Issues with battery; no failures found in diagnostics

[gabriella21]

A few days ago on inserting my adapter to charge the battery, it wouldn't charge well. It kept stopping and continuing charging about every 2 minutes, the led light next to the inserting place of the adapter alternating from red to white.

I tried using the laptop with the battery removed, so just the AC adapter and this worked fine. This lead me to believe there must be issues with my battery; however I ran the HP Diagnostics for both the battery & the adapter and both tests succeeded.

I have updated the BIOS, this didn't help.

I also tried to calibrate my battery, which strangely wouldn't work with the procedure recommended by HP (that is, run the extensive Hard Drive test to drain the battery completely) as the battery only dropped a few percents after running it.

I then tried to do it manually, but I was unable to charge the battery until 100% as it stopped at 80% saying 'connected but not charging'. Wanting to try the calibration, I still waited until the laptop would shut itself down due to low battery; then charged it until 100% (this time it was possible) and let the laptop be connected for a few hours after being fully charged. Considering that the decharging went really fast, I assumed it must have been the lack of calibration on my battery.

However, my battery died very quickly again, so I decided another calibration might be needed, since the battery had not been fully charged the first time. I waited again until the laptop shut down, and am currently recharging it, but right now it stops at 75% percent, again with the message 'connected but not charging', and every once in a while - I guess when the percentage drops just slightly below 75% - it will charge for a few seconds and then stop again.

I again ran the Diagnostics and again the tests show no failures on both battery & adapter. I haven't had any issues with my battery before, so I'm really confused as to where the problem might lie.

I'd appreciate your help.

[Dragon-Fur]

@gabriella21

I pulled one of the many models in this series to check;  this series was introduced in Fall of 2016.

All things equal, and in spite of tests and BIOS update (if applicable),

If your computer is "about that old", at two years of age, the battery may need to be replaced.

Documentation:

HP Community thread on the subject

Accepted Solution - Battery won't Charge or Battery won't Hold a Charge

Article that explains Smart Battery Technology  

Battery use and care, how batteries perform over time, and expected battery life

How to: Understanding Lithium-Ion and Smart Battery Technology

This document is for HP notebook PCs that have a removable battery.

HP Notebook PCs - Battery Does Not Power Notebook or Hold a Charge

Battery - Find part / Purchase part

Service and Maintenance Guide - Page 48

Description                                                                       Spare part number

4-cell, 41-Whr, 2.8-Ah Li-ion battery                        807957-001

3-cell, 31-Whr, 2.8-Ah Li-ion battery                        807956-00

Looking for the battery:

Part Surfer -  807957-001

and found "In stock":

HP Parts Store > search for 807957-001

Reference and Resources – Places to find help and learn about your Device

Device Homepage

Drivers / Software and BIOS, Videos, Bulletins/Notices, How-to, Troubleshooting, Manuals, Product Information, more

HP 250 G5 Notebook PC

Thank you for participating in the HP Community Forum.

We are a world community of HP enthusiasts dedicated to supporting HP technology.

Click Thumbs Up on a post to say Thank You!

Answered? Click post "Accept as Solution" to help others find it.

[gabriella21]

@dragon-fur

Hi, thank you for your help and your references. You are right, I bought my laptop around summer 2016. I guess that the issues I'm experiencing are then 'normal' for a battery of that age.

However, according to the Diagnostics the cycle count is 68/300. Shouldn't my battery need to be able to do more cycles before starting to degradate?

For some reason unfortunately in my country the battery is unavailable in the HP Parts Store, so if I will indeed need to replace my battery I will have to contact HP about this.

[Dragon-Fur]

@gabriella21

You are welcome.

Honestly, I know little more about computer batteries than what is in the documentation.  I studied the subject (AC/DC power) in school, of course - the practical world does not always work like the "specification" documents indicate.

If HP does not supply the battery, you will likely have to find in from a trusted merchant in your region.   If you live in a country where Amazon is allowed to do business (and / or chooses to do so), you can check there.

“Everywhere” Contact Information - HP Technical Support

HP World-Wide Support

 Select your region and follow the prompts

Thank you for participating in the HP Community Forum.

We are a world community of HP enthusiasts dedicated to supporting HP technology.

Click Thumbs Up on a post to say Thank You!

Answered? Click post "Accept as Solution" to help others find it.