When your laptop is plugged into a power source, but not charging properly, this can be very frustrating. Luckily, there are a few simple steps you can take to troubleshoot the problem, possibly saving you a trip to the repair shop.
1. Try the obvious first
Your problem may lie within the actual power cord or laptop battery itself. If your battery is old and has been discharging faster than usual for a period of time, it may be time to purchase a new one. Replacement batteries can be found online or at electronics stores, just be sure to get one with matching voltage specifications of your current battery. Even when purchasing a third party battery, expect to pay around $75 to $100 for a new one.
The other obvious issue could be a bad power cord. The good news about this is that a replacement cord can be purchased online at Amazon or Ebay for around $10, and you can definitely fix this computer issue by yourself. Look for the model number of your laptop, and this should point you in the direction of the proper replacement cord.
[Read also: The Importance of Buying Manufacturer Original Laptop Chargers]
2. Hot! Hot! Hot!
Yup! That’s right! If your laptop is plugged in but not charging, chances are it could be due to overheating. This is even more so with older laptops that don’t have the cooling technology of today’s laptops. Perhaps you are one of those who likes to use your laptop on your bed or couch, hence causing the cooling vents to be blocked and your system overheated. Not a very good idea.
If overheating is the cause, try to let your system cool down for a while and check the air vents to make sure they are clean and cleared from any obstructions.
[Read also: Can I Use My Laptop While Charging?]
3. It could be your settings
If the above fixes failed to resolve the issues, you might need to dig a little deeper to find the root of the problem.
For Windows users, check your power options in the Control Panel. Check the setting for the battery, display, and the sleep options to see if everything looks in order. Sometimes changing these settings will cause your computer to shut down when the lid closes, or may shut the computer down when the battery power percentage reaches a certain level. In some cases, restoring the settings to default may solve the problem.
For Mac users, check out the Energy Saver pane in the System Settings. The issue may be that the computer is set to “sleep” after a very short idle period. Adjust the setting to a longer time to see if this helps. Restoring the laptop to default settings may also help fix the issue with a Mac computer.
[Read also: How to Take Care of Your Laptop Battery]
4. Update drivers
For Windows users, look in the Control Panel and open the Device Manager. Find the battery tab and update drivers for an item labeled Microsoft ACPI Compliant Control Method Battery. After updating, reboot the machine and see if the issue is resolved. If not, delete the “Microsoft ACPI” item and then reboot the machine yet again.
For Mac users, shut down your power and remove the battery, then unplug the machine. Disconnect your power source and then depress the power button for about five seconds. Reinstall the battery and connect to power source and turn on the computer. For new Macs with sealed batteries, shut down the machine while leaving power adapter connected. While power is off, hold power button down while simultaneously pressing shift/control/option keys, then turn the power on.
[Read also: How to Charge a Laptop Without its Charger]
5. Contact technical support
If none of these simple fixes work, chances are it’s time to contact a professional computer repair specialist. They will know the common problems with your particular computer and can offer helpful advice as well as quality repairs.
Some common computer issues can easily be resolved at home, without having to spend the money on professional repairs and having to be without your computer for several days while it’s in the shop. Try these simple fixes for power up and battery issues first to see if you can fix the problem yourself.
[Read also: How to Get More Runtime Out of Your Laptop Battery]
I’ve had a problem with my laptop recently and I was scared because I thought I would have to change the battery. It turned out that I needed to get a new power cord which I bought for about $11 at a local store. I can’t believe the power cord only lasted a little more than 2 years! The warranty was for 2 years and it’s been 2 months since the warranty is void?!
Unfortunately, most companies deliberately designed their products to be that way. They put their products under an accelerated degradation process, and adjust their quality to last only within their warranty. It’s a tactic to retain their customers.
I own a Sony VAIO and after reinstalling WINDOWS 7 I got this error” “The installed battery may not be properly connected to the computer or may not be compatible with the computer. Click “OK” to enter Hibernate mode,and remove and reinsert the battery. See the VAIO(R) User Guide for more information about using the battery.”
I tried lots of solutions but the only one that worked was this:
1. Remove battery
2. Restart laptop
3. Click Start and then type “msconfig”
4. Click the “Startup” tab and then uncheck “ISB Utility”’
5. Turn off laptop
6. Insert battery
7. Turn on laptop
Hope this helps someone!
Thanks for sharing your thoughts and tips here, Sally! Appreciate it!
Nice post, I just recently purchased a new battery for my laptop and it was giving charging problems , just got sort it out, It was giving errors caz of drives…thnx for such useful stuff
I had this problem as well with my battery… sadly I already replaced it with a newer laptop. I hope if next time I encounter this problem I will remember this fix 🙂
I am facing this issue in my Sony Vaio laptop and I thought that it’s only in my laptop but this post helped me to know about the issue. I’ll try to do the needful to fix the issue.
Thanks Peter for this post 🙂
Thanks Peter! I used have this problem very frequently with my Sony Vaio Laptop. this article helped a lot in troubleshooting my laptop.
Glad this helps! 🙂
One thing to note also that if you are on wnidows 7 or higher then your battery level should be below 90% for charging on some laptops, otherwise battery will not get charged
Really? Which laptops are you referring to, Akshat?
I have seen this on fujitsu laptops and i was also not aware of this until i called up the customer care.
I have the overheating problem and I had no idea that newer laptops had better hardware to overcome this.
I have had to buy a new battery before for the same laptop and I only paid £13 inc delivery.
An old battery also have the tendency to get overheated, which can’t be simply salvaged with ventilation. If your battery had been used for a really long time, then it’d be better to replace it.
My laptop gets really hot, like so hot that it burns my leg and gets a blue screen once in a while. It charges the way it should, but it just gets so hot! I wonder if my settings could have anything to do with that the way they do with charging. I didn’t those type of settings were changeable.
You can try switching your operation settings to default, and update your drivers. Sometimes they may have been altered unknowingly when you install new programs, causing intensive memory usage. Be sure to keep your laptop ventilated as well. If BSOD or overheating still persists, you may need to check with a technician.
hi lee,
after using laptop for 1 to 2 years every most of the laptop users will get the problem of “BATTERY BACKUP”.so every one will go for new battery in that situation.we should aware of oler battery capacity , power input and output mentioned on the battery.depending onn those paticulas we have to choose the battery for our laptop ,oterwise it will displays error messages like NOT CHARGING,REPALCE YOU BATTERY ..etc.you have mentioned clearly how to deal with that problem clearly .thank you for you post..