struggling to switch laptop on

stetrovers · 30-05-2012, 20:51

I have a problem when trying to switch my laptop on. I have to remove the battery and replace it. It usually comes on straight away, is it a fan problem?
Any suggestions please...

Retlaw · 30-05-2012, 20:55

Quote:

Originally Posted by stetrovers

I have a problem when trying to switch my laptop on. I have to remove the battery and replace it. It usually comes on straight away, is it a fan problem?
Any suggestions please...

Sounds more like a bad connection, have you checked the battery terminals.

flashy · 30-05-2012, 21:17

Sounds to me like your battery might be buggered, mine is on it's way out at the moment, had it 2 years from new

Neil · 31-05-2012, 07:14

Does it work ok with no battery on it and just plugged into the power supply?

All the laptops I have tried with no battery worked ok. If it does work ok then it suggests it is a battery fault.

Studio25 · 31-05-2012, 08:45

Further to Neil's comment - if you never use your laptop on battery power, there's no point having the battery in at all - it actually gets damaged through lack of use.

This is especially true if you shut it down or put it to sleep without unplugging it. Batteries don''t like that at all...

jaysay · 31-05-2012, 08:51

Quote:

Originally Posted by Studio25

Further to Neil's comment - if you never use your laptop on battery power, there's no point having the battery in at all - it actually gets damaged through lack of use.

This is especially true if you shut it down or put it to sleep without unplugging it. Batteries don''t like that at all...

My Laptop must absolutely hate me then Studio

Neil · 31-05-2012, 10:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by jaysay

My Laptop must absolutely hate me then Studio

Maybe once a week or so you could unplug it then plug it in again when it gets to 25% ish. That should help stop the battery failing

Studio25 · 31-05-2012, 11:17

Quote:

Originally Posted by Neil

Maybe once a week or so you could unplug it then plug it in again when it gets to 25% ish. That should help stop the battery failing

...or just pull out the power adapter jack before you go to bed. With the right power settings, the battery will discharge for a couple of hours then the laptop will go to sleep itself.

As Neil says, you only need to discharge and charge occasionally, but as I use my laptop at home and the office, it happens every day. I just set it to "sleep" whenever it goes back in the bag, and run it on battery until it complains at about 11am.

jaysay · 31-05-2012, 18:52

Cheers Neil and Ian, for the advice never given it a thought before but its easy to just unplug it when I retire in the evening then plug it back in in the morning

MoreJoe · 31-05-2012, 19:30

Most batteries actually develop a memory for their usage pattern.
If you seldom, if ever, run the battery power down then you battery will become very inefficient. The ideal way is to run on battery power as long as is feasible and once it gets below 10% power level then plug in the AC and recharge to full level. If you do that your battery will have a longer and happier life.

Studio25 · 01-06-2012, 08:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by jaysay

Cheers Neil and Ian, for the advice never given it a thought before but its easy to just unplug it when I retire in the evening then plug it back in in the morning

Well that's not as bad as it could be, if the power is disconnected when the laptop is off...

Just received two laptops yesterday, with power problems. One looks like it's had the cable yanked, so there's a bad connection to the laptop internals. The other looks like the power adapter cable is damaged - probably repair that by throwing the whole PSU out and getting a replacement...

Retlaw · 01-06-2012, 11:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by Studio25

Well that's not as bad as it could be, if the power is disconnected when the laptop is off...

When my laptop is switched off the charging light stays on till the battery is charged up, then changes oolour, batterys should be used regularly, why have a lap top, or a portable if its always plugged into the mains, might as well throw the battery away.

stetrovers · 01-06-2012, 20:44

It turn's out that my laptop was switching on, but there is no image on the screen.
I took it into a computer shop on Blackburn Road, and the chap there reckon's it's the GRAPHIC CARD playing up.
So it look's like a visit to PC World or Comet to get a new laptop.
Thanks for everyone's suggestion's.

Retlaw · 01-06-2012, 22:10

Quote:

Originally Posted by stetrovers

It turn's out that my laptop was switching on, but there is no image on the screen.
I took it into a computer shop on Blackburn Road, and the chap there reckon's it's the GRAPHIC CARD playing up.
So it look's like a visit to PC World or Comet to get a new laptop.
Thanks for everyone's suggestion's.

I would get a 2nd opinion on that, why should removing the battery, and then replacing it affect the graphics card.
If you get a new one you will have a learning curve if you've never used win 7 before, I've had a computer with win 7 couldn't get my head round the stupid phrasiology, nowts where it should be, gave it to my daughter, she gave it back, said it was crap, must be something wrong with 7, or why is gates rushing out a new OS.

Wynonie Harris · 01-06-2012, 22:13

Quote:

Originally Posted by stetrovers

is it a fan problem?

Well, you'd know all about them!