General Computer DiscussionYou should use this section to discuss software topics including Windows, Linux and various software applications, together with hardware related topics including buying a new machine, graphics cards, keyboards, etc.
For ages now I've been thinking that my laptop's battery is fecked, 'cause when I've been using my laptop on battery power it only lasts for about 30 minutes before Windows automatically turns shuts down and won't start up again.
However, yesterday I disabled pretty much all of the Windows power management options - like auto-hibernate etc - and ran the battery all the way down. It lasted for about 2.5 hours, but for the majority of that time Windows was telling me the battery had no charge. It was only for a few minutes before the laptop died that the battery light on the machine itself started flashing indicating low battery.
What I'm wondering, then, is how can I re-sync the Windows power meter with the actual status of the battery? It's quite obvious that my battery pack isn't as broken as I thought, but rather it's just that Windows is misreading the battery level...
the charge on a battery is very hard to tell, the voltage stays almost constant througoght the charged up period.
any variation in voltage is due to as much as temperature, age of battery, manafacturing variations than enything else.
the only way it can tell how much charge it has is to monitor the current wich flows into or out of the battery.
obvioulsy if youve drained the battery now windows should be in sync, if not it means its not configured or not working corectly.
Well the laptop is only about 2 years old, but I'm putting it through a full charge-discharge-recharge cycle to see if that sorts the problem out (t'is what was recommended in the Windows help and on HPs website).
I'm fairly sure that the battery itself isn't broken, though.
Also, for some reason Windows seems to slow down immensely when it thinks I have no battery left...
it's probaly fucked,
if ur in a building with power, use the lead,
if ur getting less than an hour or 2 without AC power,
then it's time to fuck the battery off, and get a new one,
only buy from the people who made the laptop tbh...
Also, for some reason Windows seems to slow down immensely when it thinks I have no battery left...
sounds like it is stil trying to concerve power, can you not switch this off when you do the discharge cycle ? then you can see how long the batery lasts when its running at full power.
Well I've tried looking up retailers who sell the battery I've got fitted at the moment, but the HP Parts store doesn't have them available for sale for some reason. Also, I did manage to find a website for a store kinda locally who sell the battery model I currently have, but their website says that it's not compatible with my laptop. Which is odd, seeing as the battery I currently have is the battery that came with the laptop when I originally bought it... I've done a HP Health Check on the battery as well, and that reckons it's fucked.
@Meow - I turned off everything I could find in Windows that seemed to relate to power options, like auto-hibernate and similar, and I've managed to coax about 2:15 out of the battery while using the laptop (Firefox, Word etc) but the problem is that when the battery's gone the laptop just dies rather than giving me time to save and that.
have you since tried it turning any option back on that would save the work before the batery died and seeing how long it lasts ?
I'm about to see how long Windows thinks it has power for while the laptop's in use. Hopefully it won't be too stupidly short...
[Edit] It took 38 minutes for Windows to go from thinking that the battery was at 100% to 2%, at which point it forced the laptop into hibernation. Bit crappy.
Laptop Batteries...
Hopefully it won't be too stupidly short...
Linear Mode
