Notebook Hardware and Upgrade Questions

Hello,

It appears the internal battery of my HP laptop is broken. The external battery that I plug into the wall is fine. (I believe it’s called an AC Adapter, right?) But the internal battery isn’t working, because my computer shuts off immediately when I unplug the external battery, even though I usually have a couple hours of battery power. 

Every time I turn on my laptop, I get this message for 15 seconds:

The system detected the storage capacity of the battery stated below to be very low. For optimal performance, this battery may need to be replaced.

Primary Internal Battery 601

I already read this HP Support page: https://support.hp.com/us-en/document/c01443470. I’m assuming the 601 error means either 1) my internal battery is almost dead, or 2) my computer thinks the battery is almost dead because the gauge is inaccurate. Since I bought this laptop in June 2019, I suspect it’s the former, but I want to make sure I know exactly what the issue is.

So far I have tried doing a Power Reset like this HP Support Page ( https://support.hp.com/ph-en/document/c01684768 ) recommends. No luck. (Note that my laptop appears to have a non-removable internal battery, so I followed the applicable instructions.)

I have also done a Battery Test per the instructions of this HP Support page (https://support.hp.com/us-en/document/c04700771 ). When I attempted it using the HP Hardware Diagnostics tool, I received a message that the battery test was canceled. So instead I used the method of testing the battery before Windows starts, and it successfully completed the battery test. It said that my battery failed the test. It said something like:

Battery Check: Primary – Replace (45)

Primary: Logic State - Very Weak (70), Charge State – Not Charging (45)

As well, it provided a Failure ID: 9LMP3W-9MKBAS-XD7XGJ-C73S03

I think it offered other stats, but I would need to run the battery test again in order to write them all down.

I did not attempt to calibrate my battery like the HP Support page above recommended because 1) it didn’t provide that option after the battery test ended, and 2) I don’t have 2-4 hours to calibrate the battery right now.

One thing I did not try yet was updating my BIOS like this HP Support Page (https://support.hp.com/us-en/document/c00042629 ) recommends. This is because that it says that if you install it incorrectly it could crash your computer and make you lose all your data. I wanted to consult with an expert first before trying that.

Based on my description of the problem and the Failure ID number, what do you think is the problem?

If my battery is broken, do I have a limited time to replace it before my entire laptop will be rendered unusable? Or can I use my laptop for as long as I need to so long as it’s plugged into my external battery, and I can replace my internal battery at my own leisure? If I do need to replace my battery, would it ultimately be less expensive than just buying a new laptop?