sanitary alcohol. Second, I don't recommend this one without research, but I heard that batteries can be "reset" if you let them completely discharge and then live them in the freezer for around 12 hours or something, then fully charge them? But this is something I haven't tried myself. I prefer to just take my device (especially if the laptop is in good condition) to a specialist with experience, to avoid screwing other things up while trying to fix something that seems simple.

[TwoThree]

Are you deliberately trolling? Seriously, you're going through every thread of this particular section and answering questions that are AT BEST months old.

It is neither funny, nor useful, nor cute.