Vaio SZ6 Battery Issues

I recently purchased a Sony Vaio SZ640 and installed XP Pro rather than the provided Vista. I have noticed that despite charging while on or off, my battery life never raises above 50 percent after being unplugged from the adapter. I'm sure the battery could just be defective, however I have heard several others with a similar problem. Any suggestions?

 

How long does it usually take to charge to 50%? Maybe you're not charging it long enough? Otherwise, you're battery may be defective and you'll have to replace it with a new one. I don't think it has anything to do with you're notebook.

 

No it usually takes just a few hours to charge to 50....but I've tried leaving it overnight charging and every time it stops at 50 as though it were finished.

 

Then it is definitely a battery issue. You have to get it replaced, unless you don't mind it stopping at 50%. There is also a slight chance that there is an issue with your power jack. Check to see if it is firmly in place and doesn't wobble.

 

Do look into the "Battery Care" function in the Vaio Power Management program. You may have set it to charge until 50%...

 

i agree with speed..thats the only issue other than a battery problem. i have an SZ too, no such problem :S

 

i have an SZ too, battery care function actually changes the settings on the battery, so if you reinstall your system (without battery care enabled), it will still remember your settings previously, since battery care works independent of the OS.

 

there u go, thats probably ur problem

 

It's definately the Battery Care Function. I have my battery charge max set to 80%. After a clean OS install the Battery will still only charge up to 80% until I reinstall the Battery Care Function and disable or change the setting.

 

How did you reinstall battery care? I cant find the setup file anywhere on Sony Support?

Can you simply just copy the folder in c:/programs? and run it from that?

 

Here's the Battery Care Util (1.2.00.02130) .

It might be dependant on other utils. Give it a go. If you're unable to launch it them install the first 4 utils from my SZ7 utils pack.

 

I have the application folder ripped from the original factory install.


Where did you get yours?

 

There are links to VAIO/Sony drivers posted all over the forum.

Have you installed it and did it work?

Copying folders out of \Program Files\ doesn't always guarantee the application will work. Usually there are dependancies in the Registry and systme folders which are needed.

 

Is there a battery care function for my SZ484N? coz my laptop charges to full but when i unplug it it shows 96% and only lasts for an hour max....

where to get that utility for my laptop?

 

I'm not sure if it will work on a SZ4xx series. What I know is that Sony included this "Battery Care" function from the SZ6xx (Santa Rosa) series onwards. Note that from the SZ6xx series onwards, they are also using a different battery model.

 

so how can I fix this issue of mine? when I charge it it only reaches 96% and the battery life is reduced drastically since I bought it which is just a year old...

and members on the forum earlier suggested that it's ok to leave the laptop on charge always as the new laptops automatically discharge the battery when it's 100% unlike the previous days where it would keep on overcharging the batter overkilling it!

please explain

 

I have the same issue with my SZ450N/C...crap battery...after one year.

 

IBO, emailed you the Battery Care Function util.

How does it work?

The util says "By setting the amount of battery change low, battery degradation can be prevented"

You are then given a choice of 3 charge settings, 100%, 80% and 50%. The util says the more you use your laptop connected to an AC power supply the less you should charge your battery.

Like you I've read for many years batteries can be left constantly charging to 100% and this won't degrade it. However, all out IBM thinkpads at work start to lose their battery life after only a few months use. But then most of us use our laptops 95% of the time connect to a power supply and maybe less than once a month the battery has a chance to drain below 50%.