charging light blinking problem with hp probook 4530s[edited]

[DonJuane]

I had this problem off and on and I somehow didn't put 2&2 together to figure out that it was an HP problem instead of more likely just a simple fluke caused by a power glitch.   My problem was identical to the ones described here but being in IT for 35 years, I knew to remove the battery and power to test which is something needed often with other equipment here multiple power outages occurr.  Such was the case and I thought it just a fluke and not the recurring problem it turned into.

First time this happened about 6 months into ownership.   I did the battery and AC power off procedure and the computer then came back to life.    Then it happened again twice when I was out of the country while visiting a friend.   Then as I returned to the US and at 13 months now into ownership of my Probook 4350s, the battery shorted dead out.    I called HP to try to get warranty, explaining the history of the power problems with this model  for me.   So I explained this to HP support, that they had a lemon here and asked them to waive the one month out of warranty situation.  

After attempted escalation it was a solid no, I could pay $85 for a new battery and that would fix the problem they said.   Right!  I told them what to do with their $85 battery and instead I bought one off eBay.   

Everything seems perfect now, so I am not sure if the design is such that the battery has some type of feedback mechanism that is driving everyone's 4350's crazy or what the problem is.    All I do know is that my problem is fixed, because this is my first and last HP laptop.   I'm 3 months into the new battery with no more "where's Waldo" or hot flashes when I hit the power button and nothing happens.   

Good luck everyone with your battery and unable to power up issues!

[rammasyed]

My laptop shut dows without any warning it has no issue battery runs fine sometimes and sometimes it keeps shutting down. I have tried many things like getting it cleaned or serviced but nothing helped battery is fine. it gives an average of 4 to 5 hours when 100% charges. Please help me whats wrong with it.

[ChangyUK]

I had this on two 4530s notebooks and it was not the BIOS on either of them. It was the power jack cable which was worn due to friction. It's a strange fit because the graphics and other cables to the screen also run in the same area so they are vulnerable to chafing. The part number is 6017B0300201 if you Google that or search on eBay you should find one.

The strip down is easy enough but it's tedious because you have to remove almost everything to get at the jack and the cable. You can sometimes check if this is the likely fault by applying pressure in the area just below the power switch. With the power connected you probably find no power/charging light but with light pressure you may find it suddenly comes on. Please please please don't go squeezing the life out of the area, you will know soon enough if it's the issue.

As soon as I swapped out the jack and cable the laptop was back to working just fine.

[Sne2014]

Hello,

This solution helped me to get my HP back to life.  My office Laptop went off suddenly and  whenever power button was pressed, the indicator used to blink 8 times... I got a new charger  but, was the same with that again.  Then went thru google to find this forum link and tried the solution.... 40 seconds trick worked..... at last my laptop started working....

thanks for the  solution......

[AtirUsha]

I will try it too

[DonJuane]

I think we all paid HP somewhere from $700 to $1000 for their power circuit experiment, otherwise known as the HP 4530s.   You do have some restitution .... set yourself free of the frustrations of this machine while recalling the brand name during your next laptop purchase 😉