Dv8000 Charging problem

[AndrewS]

Hi, Over the last while I have been having problems with my Dv8000 charging. The laptop is 1.5 years old and I have run the battery down quite a few times. Currently when I plug it in, the Powe and Charge lights will blink and the battery will not charge. I have to pull out/push in the power connector several times to get it to work. It will also stop charging after a while when I do eventually get it to charge. I am trying to determine if I need to get a new PSU, battery or motherboard.
Laptop is out of warranty so HP will not talk to me about problem.

thank you for any help.
Andrew

[Reby]

There is a utility to check the battery you can run, it should be in the HP tools that were included with the laptop. Run it and see what it says. Laptop batteries do have a lifespan and after a year and a half you may have just worn it out. The utility will tell you if you have a defunct battery or if its still good.

-Reby

[AndrewS]

Reby,
Thank you for your assistance. I did not have utility, but have downloaded and installed it. It just registers discharging when the laptop goes into the state of having the Power/Charge indicators flashing. It does show that the storage is down. I am probably going to replace the battery for this reason.

Does anybody know what it means when these two indicators are flashing together.

AndrewS

[Reby]

Was it this tool that you downloaded and installed?

http://h20239.www2.hp.com/techcenter...battery_ts.htm

Also about mid page there is a battery FAQ which may also help you determine what to do.

Cheers!

-Reby

[AndrewS]

Yes. I also reviewed the FAQ.

AndrewS

[smejia]

I have a somewhat similar problem... but I seem to have some more details about it.

After unplugging my computer, it will be really hard to get the battery to recharge. As soon as I re-connect the AC power, the computer will start to charge for something like 2 seconds. Then, if I get close to the keyboard, I will hear a very light buzz, and the battery indicator will show that my computer is not running on AC power but on battery. I will have to plug--unplug the computer many times so that it finally charges (although some times I will simply have to turn it off, and turn it on again).

It seems to me that the my problem gets worse if the computer has been on for some time, and therefore presume that the problem deteriorates if the computer is warm.

The problem started something like 6 months ago (warranty already expired) and in the beginning it was just occasional. Now it happens almost every time I unplug the computer. Furthermore, lately, it has happened a couple of times that the computer uncharges without I having it unplugged.

It would be extremely helpful if anyone could tell me which part of my computer might I be supposed to replace, and how serious could be the damage.

Santiago.

[rainwalker]

I'm trying to fix my cousin's computer and having the same exact problem. This is such a nuisance. It is very difficult to determine what the problem might be. I haven't run any of the batter utilities, yet, but here's what I have done:

1. Made sure that all connections are tight and thoroughly inspected the AC adapter for any damages. My cousin tells me that he had this problem before and, because his computer is still under warranty, had Best Buy replace both his AC adapter and the jack to which it connects. Since it is happening again, it not very likely the jack or AC adapter.

2. Tried removing the battery and running the computer on pure AC power only. Unfortunately, since I was trying to reload the OS, I couldn't test whether or not it booted into windows. Instead, whenever the CD would start to spin up or it would enter a certain point in the restore process (which did not use the CD drive) the computer would crash & reboot. So, whatever is happening, it might not be the battery.

3. Tried cooling both the AC adapter (by letting it cool down) and the computer (by putting it on one of those laptop cooling boards with fans). It might be helping but I can't tell if it's just the normal randomness of the charging or if it's the cooling that has helped. The best way to determine might be to just let the PC cool off for a few hours, then see if it acts up at all.

My next step, which I'm taking now, is to update the BIOS and see if that has any effect. If not, and if it doesn't seem to be a heat issue, my next guess would be some kind of problem with the motherboards. It's just so sporadic that it's difficult to pin it down.

But any help or more info from other people is much needed!

EDIT: I should also mention that his CD drive, much like his power jack, often takes several tries before working properly. Likewise, according to Best Buy, his hard drive has failed twice. This is all more evidence that it might be a mobo issue.

[cyberbaba]

My laptop has the same issue, I think its the quick access panel on the top that is probably shorting something. Here is the logic, it charges fine when the laptop is off which means there is no current going to that strip of buttons which means that the battery is fine and no issue wit the connectors.

The moment the strip lights up the problem starts, also if i remove the battery and run only on the adapter it works just fine so there is a issue with the quick access strip and the battery which is obvious with the lights blinking erratically.

I intend to open the lappy and will let ya'll know what I find.

Cheers !
Nik

[dochi]

Hello Andrew:

Did you end up finding a solution? I'm running into the exact same problem.

Thank you!

David

[Tippey765]

I think it might be your battery. Also that laptop isnt 1 and a half years old its more like 3 and a half years old. That laptop was sold in 2006.