Ask The Computer Lady » battery http://askthecomputerlady.com/questions If you have computer questions, this is the place for you Wed, 01 Feb 2012 15:42:49 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Laptop Battery http://askthecomputerlady.com/questions/2009/12/laptop-battery/ http://askthecomputerlady.com/questions/2009/12/laptop-battery/#comments Fri, 04 Dec 2009 02:57:57 +0000 Computer Lady http://askthecomputerlady.com/questions/?p=2317 Dear Computer Lady,

I have a Toshiba laptop which I use as a desktop, so it is plugged in all of the time.

I’ve read where you should remove your battery if you leave the laptop plugged in, however, when I remove the battery, the computer does not work.

For the past few months, the only way I can get the laptop to reboot is to unplug everything, take out the battery, put the battery back in, turn on the power, and THEN plug the power cord back in. If I plug the power cord in before I turn the computer back on, it will not come on and I have to remove the battery and put it back in again. The battery always seems warm to hot. I’m at a loss at what to do about this.

Any ideas?? Debbie

Dear Debbie,

You seem to be having a problem that I have seen several times already, and there are a couple of parts to your questions that I want to address.

First, you mentioned running the laptop without the battery. You stated that your laptop will not run without the battery in place. This is true of some laptops, while many others will run just fine without the battery as long as the power adapter is plugged in. I have a laptop that will not turn on if you leave the battery in place, but since it will run without the battery, our solution has been to just leave the battery out and use the laptop without it.

Your specific symptoms, including the heat of the battery makes me think that you might just need to replace the battery. You should be able to order a replacement from Toshiba, or maybe even get one from the place you purchased the laptop.

Elizabeth

]]> http://askthecomputerlady.com/questions/2009/12/laptop-battery/feed/ 0 Low System Battery http://askthecomputerlady.com/questions/2009/10/low-system-battery/ http://askthecomputerlady.com/questions/2009/10/low-system-battery/#comments Thu, 29 Oct 2009 16:02:54 +0000 Computer Lady http://askthecomputerlady.com/questions/?p=2232 Dear Computer Lady,

I have a Dell computer. I have just started getting this message; Alert System Battery Voltage is low when I turn the computer on. Where would I find the system battery and is it something I can take care of myself?

Thank you, Barbara

Dear Barbara,

Since you did not mention if your computer is a laptop or a desktop computer, I am going to base this answer on the assumption that you are using a desktop computer.

The battery that the message is most likely talking about is a small, round battery like the kind you put in your watch. This battery is used to keep some settings like the date and time, along with some hardware settings that your computer uses when it is starting up.

The battery is located on the motherboard of your computer, and if you are comfortable opening up your computer, and know how to prevent static discharge (which could damage your computer) you can probably replace the battery yourself. If, however you shudder at the thought of working inside your computer, or you don’t know how to properly ground yourself and prevent causing static damage to the inside of your computer, just bring it to your local computer shop for a replacement.

Elizabeth

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