HP Victus Will Not Charge

[SmashedBeard]

My sons Victus laptop suddenly stopped charging over the weekend. I did the quick basic troubleshooting of trying a different outlet, but nothing.  His brother has an identical laptop, so I had him try the charger and it worked.  I tried his brother's charger on the problem laptop, nothing.  I quickly went to Google and found multiple HP and other sites troubleshooting steps and have followed all of them.  All of the drivers are up to date, some were out of date at the time, including his BIOS, but everything is now with no change. Windows 11 is up to date. I uninstalled the battery driver and let it reinstall and confirmed it is up to date.  No change.

Since I have 2 identical laptops, I know I have a chance to troubleshoot that most don't.  Being an IT Tech, I opened up the laptop and took an inspection of the hardware.  Everything looked normal, but I thought I would try to narrow down an issue with components.  First I tried swapping batteries, but nothing changed, though this gave me a chance to fully charge the issue laptops battery so I could continue troubleshooting when it is powered (at this point the battery had drained fully).  I then tried swapping the cable that goes from the plug to the motherboard, no change.

Is there anything else that could possibly be wrong that could be creating this issue? Again, I have followed all of the software related recommendations from other posts where people have had similar issues (why is this such a common issue with HPs?).  Of course this laptop is 4 months out of warranty.  Is it possible the mother board is the issue?

[Raj_05]

Hi @SmashedBeard,

Welcome to HP Support Community.

Thank you for posting your query, I will be glad to help you.

It sounds like you've done a thorough job troubleshooting the issue with your Victus laptop, but the charging problem persists despite ruling out the charger, battery, and software-related solutions. Since you've swapped components and everything seems fine, it's possible the issue is indeed hardware-related, particularly with the motherboard.

Here are a few additional suggestions to consider.

Inspect Power Connector & Charging Circuit: Since you've already swapped the cable to the motherboard, the next thing to check is the charging circuit on the motherboard itself. Sometimes, the power input components can malfunction or become loose, especially with frequent plug-in and unplugging. Look closely for any visible damage to the connectors or components on the motherboard.

Check for Short Circuits or Damage: Using a multimeter, you can check for any shorts or damage around the charging port and related circuits. This would involve measuring the input voltage at the power connector, checking for proper power delivery from the charger to the motherboard.

Perform a Hard Reset: Since the BIOS has been updated, performing a hard reset might help clear any underlying issues. This involves:

• Shutting down the laptop.
• Disconnecting the battery (which you’ve already swapped).
• Holding down the power button for about 30 seconds to drain any residual power.
• Reconnecting the battery and attempting to power on again.

Test with a Known Good Charger & Different Cable: While you've swapped chargers, sometimes the issue lies with the specific charging cable. It could have an intermittent fault. If possible, try using another charger of the same model and also ensure the charging cable is firmly connected.

Motherboard or Charging IC Issue: If all else fails, it's possible the charging IC (integrated circuit) on the motherboard is defective. This component controls power flow to the laptop and battery. If it's malfunctioning, the laptop may fail to charge properly. Unfortunately, replacing or repairing the charging IC often requires motherboard replacement, which can be costly and complex.

Given the thorough checks you've done, including verifying the BIOS and drivers, it seems the most likely culprit could indeed be a hardware failure on the motherboard or charging circuit.

I hope this helps.

Take care and have a good day.

Please click “Accepted Solution” if you feel my post solved your issue, it will help others find the solution. Click the “Kudos/Thumbs Up" on the bottom right to say “Thanks” for helping!

Alden4

HP Support 

[SmashedBeard]

What are my avenues of support? Nothing has helped so far.  I really don't want to spend $500 on a $800 laptop to replace the motherboard in hopes that will fix the issue on a laptop that is just barely over a year old. I'm sorry but this is insane that a reputable brand has a device become a paperweight in 16 months.

[Raj_05]

Hi @SmashedBeard,

Thank you for your response, 

I'm sending a private message to assist you with the next action.

Please check your Private message icon on the upper right corner of your HP Community profile Next, to your profile Name, you should see a little blue envelope, please click on it or simply click on this link.

I hope this helps! Keep me posted.

Alden4

HP Support