[SOLVED] Laptop Turns Itself Off

Neilshep · 10-11-2008, 12:25 AM

I have a laptop made by Evesham Technology (UK firm, no longer in business I believe). It's about 4 years old, runs Win XP, 512 Ram, 2.80 GHz. Till about a month ago it's been fine but now it has started to switch off randomly. It doesn't shut down normally, it just dies.

I have ascertained that this happens only when the battery is in place and fully or near fully charged. If I remove the battery this problem does not occur. I have tried the following:

I have replaced the battery with a new one - no improvement.
I have run the laptop on battery alone to make sure it really is charged.
Many web forums suggested overheating. I have cleaned the CPU fan and the air vent - I thought this would do the trick but it did not help. In any case the computer doesn't get that hot.
I haven't installed any new programs.
I've checked for viruses etc and the computer is clean.

So in summary, the laptop works fine when just plugged into the mains without a battery, but putting the battery back in causes the computer to die randomly about once a day.

Has anyone else experienced this and if so, did you manage to fix it?

Thanks in advance

Neil

Stu_computer · 10-12-2008, 08:50 AM

hi Neilshep, welcome to tsf.

is the battery itself hot when charged? hot when this happens?

Neilshep · 10-13-2008, 02:31 AM

Thanks for the answer, Stu. I will have to check that one so have put the battery back in and will see how hot it is if/when the computer next turns off.

Neilshep · 10-13-2008, 04:42 AM

Update: Battery doesn't get very hot at all. However, I have noticed that although the power meter said that it was 100% charged, after taking the battery out and replacing it it registered as 83% charged. Something similar has happened before. I'm thinking that perhaps there is a communication problem between the battery charger and battery, possibly caused by a faulty connection. This could confuse the computer into thinking there is no power and switching off. Is this possible?

As it is, I use the computer as a desktop so it's not a big problem, but it would be interesting to know what is causing this and if it is rectifiable.

Stu_computer · 10-14-2008, 03:21 AM

usually if a laptop indicates it's charged the battery to 100% and the battery removed-reinserted and then shows less than 98~100% there are bad cell(s) in the battery pack.

is it a li-ion battery? what's the date of manufacture on the label?

Neilshep · 10-14-2008, 05:19 AM

Yes, it's a Li-ION and it's brand new. I think I've found the problem - it seems to be the battery charger itself. I ran the battery down until the alarm sounded then left it on the BIOS until the battery ran out completely. After restarting on mains, the computer wouldn't charge the battery at all until I took it out/reinserted several times, after which the power meter still read 83%! Something similar happened with the old battery too, if I recall correctly. Unfortunately my BIOS is very basic and there are no facilities for recalibration.

As I use the laptop as a desktop it's no big deal but if I ever need to carry it around I'll need to look at a new one, having already wasted 100 quid on a new battery

Better start buying lottery tickets again.

Anyway thanks for the suggestions, Stu - nice to know there are people out there who are prepared to take the time to help.

Neil

Stu_computer · 10-14-2008, 06:00 AM

Glad to see you identified the problem, Neil.

Don't know that brand so can't tell you anything about tweaking the internals, sorry.

Couple of suggestions though; li-ions have a limited lifespan (approx 4 yrs), regardless of in use or on shelf, so you may want to consider auctioning it to try and recover some money. When you have spare time do a search for the laptop make-n-model occassionally and you may be able to find a cheap one to use for spare parts.

Neilshep · 10-14-2008, 06:23 AM

Thanks again. Excellent forum, glad I found it!

10-11-2008, 12:25 AM	#1 (permalink)
Neilshep Registered User Join Date: Oct 2008 Posts: 5 OS: xp	[SOLVED] Laptop Turns Itself Off I have a laptop made by Evesham Technology (UK firm, no longer in business I believe). It's about 4 years old, runs Win XP, 512 Ram, 2.80 GHz. Till about a month ago it's been fine but now it has started to switch off randomly. It doesn't shut down normally, it just dies. I have ascertained that this happens only when the battery is in place and fully or near fully charged. If I remove the battery this problem does not occur. I have tried the following: I have replaced the battery with a new one - no improvement. I have run the laptop on battery alone to make sure it really is charged. Many web forums suggested overheating. I have cleaned the CPU fan and the air vent - I thought this would do the trick but it did not help. In any case the computer doesn't get that hot. I haven't installed any new programs. I've checked for viruses etc and the computer is clean. So in summary, the laptop works fine when just plugged into the mains without a battery, but putting the battery back in causes the computer to die randomly about once a day. Has anyone else experienced this and if so, did you manage to fix it? Thanks in advance Neil Last edited by Neilshep; 10-11-2008 at 12:27 AM.

10-12-2008, 08:50 AM	#2 (permalink)
Stu_computer Tech Hardware Team Join Date: Jul 2005 Posts: 1,283 OS: Windows	Re: Laptop Turns Itself Off hi Neilshep, welcome to tsf. is the battery itself hot when charged? hot when this happens? __________________ Answering our questions fully and using our suggestions helps us to identify the likely cause. Second quessing, ignoring, or dismissing our questions does not help any of us and usually results in wasted time and effort for everyone.

10-13-2008, 02:31 AM	#3 (permalink)
Neilshep Registered User Join Date: Oct 2008 Posts: 5 OS: xp	Re: Laptop Turns Itself Off Thanks for the answer, Stu. I will have to check that one so have put the battery back in and will see how hot it is if/when the computer next turns off.

10-13-2008, 04:42 AM	#4 (permalink)
Neilshep Registered User Join Date: Oct 2008 Posts: 5 OS: xp	Re: Laptop Turns Itself Off Update: Battery doesn't get very hot at all. However, I have noticed that although the power meter said that it was 100% charged, after taking the battery out and replacing it it registered as 83% charged. Something similar has happened before. I'm thinking that perhaps there is a communication problem between the battery charger and battery, possibly caused by a faulty connection. This could confuse the computer into thinking there is no power and switching off. Is this possible? As it is, I use the computer as a desktop so it's not a big problem, but it would be interesting to know what is causing this and if it is rectifiable.

10-14-2008, 03:21 AM	#5 (permalink)
Stu_computer Tech Hardware Team Join Date: Jul 2005 Posts: 1,283 OS: Windows	Re: Laptop Turns Itself Off usually if a laptop indicates it's charged the battery to 100% and the battery removed-reinserted and then shows less than 98~100% there are bad cell(s) in the battery pack. is it a li-ion battery? what's the date of manufacture on the label? __________________ Answering our questions fully and using our suggestions helps us to identify the likely cause. Second quessing, ignoring, or dismissing our questions does not help any of us and usually results in wasted time and effort for everyone.

10-14-2008, 05:19 AM	#6 (permalink)
Neilshep Registered User Join Date: Oct 2008 Posts: 5 OS: xp	Re: Laptop Turns Itself Off Yes, it's a Li-ION and it's brand new. I think I've found the problem - it seems to be the battery charger itself. I ran the battery down until the alarm sounded then left it on the BIOS until the battery ran out completely. After restarting on mains, the computer wouldn't charge the battery at all until I took it out/reinserted several times, after which the power meter still read 83%! Something similar happened with the old battery too, if I recall correctly. Unfortunately my BIOS is very basic and there are no facilities for recalibration. As I use the laptop as a desktop it's no big deal but if I ever need to carry it around I'll need to look at a new one, having already wasted 100 quid on a new battery Better start buying lottery tickets again. Anyway thanks for the suggestions, Stu - nice to know there are people out there who are prepared to take the time to help. Neil Last edited by Neilshep; 10-14-2008 at 05:23 AM.

10-14-2008, 06:00 AM	#7 (permalink)
Stu_computer Tech Hardware Team Join Date: Jul 2005 Posts: 1,283 OS: Windows	Re: Laptop Turns Itself Off Glad to see you identified the problem, Neil. Don't know that brand so can't tell you anything about tweaking the internals, sorry. Couple of suggestions though; li-ions have a limited lifespan (approx 4 yrs), regardless of in use or on shelf, so you may want to consider auctioning it to try and recover some money. When you have spare time do a search for the laptop make-n-model occassionally and you may be able to find a cheap one to use for spare parts. __________________ Answering our questions fully and using our suggestions helps us to identify the likely cause. Second quessing, ignoring, or dismissing our questions does not help any of us and usually results in wasted time and effort for everyone.

10-14-2008, 06:23 AM	#8 (permalink)
Neilshep Registered User Join Date: Oct 2008 Posts: 5 OS: xp	Re: Laptop Turns Itself Off Thanks again. Excellent forum, glad I found it!