Can re-chargable Laptop batteries die out?

Question

I got a toshiba laptop last christmas, as so it's ran for a fairly long time. Last night I was using it while charging it up at the same time, then all of a sudden the screen went black and now it wont charge up. I tried unplugging it all and re-plugging it to check if it needed charging, but even the little green light that flashes when the laptop is charging wouldn't work. So my thoughts are that the re-chargable battery has run out, I took it out of the laptop and it said how to remove it, so surely you'd only need to remove it to replace it with another battery... Does this sound plausable? If not what else could the problem be and how do I solve it?

I was using the laptop at the same time as it was charging, the green light was on then. But then, every thing went blank on the screen and the green light also went off. It was still plugged into the mains but I couldn't get it back on.

Answer 1

yep, memory effect is what gradually kills them. newer batteries dont suffer as much from this but the effect is still there.

Last week we had a question about whether you need to follow manufacturers instructions that say leave a laptop on charge for 16 hours the first time you use it. This is to help reduce this effect in the future.

Unfortunately most people think thaty are far too clever to follow instructions and assume once its charged up the first time thats it. Its not the case.

My battery has been going for 4 years now. It doesn't last as long as it used to, but i don thave the same problem as most people becuase i understand whats going on with the first charging.

same is true of mobiles....people charge up for 2 hours and then they are off to show it to thier mates....ruining it for the future.

Answer 2

It could be the power adapter that's faulty. If no charge is getting through, then your laptop would simply power down and go blank as you witnessed. I would be inclined to assume the power supply is the culprit because you say there is no flashing light on the laptop to indicate charging is happening. Check the LED on the power supply is on.

I would imagine the battery wouldn't just give up instantly, as you normally get tell tale signs such as the battery life getting shorter and shorter (usually if the laptop is constantly on AC power.)

Check the fuse on your mains plug as well. If replacing that doesn't work, then its most likely the power supply has packed in. There are a few places you can get replacement power supply online. One such site is www.laptopbits.co.uk

Hope this helps :)

Answer 3

Go with a good brand of rechargeable batteries. Also get rechargeable batteries that are made for digital cameras, they will last a lot longer then regular batteries and will save u LOTS of money in the long run, i have had a digital camera for about 4 yrs. and ive used a pair of $15 Rayovac NiMH batteries and they have worked great. If you do buy some other rechargeable batteries make sure they are NiMH batteries, they will last a lot longer then just regular ones. Hope this helps!

Answer 4

if the charge light isn't coming on, either the connection isn't in all the way or its also possible the charger or the laptop got overheated. Unplug the charger for about five minutes (from the outlet not the laptop)....then plug it back in and see if it lights up, if not it is possible the battery is dead but the charging light should still come on, and some laptops can run off just the charger and don't need the battery at all, others need at least the battery in them to transfer the power from the charger to the laptop so even if the battery is dead, you should still be able to run the laptop.

Answer 5

Lithium-ion (Li-ion) Batteries

Lithium-ion batteries are the newest technology batteries and offer several advantages over NiMH and NiCd batteries. Lithium-ion batteries are preferred for their lighter weight and higher performance. Lithium-ion batteries are typically 20-35% lighter and will provide 10-20% better performance than a NiMH battery of equivalent mAh rating. Lithium-ion batteries are also unique in that they are not susceptible to the "memory effect".
A new Lithium-ion battery will benefit from an initial "conditioning" of the battery. For the first 3 charge cycles, fully charge the battery overnight and allow it to fully discharge before recharging. Once conditioned, Lithium-ion batteries will perform best when charged at a rate somewhere between a conventional slow charge and a rapid charge. When rapid charging, Lithium-ion batteries require a charger designed to charge Lithium batteries. To achieve a true full charge when rapid charging, the battery needs to be slow charged the last 10-15% of its charge cycle. Most "intelligent" desktop and Lithium-battery rapid chargers provide this capability. A Lithium-ion battery may be damaged by extensive overcharging (continuously on a charger for more than 24 hours).

Source - http://www.laptop-battery.org/batterytips.html

AND

This explains it all best I think - http://www.laptopbattery.net/notebookbatteries_life.html

AND

Point 6 & 7 of the second set of points of this - http://labnol.blogspot.com/2006/03/10-tips-to-make-your-laptop-battery.html

Answer 6

the quick answer is yes they can. like all batteries if you keep it on charge all the time you will destroy its ability to hold a charge, the result is that as soon as you remove the mains power the PC will die.

The best way to extend the life of a battery is to always fully charge and discharge it. If your laptop is going to be docked all day then remove the battery.

Answer 7

it is possible that tha batteries are out but i think that the problem is not the battery. May be the adaptor or some connectors are the reason for the problem. You said that the green light is not flashing. this menas that there is no power from the adaptor or may be the problem is bigger. it could be from the main board or something else. because if the adaptor is OK you are able to work even your batery is bad with the poewer form the adaptor. try to contact to your service support.

Answer 8

yes they do run out or else why would you be able to change them does it work on the mains? if you can run the computer from the main electricity and it works then it would seem to be a battery problem if not a computer problem and if you cannot plug it into the electricity supply u need to take it to be checked. was it new if it was then it should still be under guarantee so take it back to were u got it from

Answer 9

more like the charging unit is bad or connector for it is bad. Batteries do go bad but usually not as quickly as you stated. Check the power supply charging unit take it to someone that has a meter and check the output of it. Think your problem is in the recharger not battery.
The output voltage is usually wrote or stamped on the actual unit if not readable your manual should specify what voltage it has.

Answer 10

You didnt state whether the laptop worked soley from just using the power adaptor.

If not, then it is not your battery, it is your power adapter. Ok, it does matter if the battery is dead it would still show the battery charging light.

Get a new power adapter. I had the same problem.

Hope this helps...