Signs To Tell Your Laptop Battery Is Dead

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Give it Power
To figure out if your battery is the problem, connect your laptop to an external power source via the laptop's power cable. Leave the laptop off overnight to give it plenty of time to attempt charging. Once you turn it on and Windows loads, go to Desktop mode and look at the battery icon in your system tray. Place your mouse over the icon to see a status message and percentage, representing how full your battery is. If it reads "Plugged in, Charging" then your battery is working, even if the charge capacity has greatly decreased since you bought the laptop. If the status message reads "0% Available (Plugged in, Not Charging)," then power is not getting to your battery, which likely means it truly is dead. Alternately, if the icon shows a battery with a red "X" next to it, Windows cannot detect your battery, which may mean it's defective.

Physical Cleaning
Before buying another one, physically inspect your current battery by turning off your computer, removing the power cable and detaching the battery. Dust may have gotten in between the laptop and the battery's metal contacts that help charge it. Dampen a cloth with rubbing alcohol to gently clean the contacts, reinsert it and again view the battery status in the system tray.

Testing
There are a number of computer programs designed to test various aspects of your battery. Using one of these programs may help you diagnose the problem. Programs like Battery Eater, Notebook Hardware Control and Smarter Battery measure statistics like your battery's average charge time, how long charging takes, full charge capacity and how long it takes to use the charge. Your laptop's manufacturer may even make its own program to test and diagnose battery issues, like the HP System Diagnostics tool, Toshiba's PC Health Monitor and the Dell PC Diagnostics program.

Replacement
Your battery will inevitably die at some point. If that time has come, the only thing to do is replace it. Remove it and inspect it for a model number. To purchase your new battery, either shop with the computer's manufacturer or a third-party. While third-party options may be cheaper, using the computer's manufacturer may provide the highest quality, and you can probably find your replacement on the company's website. Search for a new battery using the model number and your computer's model.