I recently returned from a two-week trip to find my son's laptop stuck at a 3% battery level. It was left unplugged during our time away, and when I plugged it in to charge, the laptop shut down as soon as I disconnected it. I've already run a battery report via the command prompt, and I've included the image of that report.
It seems my son has a habit of keeping the laptop plugged in and never using it unplugged, which I told him to stop doing but it didn't sink in. Months ago, I noticed that when the laptop was unplugged, the battery would drop to about 40%. It's likely that after having the laptop since 2021, it has sustained some damage. Is there a way to fix this issue without replacing the battery?
4 Answers
You might want to check the manufacturer's site for any battery refresh tools they offer. After 4 years, it's definitely a good time to consider a battery replacement, unfortunately.
It's a common myth that leaving it plugged in harms the battery. Lithium-ion batteries don’t suffer from the old memory problems. However, they do degrade over time. If it dropped from 100% to 2% after being plugged in, there might be a fault with the battery or the charging mechanism. Time for a new battery!
Sorry to hear about your trouble! From what you've described, the best bet may be to simply replace the battery. However, you could also try checking the BIOS for a Battery Test Mode. If the battery health is medium or better, you might be able to "refresh" it. If it's low, then a replacement is likely your only option. To avoid this in the future, consider charging to around 80% and using eco mode to help the battery last longer. Good luck! 😊
I totally agree! Keeping the charge at 80% can really extend battery life. Just make sure to monitor it!
4 years already? That's about the lifespan for lithium-ion batteries. They do age just like car batteries. Normally, your laptop should still work plugged in without the battery, but it sounds like something's off with the charging mechanism if it’s reading 2% while plugged in for that long.
Good point! It’s surprising how many people still think leaving it plugged in for too long is bad. But yeah, if it’s that low after being plugged in, it might be time for a switch.