What do you do when the laptop charger is plugged in but not charging?

Answer 1

I had this problem with an HP laptop.....here are some ideas:

1. Try a different AC adapter - it may be the one you're using
2. You will have to replace the DC section of the adapter through the motherboard, which is extremely risky. There are some on eBay if you want to do it yourself, otherwise you're paying $500+ for a new motherboard.

Answer 2

There could be several points of failure.

• Your battery
• The charger
• The charging circuit (highly unlikely)

Out of those three, the most likely to fail is the battery. From experience, your best bet is to get a hold of a new battery for your laptop and see if it charges. If not, try a new charger.

Answer 3

Check the output of the charger with a volt meter. It may be the charger is defective. Also make sure the connection at the laptop is secure and/or clean. Use a spray electronic cleaner to clean it. Lastly make sure you have voltage at the outlet it is plugged into.

Answer 4

There might be a bad connection. Check the connection with the outlet - check if you can plug other things in, to make them work. Also check the connection between the charger and the PC.If that doesn't work, you probably need to take the charger, the laptop, or both, to a technician.

Answer 5

Speaking as one who diagnoses these issues on a regular basis, I concur with others that there could be multiple issues but I dissent with the potential causes.

First, yes, the AC adapter itself (the device that is affectionately referred to as a "brick on a leash") could be At Fault and generally the problem is not the voltage (so a multimeter used in the typical fashion will not reveal the problem) but instead is the amperage. If this is a universal AC adapter, make sure that the chosen tip is securely seated into the end of the cord. Even as little as 1/16-inch from being fully seated will drop the amperage enough to cause such an issue.

Second, the problem could be a worn-out battery. If the battery is more than two or three years old and has been used extensively (I.e. discharged and recharged even a few percent at a time), then the battery could be ready for retirement and replacement. This would keep the laptop from "charging" since, as far as it is concerned, there is nothing to charge.

Third, the problem could be a bad DC power jack (the proper name for the port into which the "brick on a leash" plugs). If one or more of the legs has come loose from the wires or the circuit board inside the computer (each model is designed slightly differently), then that would cause the machine not to register that the machine is attached to the power adapter and disallow it to charge. This requires professional repair services, so do not try doing this on your own. Chances are that you will cause further damage that may make repair of the computer economically infeasible (i.e. it would be cheaper to replace the laptop than to repair the further damage).

Fourth, there could be a problem with the power circuit in your home/office which you are trying to use. Even if it has always worked before, something could have changed so that it no longer is good. Try moving the laptop to a different room of the house that you are sure is not on the same branch circuit in the circuit breaker panel and see if it works differently for you. Be aware that with modern electrical code, it is not uncommon for the various GFCI outlets in bathrooms, kitchens, and/or elsewhere within the home to be wired into the same branch circuit in the breaker panel, so if you have a problem with one GFCI outlet, chances are that you will have the same problem with the rest. (GFCI outlets are those that have the pushbuttons of "Test" and "Reset" on them and are there to protect people from being electrocuted when using electrical devices near water sources.) So for this test, try an outlet that is NOT a GFCI outlet. If your home is old enough not to have GFCI outlets, then try an outlet in the kitchen instead of the living room (or bedroom or wherever else you normally have your computer). If you have a modern home and the problem is a non-GFCI outlet, try an outlet that is GFCI-protected as you can be sure that the GFCI outlets will be on a different branch circuit and chances are that it will not be the one that is crossed with the other circuit (though that is not guaranteed). If the problem turns out to be with an outlet and/or a specific branch circuit, call an electrician. Once again, this tends to be a professional-level repair, so do not try to do this yourself. The risk of significant injury (read: electrocution) is too high to just charge into this type of job screwdriver in hand and try to do it yourself. The power panel has 230 volts of power at 100, 200, or more amps running through it, so this will easily curl your hair and stop your heart. Let the trained and experienced professionals with the proper tools handle this for you.

Fifth, it could be that the laptop is an older model that needs to have its battery "calibrated" before proper charging can be restored. This is something very uncommon nowadays but was more of an issue in the past, especially with Nickel-Cadmium (aka Ni-Cad, NiCd) batteries. In this case, one needed to use a special "calibration" feature most commonly found within the laptop's BIOS to fully drain the battery and then fully recharge it. At that point, it would often operate better. This commonly was caused by only partially discharging the battery before putting it back on the AC adapter and recharging the battery to its full state.

Sixth, there are some models (such as some from Lenovo, formerly IBM) that actually do not bother to start recharging until a certain percentage of the battery is drained. Often, this can be anywhere from five to ten percent of the total charge before the laptop will start the recharge process. This is designed to save wear and tear on the battery but is configurable by a software utility that comes installed on the machine from the factory. Due to the way I use my laptop that has such a feature, I have it set to only one percent. In other words, anytime that it shows less than 100 percent, it starts the recharge process.

If all this seems like a bunch of work and troubleshooting that you do not wish to accomplish yourself, get in touch with a local professional computer repair service and have them assist you. If you are in the northeast Kansas area, drop me a line and I will be glad to assist you myself.

I hope all this helps. If you have any other questions, feel free to drop me a line. I stand ready to assist however I can.