Very strange laptop battery problem? (plugged in, not charging)

[MZWebb]

Also, it makes sense that everyone's laptop is crapping out at such disparate moments in time. For me, it was one week after my two year extended warranty ran out. I might have made it longer just because I rarely tax my battery, almost always leaving it on AC power. Others who hang out in parks and coffee shops might run through theirs a lot quicker. Maybe some people are purchasing a new unit that already has a compromised battery life.... As I understand it, you can't really expect more than a couple of years out of these batteries, which means every one of us is eventually going to run into this problem....if it is the problem.

[AxshunJaxun]

@MZWebb

I definitely understand your frustration, sincerely, I do. You listed one key symptom, though: the blinking Caps/Num Lock lights. 

What type of blink pattern are you seeing there?

Examples:

1-blink (Blink, Pause, Blink, Pause repeatedly)

2-blink (Blink, Blink, Pause, Blink, Blink,  Pause repeatedly) 

And so on for 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 blinks. 

Here is a chart describing the Blink Pattern Codes and their meanings. Let me know which pattern you're experiencing and we will go from there. It could hopefully be as simple as reseating a component, but it may be a major hardware issue that would require major component replacement. I just want you to be aware of the range of possibilities.

The fact that the AC Adapter light is solid white means your AC Adapter is good. It won't be necessary to replace it. 

[MZWebb]

Hello AJ,

I'm sorry it's taken me so long to get back to this thread.  I had decided to wait until my new battery arrived in the hopes that this that was the problem.  It was on backorder, so it took this long to get here (lots of people trying this same fx?)!

In the mean time, I bought a cooling pad and left the computer on 24/7 so I could keep working without the frustrating start to every day and just in case it never came on again!  This morning I'm sad to report that a new battery did not magically fix the situation for me.

Because I was not turning it off, I wasn't able to tell you how many blinks between pauses were appearing on the caps lock key till now.  With the new battery in hand, I finally shut it down last night.  As usual, it would not restart again this morning.  I tried it with the new battery, still no luck.  What I did learn from the link to a chart you provided that the -2 blinks, pause, 2 blinks, pause- pattern indicates that the problem is a "BIOS corruption failure".  Based on information I provided about this model (HP Pavilion g6-1a30us Notebook PC), you had indicated that I was up to date with version F.49  (What a useful diagnostic tool this chart this is!  Why isn't that being posted EVERYWHERE, since were all starting at a black screen and wondering what these blinking lights mean?  Seems like it would save us a lot of time during the guessing game...)

Now I've got no idea what to do again.  I did find an earlier post that contained a link with steps to rollback the BIOS version, so I think I'll find and try that....unless you have any other suggestions short of replacing the motherboard.  😞

Thanks!

[AxshunJaxun]

@ MZWebb

It's great to hear from you! Given the situation, it's perfectly understandable for the delayed response. No worries!

I'm glad the chart helped. With a BIOS corruption error, you can try reloading the BIOS and/or different versions of the BIOS. Another option is using a UEFI equipped flashdrive to reload the BIOS. UEFI is just an application that operates outside of Windows. It can be used to rollback the BIOS. It is convenient to have the UEFI application on a flash drive for these types of situations where Windows will not load or has trouble loading normally. 

Here are the steps to create a UEFI USB flash drive.

1. On a separate, working computer, insert a flash drive. I used a 2GB stick that had files on it already. The files weren't affected. It does change the name of the flash drive to HP_TOOLS though.

2. Download the UEFI file here.

3. Click Run (if using Internet Explorer. If using a different browser you'll have to run the file from your Downloads folder. Look in your Downloads folder for sp57924.exe). 

4. When the Installer opens, Choose USB Flash Drive and see the below screenshots

Now your UEFI is on the flash drive. Now, go back to the affected computer, put the flash drive in. Power on and hold down the Windows key + B. It may take 30 seconds or even up to a couple of minutes to see something on the screen. You will either get an option to choose from the flash drive or it will automatically detect it and pull it from the flash drive. 

I'm going to add some other suggestions in a separate post. Let me know the results when you get a chance 🙂 

[MZWebb]

Thank you! I'm anxious to try this.

[AxshunJaxun]

The other suggestions I have are a little less favorable because they require restarting a few times and since your computer isn't reliable for restarting promptly, it may be difficult. 

Option 2 Reset existing BIOS to defaults 

1. Unfortunately, you must shutdown to get into the BIOS as the first step. 

2. When the computer comes back on, immediately start tapping the F10 key repeatedly until you see the BIOS screen.

3. Press F9 to Set the BIOS to Defaults. You won't receive any message or feedback, just press F9 once. 

4. Then press F10 to Save and Exit. Windows will load normally. Then you'll need to test it by shutting down properly through the Start button > Shutdown. 

Option 3 Try older versions of the BIOS

1. On the affected computer, go to this link.

2. Click on F.48. Download and install it. During the installation, your computer will restart on its own. Allow it to restart if it will and get back to the desktop. 

3. Then test the issue by shutting down and trying to power back on. If you still have the same issue, it's up to you if you want to keep trying earlier versions. I would skip back to the original version F.06 and try that next.

I hope these suggestions help! I'll keep an eye out for your reply 🙂

[shuaebkadah]

Hello.my laptop is a edtek mini laptop and and its about 2 month now to buy it..Whenever i would put my battery charger into my laptop then it will remain at 1% and if i'll spent more than 3 hours it'll not charge i dont know why,and someday it will charge please help me out...

[BruceKAY]

Hi there, 

I have a HP Pavilion Entertainment PC dv7 3110TX that has problems with running on battery. I am running Windows 7 Ultimate 32-bit. My systems BIOS is up-to-date - version F.17.

So I just purchased a new battery, plus a new AC Adapter.

These days I live in Ilinois, so even though I originally purchased my PC in Australia, I purchased a new U.S. Adapter to replace my origninal Aussie one. I was careful to go to the HP Support site to ascertain the correct battery and AC Adapter to buy.

My problem is that I cannot operate with the AC Adapter disconnected. As soon as I remove the AC Adapter cable the laptop powers down. It cannot be restarted on battery power alone. The AC Adapter MUST be insterted before the laptop will power up.

The AC Adapter light is hard on.  The Num Lock and Caps Lock lights stay hard on they do not blink.

I have run a full test on the battery. It passes the test and the test says it is charging properly.

I have tried all the suggestions in this thread and on other HP Support pages.

However I cannot resolve my problem. it means I cannot use my laptop without being connected to mains power.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions,

Bruce from Canberra, Oz

[2244pawan]

my hp 630 laptop screen is not working ..and it shows its charger on whether i am not charging it.please tell me some solutions

[Ken2u]

Hey Bruce and everyone else. I have a HP Envy dv7-7227cl running Windows 8, then updated to Windows 8.1 and have had it approximately 18-months. While running Windows 8, I had no issues with anything. After updating to Windows 8.1, I have had only one issue. I haven't been able to solve why my laptop isn't charging unless the AC Adapter is plugged in. All of a sudden it stopped charging. Like many of you, I have reset the BIOS and updated it. The HP Battery Check diagnostic application states it "...was unable to access the battery." Then it displays "Status: Unknown (91)". I have tried several times and different sites including HP to locate what the definition means of that type of status to no avail. My laptop battery LED on the right-side of the laptop isn't blinking nor are any keys on the keyboard. Once the laptop is on and the main screen has been loaded, the battery charging indicator in the bottom, right-side of the screen states it's plugged in and charging, yet the battery continues to present a "X" over the battery.  I purchased another battery compatible with the original battery and it doesn't charge or allow the LED light to display. I may have to purchase a external charging station for the batteries. I will probably be a pain in the "you-know-what" if it works, but something has to be done and I HP hasn't been helpful with this matter.  I anyone else has another direction for us to go, I am all ears and would appreciate new information.