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    What's wrong with my battery?

    Discussion in 'Acer' started by DJFM, Sep 19, 2011.

  1. DJFM

    DJFM Newbie

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    I've had my Acer Aspire 3620 with Windows XP for a few years now. In the end it became really slow so I purchased a brand new desktop pc and was so happy with it I've left the laptop untouched for about 6 months.

    Now that I've started school again, I want to use the laptop again, besides my desktop pc.

    As the laptop had become extremely slow, I've formatted it and installed Windows XP anew. After having completed the installation successfully my laptop is fast again!

    The battery however is causing me a headache. The battery indicator on the front of the laptop blinks orange-green-orange-green indicating it's charging but then stops charging, then charges again, then stops charging etc. This is confirmed by the control panel --> Power Options --> Power Meter tab where, when the battery indicator is orange, it shows it's charging, and when the battery indicator is green, it shows it's doing nothing. In both instances the 'Total battery power remaining' indicated in the same tab is 0%.

    To describe: My laptop now only runs when connected to the AC Adapter. When I pull the plug out of my laptop, it goes black at once (like pulling the plug on a television). When I remove the battery, it still runs as long as it's connected to the AC Adapter.

    I'm not a computer noob so I've figured out several things that might cause the issue.

    1. Battery could be at the end of its life. As said, I've had this laptop for a few years now. The only thing is that the battery was working fine before I made the switch to the desktop pc. Can a 6 month period of not using a laptop cause the battery to completely stop functioning?

    2. When I first got the laptop, there was a lot of Acer software on it including battery monitoring software. Could it be that there were drivers there that have been deleted when I formatted the laptop? Or should Windows XP be able to 'handle' a laptop battery without needing 'outside' drivers?

    3. Something is broken. I find this hard to believe as the laptop has been safe for the last 6 months.

    Option 1 sounds the most plausible to me but can someone answer the question mentioned therein? Or are there any other options possible?

    And any suggestions on possibly solving my issue(s) would be highly appreciated!
     
    DJFM, Sep 19, 2011
    #1
  2. Meaker@Sager

    Meaker@Sager Company Representative

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    1. Yes.

    2. All inbuilt.

    3. Maybe.
     
    Meaker@Sager, Sep 19, 2011
    #2
  3. DJFM

    DJFM Newbie

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    So you're suggesting I buy a new battery?
     
    DJFM, Sep 20, 2011
    #3