Laptop battery no longer gets charged

I got an older model laptop running XP, it's a Gateway MX6440, which is
about 6 or 7 years old now. I keep it around to run older software which
may not have been ported to Windows 7. Just recently I noticed that it's
no longer charging its battery. The battery is just over 1 year old, and
it replaced the original battery. I see the Power icon showing that I'm
running on the AC mains, and that the battery has 0% charge left on it,
but the icon doesn't show any charging going on.

I could possibly get another battery, but I'm afraid that maybe there's
nothing wrong with the battery, and the problem might lie with the
circuitry that charges the battery from the mains. Any way to test this?
The problem just occurred last week. Before that it was charging fine.

Yousuf Khan

"Yousuf Khan" wrote in message
...

I got an older model laptop running XP, it's a Gateway MX6440, which is
about 6 or 7 years old now. I keep it around to run older software which
may not have been ported to Windows 7. Just recently I noticed that it's no
longer charging its battery. The battery is just over 1 year old, and it
replaced the original battery. I see the Power icon showing that I'm
running on the AC mains, and that the battery has 0% charge left on it, but
the icon doesn't show any charging going on.

I could possibly get another battery, but I'm afraid that maybe there's
nothing wrong with the battery, and the problem might lie with the
circuitry that charges the battery from the mains. Any way to test this?
The problem just occurred last week. Before that it was charging fine.

You will find at least one specialist battery store in each city of
about 1 million population. Thes stores can test your battery (free)
to show whether it can hold a charge or not. Depending on laptop
electronics, they may also be able to test the mains adapter and
llaptop charging circuit.

--
Don Phillipson
Carlsbad Springs
(Ottawa, Canada)

In ,
Yousuf Khan wrote:
I got an older model laptop running XP, it's a Gateway MX6440, which
is about 6 or 7 years old now. I keep it around to run older software
which may not have been ported to Windows 7. Just recently I noticed
that it's no longer charging its battery. The battery is just over 1
year old, and it replaced the original battery. I see the Power icon
showing that I'm running on the AC mains, and that the battery has 0%
charge left on it, but the icon doesn't show any charging going on.

I could possibly get another battery, but I'm afraid that maybe
there's nothing wrong with the battery, and the problem might lie
with the circuitry that charges the battery from the mains. Any way
to test this? The problem just occurred last week. Before that it was
charging fine.
Yousuf Khan

Too bad we are not neighbors... as I have seven good batteries that will
fit that model. I also have two worthless batteries that will fit it
too. They basically have virtually no capacity, but they will show a
charge if you use them on AC. If you want to pay for shipping, you can
have one or both of them. So what does the battery test button show?

I have nine Gateways that use that same battery. They are pretty cheap
on eBay (under 40 bucks). There is also a charger that uses the AC
adapter to charge the battery on eBay. But it isn't cheap, like about 80
bucks if I remember right.

If it were me, I'd look for another laptop. I like the Gateway M465 the
best (manufactures '06 to '07). As it can handle lots of different CPUs
(Celerons, Core Duo, and Core2 Duo), removable bay for a second battery,
floppy, and even a second hard drive. Plus they work with the RQ5
docking station. They sell for between 50 to 100 bucks on eBay.

--
Bill
Gateway M465e ('06 era) - OE-QuoteFix v1.19.2
Centrino Core Duo 1.83G - 2GB - Windows XP SP3

In ,
Yousuf Khan wrote:
I got an older model laptop running XP, it's a Gateway MX6440, which
is about 6 or 7 years old now. I keep it around to run older software
which may not have been ported to Windows 7. Just recently I noticed
that it's no longer charging its battery. The battery is just over 1
year old, and it replaced the original battery. I see the Power icon
showing that I'm running on the AC mains, and that the battery has 0%
charge left on it, but the icon doesn't show any charging going on.

I could possibly get another battery, but I'm afraid that maybe
there's nothing wrong with the battery, and the problem might lie
with the circuitry that charges the battery from the mains. Any way
to test this? The problem just occurred last week. Before that it was
charging fine.
Yousuf Khan

Too bad we are not neighbors... as I have seven good batteries that will
fit that model. I also have two worthless batteries that will fit it
too. They basically have virtually no capacity, but they will show a
charge if you use them on AC. If you want to pay for shipping, you can
have one or both of them. So what does the battery test button show?

I have nine Gateways that use that same battery. They are pretty cheap
on eBay (under 40 bucks). There is also a charger that uses the AC
adapter to charge the battery on eBay. But it isn't cheap, like about 80
bucks if I remember right.

If it were me, I'd look for another laptop. I like the Gateway M465 the
best (manufactures '06 to '07). As it can handle lots of different CPUs
(Celerons, Core Duo, and Core2 Duo), removable bay for a second battery,
floppy, and even a second hard drive. Plus they work with the RQ5
docking station. They sell for between 50 to 100 bucks on eBay.

--
Bill
Gateway M465e ('06 era) - OE-QuoteFix v1.19.2
Centrino Core Duo 1.83G - 2GB - Windows XP SP3

From: "Yousuf Khan"

I got an older model laptop running XP, it's a Gateway MX6440, which is about 6 or 7
years old now. I keep it around to run older software which may not have been ported to
Windows 7. Just recently I noticed that it's no longer charging its battery. The battery
is just over 1 year old, and it replaced the original battery. I see the Power icon
showing that I'm running on the AC mains, and that the battery has 0% charge left on it,
but the icon doesn't show any charging going on.

I could possibly get another battery, but I'm afraid that maybe there's nothing wrong
with the battery, and the problem might lie with the circuitry that charges the battery
from the mains. Any way to test this? The problem just occurred last week. Before that
it was charging fine.


Replace it. They don't last long. That's why a notebook might have a 3 yr warranty but
the battery only has a 1 yr warranty. The same goes with powertools like Makita and
DeWalt, etc.


--
Dave
Multi-AV Scanning Tool - http://multi-av.thespykiller.co.uk
http://www.pctipp.ch/downloads/dl/35905.asp

In ,
David H. Lipman wrote:
From: "Yousuf Khan"

I got an older model laptop running XP, it's a Gateway MX6440, which
is about 6 or 7 years old now. I keep it around to run older
software which may not have been ported to Windows 7. Just recently
I noticed that it's no longer charging its battery. The battery is
just over 1 year old, and it replaced the original battery. I see
the Power icon showing that I'm running on the AC mains, and that
the battery has 0% charge left on it, but the icon doesn't show any
charging going on. I could possibly get another battery, but I'm
afraid that maybe
there's nothing wrong with the battery, and the problem might lie
with the circuitry that charges the battery from the mains. Any way
to test this? The problem just occurred last week. Before that it
was charging fine.

Replace it. They don't last long. That's why a notebook might have
a 3 yr warranty but the battery only has a 1 yr warranty. The same
goes with powertools like Makita and DeWalt, etc.

It depends on how you treat them. I have had Li-Ion batteries last up to
10 years while Barry Watzman got 12 years out of his.

--
Bill
Gateway M465e ('06 era) - OE-QuoteFix v1.19.2
Centrino Core Duo 1.83G - 2GB - Windows XP SP3

On 8/15/2011 6:21 PM, BillW50 wrote:
Too bad we are not neighbors... as I have seven good batteries that will
fit that model. I also have two worthless batteries that will fit it
too. They basically have virtually no capacity, but they will show a
charge if you use them on AC. If you want to pay for shipping, you can
have one or both of them. So what does the battery test button show?

The battery test button shows that there is at least some charge left on
it, one LED out of the 4.

I have nine Gateways that use that same battery. They are pretty cheap
on eBay (under 40 bucks). There is also a charger that uses the AC
adapter to charge the battery on eBay. But it isn't cheap, like about 80
bucks if I remember right.

Yeah, I know, this battery was bought on Ebay too. But even if it's
cheaper on Ebay, it's still too expensive if the charging system is shot
and no battery will get recharged by it.

If it were me, I'd look for another laptop. I like the Gateway M465 the
best (manufactures '06 to '07). As it can handle lots of different CPUs
(Celerons, Core Duo, and Core2 Duo), removable bay for a second battery,
floppy, and even a second hard drive. Plus they work with the RQ5
docking station. They sell for between 50 to 100 bucks on eBay.

Oh that's definitely in the cards too, but I gotta keep this machine to
run those legacy software that I no longer have disks for.

Yousuf Khan

In news Yousuf Khan wrote:
On 8/15/2011 6:21 PM, BillW50 wrote:
Too bad we are not neighbors... as I have seven good batteries that
will fit that model. I also have two worthless batteries that will
fit it too. They basically have virtually no capacity, but they will
show a charge if you use them on AC. If you want to pay for
shipping, you can have one or both of them. So what does the battery
test button show?

The battery test button shows that there is at least some charge left
on it, one LED out of the 4.

Boy that is a tough one. With one LED lit, it could be either the
battery or the motherboard. Actually I would be interested in one of
those batteries that won't charge. As they are handy for use with the
docking station. As the battery actually hits the triggers to lock the
laptop into place. And I cut a piece of wood the same size and shape of
a battery to also work to trigger the lock. But a non-charging battery
would work nicely too. And if it is the battery's fault, I would be
interested in it.

I have nine Gateways that use that same battery. They are pretty
cheap on eBay (under 40 bucks). There is also a charger that uses
the AC adapter to charge the battery on eBay. But it isn't cheap,
like about 80 bucks if I remember right.

Yeah, I know, this battery was bought on Ebay too. But even if it's
cheaper on Ebay, it's still too expensive if the charging system is
shot and no battery will get recharged by it.

Yeah I know. I checked for a working motherboard for a Gateway MX6440 on
eBay and I couldn't find one. Plus I expect it to cost 100 bucks plus if
you did find one. But that battery will work in hundreds of Gateway
models. So even if your Gateway MX6440 won't charge the battery, you
have hundreds of other Gateways that can.

If it were me, I'd look for another laptop. I like the Gateway M465
the best (manufactures '06 to '07). As it can handle lots of
different CPUs (Celerons, Core Duo, and Core2 Duo), removable bay
for a second battery, floppy, and even a second hard drive. Plus
they work with the RQ5 docking station. They sell for between 50 to
100 bucks on eBay.

Oh that's definitely in the cards too, but I gotta keep this machine
to run those legacy software that I no longer have disks for.

Yousuf Khan

Well if it were using an Intel CPU with integrated graphics, moving the
hard drive from one model to another usually works on these Gateways.
But yours is an AMD with ATI graphics. But I have Paragon Adaptive
Restore. Which allows moving the drive with Windows to a different
computer and allow it to work. Basically it replaces the drivers with
generic drivers so it should work on anything. And when you run it on
another computer, Windows will replace the generic drivers with the
right ones and you are all set.

Acronis True Image has the same thing, but called Restore to Dissimilar
Hardware. And it is only available on the Plus Pack. And that one costs
far more than Paragon's.

--
Bill
Gateway M465e ('06 era) - OE-QuoteFix v1.19.2
Centrino Core Duo 1.83G - 2GB - Windows XP SP3

From: "Yousuf Khan"

On 8/15/2011 6:21 PM, BillW50 wrote:
Too bad we are not neighbors... as I have seven good batteries that will
fit that model. I also have two worthless batteries that will fit it
too. They basically have virtually no capacity, but they will show a
charge if you use them on AC. If you want to pay for shipping, you can
have one or both of them. So what does the battery test button show?

The battery test button shows that there is at least some charge left on it, one LED out
of the 4.

I have nine Gateways that use that same battery. They are pretty cheap
on eBay (under 40 bucks). There is also a charger that uses the AC
adapter to charge the battery on eBay. But it isn't cheap, like about 80
bucks if I remember right.

Yeah, I know, this battery was bought on Ebay too. But even if it's cheaper on Ebay,
it's still too expensive if the charging system is shot and no battery will get
recharged by it.

If it were me, I'd look for another laptop. I like the Gateway M465 the
best (manufactures '06 to '07). As it can handle lots of different CPUs
(Celerons, Core Duo, and Core2 Duo), removable bay for a second battery,
floppy, and even a second hard drive. Plus they work with the RQ5
docking station. They sell for between 50 to 100 bucks on eBay.

Oh that's definitely in the cards too, but I gotta keep this machine to run those legacy
software that I no longer have disks for.

I have managed hundreds of notebooks.

I have had batteries...
show they are fully charged yet last less thatn 30 mins instead of 3 hours. (most common)
show a percentage and never increase even when charged overnite.

Just replace the battery.



--
Dave
Multi-AV Scanning Tool - http://multi-av.thespykiller.co.uk
http://www.pctipp.ch/downloads/dl/35905.asp

From: "BillW50"

In ,
David H. Lipman wrote:
From: "Yousuf Khan"

I got an older model laptop running XP, it's a Gateway MX6440, which
is about 6 or 7 years old now. I keep it around to run older
software which may not have been ported to Windows 7. Just recently
I noticed that it's no longer charging its battery. The battery is
just over 1 year old, and it replaced the original battery. I see
the Power icon showing that I'm running on the AC mains, and that
the battery has 0% charge left on it, but the icon doesn't show any
charging going on. I could possibly get another battery, but I'm afraid that maybe
there's nothing wrong with the battery, and the problem might lie
with the circuitry that charges the battery from the mains. Any way
to test this? The problem just occurred last week. Before that it
was charging fine.

Replace it. They don't last long. That's why a notebook might have
a 3 yr warranty but the battery only has a 1 yr warranty. The same
goes with powertools like Makita and DeWalt, etc.

It depends on how you treat them. I have had Li-Ion batteries last up to 10 years while
Barry Watzman got 12 years out of his.

Maybe. But normal usage shows the average battery doesn't last long. As a function of
time any given rechargable battery is less capable of holding a charge for its rated
discharge period as well as its ability to supply full power decreases.

Then you have to look at how the charge/discharge cycles affect different technologies;
Lead/acid, LiION, NiMH, NiCAD, etc.

I just had to replace the battery in my Makita some months ago. It would charge up but
when I used the Makita it wasn't long before I had to recharge it again.

Think about your automobiles (or boats) and over their life span you had to replace the
battery.



--
Dave
Multi-AV Scanning Tool - http://multi-av.thespykiller.co.uk
http://www.pctipp.ch/downloads/dl/35905.asp