How to troubleshoot laptop battery charging problems

In this post I explain how to troubleshoot laptop battery charging problems. I will list most common battery failure examples and suggest some troubleshooting steps.

Example 1.

Laptop detects the battery but shuts off when AC adapter unplugged.

When you move the cursor arrow over the battery icon while the laptop is connected to AC adapter, it show the remaining battery charge and says “charging”.

The batter power meter utility (if available) also shows that battery is connected and charging.

But… as soon as you unplug the AC adapter, the laptop shuts off completely.

Possible problems:
1. The battery not seated correctly. Try reconnecting the battery.
2. The battery contacts got dirty or oxidized and the battery is not making good connection with the motherboard. Try reconnecting the battery a few times.
3. If reconnecting the battery doesn’t help, most likely the battery is bad and has to be replaced.
4. If you replaced the battery but the problem still exists, this is motherboard related failure. Apparently the battery charging circuit has failed. In this case the whole motherboard has to be replaced (or repaired on component level).

Example 2.

The battery not detected by the laptop.

The battery is installed and you know it’s connected correctly but there is a red cross on the battery icon.

If you move the cursor arrow over the battery icon, it says “no battery detected”.

Possible problems:
1. Most likely the battery is bad. You have a very good chance to fix this problem by replacing the battery.
2. If replacing the battery doesn’t help, this is motherboard related failure. The motherboard has to be replaced (or repaired on component level).

Example 3.

The battery discharges very quickly after it reaches some critical point.

The battery detected by the laptop and charges properly to 100%.
When you unplug the AC adapter, it take normal time to discharge until some critical point (let’s say 80%) but after that the battery discharges very quickly to 0%.

Possible problems:
This is battery related failure. The battery is bad and has to be replaced.

Example 4.

The battery charges only if the power plug positioned correctly.

You have to wiggle the power plug in order to charge the battery. After you find the right position, the battery charges properly.

Possible problems:
1. AC adapter failure. The AC adapter power cable is damaged. You can test your AC adapter with a voltmeter.
2. If the AC adapter works fine, most likely this is power jack (connector where you plug power adapter) failure. In this case the power jack has to be replaced.

In some laptop models the power jack is not soldered to the motherboard, it’s attached to a power harness.

In this case, you can unplug the failed power jack from the motherboard and replace it with a new one.