SZ won't run on AC power

Tray icon says the battery is charging and the computer is running of AC power. However, the battery is being drained and if i pull out the battery, the computer shuts off. I can sometimes get the battery to recharge if i shut down the computer and leave it off for awhile.

I thought it was a bad AC adapter, but i tried another and had the same problem.

Does this sound like a software problem, or is my adapter jack bad (where the ac adapter plugs into the laptop)?

TIA

 

May be the power management on the mainboard that's at fault here...

I'd have suggested a BIOS update - BUT if that fails due to power loss then you'd have a brick. (would only work if its not physical damage)

 

Where can i find the BIOS update? i'm having trouble locating it on sony's website. Thanks

 

Nevermind, found it under a different sz model....tried installing it, but it says that my BIOS is already up to date...anything else i can try?

 

I can't think of anything other than calling Sony.

I suspect actualphysical damage to something inside the notebook.

 

Yeah, like DetlevCM says, I would just contact Sony, especially if your unit is still under warranty.

This may sound dumb, but you should check once more if you have the power plugged into your unit properly. It maybe just that the connection there is faulty and need replacement of the power block instead of you entire mobo, what not.

I once thought my laptop wasn't working but realized I didn't plug it in completely. I'm glad it didn't short the unit though...

 

Thanks for the replies. The problem is definitely not that it's unplugged.

It's a 4 year old computer, so it's out of warranty. Will Sony still help over the phone?

It's odd that it will recharge the battery sometimes when the computer is turned off, but never when it's running. I'm pretty sure it's not the AC jack since it shows the battery is charging on the tray icon, it just isn't.

 

it may be a faulty connection between the power socket and the mainboard... so that in some positions it won't connect and in others it will.

 

If this was the case, will it still display the charging icon, even though it wasn't actually charging the battery or running off AC power?

 

Actually, come to think of it, it shouldn't.

I'm no expert on how its actually designed - so I don't know exactly how the electrons flow - I'd assume though you could charge the battery alongside operating the laptop... if that is the case it may actually charge the battery, but you use more than is charged....

Curious experiment:
In the Vaio Plus powersaver mode, see how long you can run your laptop - if it does charge, then in the plus powersaver mode it should use less energy than is added to the battery when charging - in the Vaio optimized mode it uses more energy than is "added" to the battery.
(I.e. you drain it faster than charge it)