![[H]ard|Forum](/styles/hardforum/xenforo/logo_dark.png){kind=logo}
Consider replacing your battery: win 7
- Thread starter trick0502
- Start date
Unplug the AC adapter and run the battery down as far as you can in Windows (you'll need to change the power options to let it get into the 2% range), and when it gets that low, reboot into the BIOS setup and leave it there till it dies - just let it sit there at one of the BIOS screens and let it stay running until it shuts off all by itself.
Once that happens, and it will, wait 5 minutes, then plug the AC adapter in and do not use the laptop, at all. Don't use it - the object here is to focus the charging circuit only on charging the battery and not splitting it between charging and powering the laptop at that point.
Leave it alone for a few hours until the status light changes to whatever it should be to denote it's fully charged (seems every laptop brand is different, some turn off, some flash, some stay completely steady, etc). I have no idea how yours works but, this is the method to re-calibrate batteries that has always worked for me to get some life "back" into them.
Seriously: don't use the laptop at all while it's charging, you have to wait on it to be done. When it is, power it up normally (on the AC adapter and the battery still in the laptop) and you should not see that message again anytime soon. In fact, before you do this re-calibrate cycle, get this:
http://osirisdevelopment.com/BatteryBar/
install it and check what it says about the battery, focusing primarily on the wear level which is what you're interested in. I recently had a Dell laptop that showed 15% wear and the original owner had never let the damned battery run down (something that really needs to be done about once every 2-3 months with Lithium Ion batteries, somewhat less if you have Lithium Polymer) and the thing just wouldn't take a decent charge at all so I let it charge (while using it) till it got to 70% or so and then it apparently stopped at that point. On a "full" charge of 70% (it wouldn't go any higher) it ran for 2.5 to 3 hours with power savings, but the condition of the battery was to be blamed on the original owner who never bothered to recalibrate it, ever.
I pulled the plug, altered the power options to 2% critical, disabled the hibernation/sleep on critical warning (so it wouldn't turn itself off or hibernate/sleep) and when it got that low I rebooted into the BIOS setup and left it sitting there, which it did for another 35 freakin' minutes... but it finally did totally die.
Waited 5 minutes, plugged in the AC adapter and left it alone for about 4 hours. Came back, fired it up, checked the battery with Battery Bar and it showed only 3% wear - practically brand new in most respects (the laptop is 1.5 years old) and now it'll run close to 6 hours on a full charge with the extended battery life profile.
But that's the method... you can't charge it from that ~5% "critical" point that Windows claims, it's not enough drain. It has to be dead as in dead as a doornail, and Windows won't let you get it that low so, when it complains the battery is almost dead, reboot into the BIOS setup and leave it be till it truly does die and then do the charge cycle till it's complete.
I'll bet you get a nice chunk of wear removed and a lot longer battery life...
Once that happens, and it will, wait 5 minutes, then plug the AC adapter in and do not use the laptop, at all. Don't use it - the object here is to focus the charging circuit only on charging the battery and not splitting it between charging and powering the laptop at that point.
Leave it alone for a few hours until the status light changes to whatever it should be to denote it's fully charged (seems every laptop brand is different, some turn off, some flash, some stay completely steady, etc). I have no idea how yours works but, this is the method to re-calibrate batteries that has always worked for me to get some life "back" into them.
Seriously: don't use the laptop at all while it's charging, you have to wait on it to be done. When it is, power it up normally (on the AC adapter and the battery still in the laptop) and you should not see that message again anytime soon. In fact, before you do this re-calibrate cycle, get this:
http://osirisdevelopment.com/BatteryBar/
install it and check what it says about the battery, focusing primarily on the wear level which is what you're interested in. I recently had a Dell laptop that showed 15% wear and the original owner had never let the damned battery run down (something that really needs to be done about once every 2-3 months with Lithium Ion batteries, somewhat less if you have Lithium Polymer) and the thing just wouldn't take a decent charge at all so I let it charge (while using it) till it got to 70% or so and then it apparently stopped at that point. On a "full" charge of 70% (it wouldn't go any higher) it ran for 2.5 to 3 hours with power savings, but the condition of the battery was to be blamed on the original owner who never bothered to recalibrate it, ever.
I pulled the plug, altered the power options to 2% critical, disabled the hibernation/sleep on critical warning (so it wouldn't turn itself off or hibernate/sleep) and when it got that low I rebooted into the BIOS setup and left it sitting there, which it did for another 35 freakin' minutes... but it finally did totally die.
Waited 5 minutes, plugged in the AC adapter and left it alone for about 4 hours. Came back, fired it up, checked the battery with Battery Bar and it showed only 3% wear - practically brand new in most respects (the laptop is 1.5 years old) and now it'll run close to 6 hours on a full charge with the extended battery life profile.
But that's the method... you can't charge it from that ~5% "critical" point that Windows claims, it's not enough drain. It has to be dead as in dead as a doornail, and Windows won't let you get it that low so, when it complains the battery is almost dead, reboot into the BIOS setup and leave it be till it truly does die and then do the charge cycle till it's complete.
I'll bet you get a nice chunk of wear removed and a lot longer battery life...
trying this right now on my toughbook. ill post back when its through with the results!
it didnt work for me
i dont use windows 7, im just trying to breathe a little more life into my battery.
before:
toughbook wear: 7.3%
moms compaq wear: 40.8%
ill have "after" results tonight.
- Joined
- Sep 29, 2001
- Messages
- 21,863
I thought they fixed this. This was an issue late last year/early this year on a bunch of peoples laptops.
I haven't seen this issue happen personally.
I haven't seen this issue happen personally.
GushpinBob
2[H]4U
- Joined
- Dec 11, 2007
- Messages
- 2,721
I did a google search on "Windows 7 battery not charging", and apparently this problem is rampant among not just 7, but Vista and XP as well. I found this blog post (which is just a condensed version of a Technet discussion that it references) that claims to have a fix. OP, see if this method fixes your charging issue.
i dont use windows 7, im just trying to breathe a little more life into my battery.
before:
toughbook wear: 7.3%
moms compaq wear: 40.8%
ill have "after" results tonight.
well the compaq dropped down to 39.7% wear, gaining 947mWh capacity. I'll take it. the toughbook still isnt dead yet lol so i'll get back to you on that tonight.
- Joined
- Sep 29, 2001
- Messages
- 21,863
Well, I was installing a new hard drive in my sisters laptop tonight and put Windows 7 HP on in and it came up with the Battery Error. The info in the blog you posted fixed the issue.
I honestly don't recommend running Li-ion batteries all the way down due the to possible buildup of lithium oxide. Or at least, that is what I guess happened to my battery.
I ran it down way past 0% in windows at 25% wear lvl, then it jumped to 40%wear, and finally at a year old it no longer was even that, a 5 hour battery reduced to little more than 15 minutes.
I bought my new battery and ran it down until the laptop died, this however was not past 0%, it died at 16%, That's not due to wear but to storage between manufacture and my receipt of the battery.
If your battery does not behave like my new battery did, then your wear report is not inaccurate, and unfortunately, their is no way to refurbish a battery without replacing the cells.
I'm just sharing with you guys my experience with the drain recalibration, I will never let it dip below 12% power again.
I ran it down way past 0% in windows at 25% wear lvl, then it jumped to 40%wear, and finally at a year old it no longer was even that, a 5 hour battery reduced to little more than 15 minutes.
I bought my new battery and ran it down until the laptop died, this however was not past 0%, it died at 16%, That's not due to wear but to storage between manufacture and my receipt of the battery.
If your battery does not behave like my new battery did, then your wear report is not inaccurate, and unfortunately, their is no way to refurbish a battery without replacing the cells.
I'm just sharing with you guys my experience with the drain recalibration, I will never let it dip below 12% power again.