HP Victus: battery/AC icon flickers every second (Kernel-Power 105) on Windows 11, fine when powered

[luvvvi]

I have an HP Victus 16-e0073nt (68P42EA) with an AMD Ryzen 5 5600H and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060. It has a charging problem that was there on Windows 10 but got much worse after I upgraded to Windows 11.

While plugged in, the battery icon in the taskbar switches between “on battery” and “plugged in/charging” every 1-2 seconds. It happens mostly when the battery is above ~80%, and it stops by itself once the level drops to about 80%. Sometimes it also starts after the laptop wakes from sleep.

What I checked:

• With the laptop powered off, the charger charges normally, so I don’t think it is a cable or DC jack problem.
• In Windows Safe Mode the flickering does not happen.
• Event Viewer shows Kernel-Power Event ID 105 every 2-3 seconds, with AcOnline switching between true and false.
• HP PC Hardware Diagnostics (UEFI) power tests pass with no errors.
• Disabling Battery Health Manager in BIOS did not help.
• Removing the USB hub and trying a different wall outlet made no difference.
• BIOS is up to date
• Battery health looks fine (FullChargeCapacity ~60522 mWh).

[Mr_RadhaTech]

Try these two steps, which I took from an old answer by “Max3Aj,” and let me know whether they fix the issue. I didn’t want to rewrite so I copy and pasted below:

1. Reset the Embedded Controller (EC)

The Embedded Controller manages power functions. Resetting it may resolve the issue.

• Step 1: Unplug the laptop and remove the battery. (If possible for you)
• Step 2: Press and hold the power button for 30 seconds.
• Step 3: Reinsert the battery and plug the laptop back in.

2. Battery Driver Reset (Windows)

Try uninstalling the battery drivers to refresh power management:

• Open Device Manager (Win + X → Device Manager).
• Expand Batteries.
• Right-click on Microsoft ACPI-Compliant Control Method Battery and choose Uninstall Device.
• Restart your laptop

Now check if issue remains.

[luvvvi]

Tried these but did not helped.

[Mr_RadhaTech · Accepted solution]

Then This problem is likely a hardware or firmware based charging control error and more specifically, either battery fuel gauge or motherboard charger control. If You are under warranty you can get it fixed in HP service center for free. I recommend visiting an authorized HP service center. Certified technicians can provide a thorough diagnosis and offer the best solutions to address the issue. If the warranty has expired, there may be a diagnostic or repair charge. In that case, request a quote first and proceed only if the repair cost is reasonable. For example, if the fault turns out to be the motherboard, a repair may not be cost-effective depending on the laptop’s age and value.​

🔗 HP Service Center Locator

Call before visit, ask for required documents, etc. Take a video of current condition of working laptop at service center  before giving it for diagnosis or repair to avoid any unnecessary damage not cause by you.