"Roger Mills" wrote in message
...
My 8-year-old HP/Compaq nx9005 laptop has got a completely flat battery -
or, rather, *two* completely flat batteries, because I bought a new one a
few years ago and they are now both the same.

The power arrangements for this laptop are as follows:

The battery is lithium-ion, 14.8v, 4400mAH (type F4809). It has a row of
LEDs on the side to indicate the state of charge.

The mains power supply delivers 18.5vDC through a cylindrical connector,
which powers the laptop when on mains, and charges the battery via
circuitry built into the laptop. There is a light on the front of the
laptop which is amber when the battery is charging, and turns green when
it is fully charged.

Well, that's what's *supposed* to happen. What *actually* happens is this:

If I 'charge' the battery for (say) 24 hours, the lamp is amber for the
whole time and never turns green. If I remove the battery immediately
after 'charging', it is stone cold and none of the charge indicator LEDs
light when the test button is pressed.

Even after a long charging period, the battery won't start the laptop if
mains power is not present. If when the laptop is running, mains power is
removed, it stops dead.

If I run the laptop without a battery present, the charge lamp flashes
amber (but is solid amber if a battery is present).

I have tried putting one of the batteries in the freezer for 2 days, and
then thawing it and attempting to charge it - all to no avail.

Sorry for the long pre-amble! My question is this:

How can I tell whether the problem lies with the battery or with the
internal charger? Are there any clues in what I have written above? I
don't mind buying another new battery but, if the charger is duff, I will
have wasted my money.

I usually run it on mains anyway, so it's not a total disaster if I can't
make the battery work - but one does tend to expect a laptop to have its
own built-in UPS!


After eight years the batteries are well beyond their design life. Indeed
the machine is as well. You might consider cutting your losses and buy a new
machine.

Regards from Peter Crosland