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My HP Compaq laptop is 3.5 years old. The battery won't charge nor will the pc come on at all. Could there be something wrong with the charger or is it more likely I need to replace the battery.
Will it start with the battery removed and the charger plugged in? Do any lights come on when it is plugged in and the battery is in? Most laptops have a charging or power light that lights when they are plugged into the wall.
A battery that old though could very well be dead depending on how well it was treated over its lifetime and what type of battery it is.
Is there a power indicator on the power brick, a.k.a. the charger? I've had several of these fail over the years, seem to be the weak link with many laptops, just good enough to work, but if having to run the laptop and charge the battery at the same time they can get surprisingly warm.
Is there a power indicator on the power brick, a.k.a. the charger? I've had several of these fail over the years, seem to be the weak link with many laptops, just good enough to work, but if having to run the laptop and charge the battery at the same time they can get surprisingly warm.
My battery (I have the kind that charges the battery and runs the laptop at the same time) always got pretty warm, especially if I was using the pc for any length of time...i.e. over an hour.
Sounds like a bigger problem. If there are any computer shops in your area that specialize in laptops/portables (not Geek Squad or othe big box store) take it there for a diagnostic. Most places will do a general cleaning and diagnostic for pretty cheap then can tell you what the problem is.
Sounds like a bigger problem. If there are any computer shops in your area that specialize in laptops/portables (not Geek Squad or othe big box store) take it there for a diagnostic. Most places will do a general cleaning and diagnostic for pretty cheap then can tell you what the problem is.
So, do you think I would be better off taking my laptop to a small, locally owned shop or to the Geeks at Best Buy?
Also, if I could take the pc to someone who could take the information I have on my harddrive and transfer it to a new, smaller laptop (that's what I really want to do), could that be done?
In case you haven't already noticed, I'm not computer saavy at all.
It sounds like either your AC adapter went bad or the connection where it plugs into the laptop is bad. AC adapters are cheap, getting the broken jack replaced isn't. Many shops can only replace the logic board, the better ones can replace the DC jack with a new one if that's the problem. Any competant shop can transfer your data to a new laptop.
It sounds like either your AC adapter went bad or the connection where it plugs into the laptop is bad. AC adapters are cheap, getting the broken jack replaced isn't. Many shops can only replace the logic board, the better ones can replace the DC jack with a new one if that's the problem. Any competant shop can transfer your data to a new laptop.
An update: I have the original charger and DC jack. Last year this time, I somehow bent the end where the jack plugs into the back of the laptop and bent it to hell and back so, hubby being the electronic wiz that he is, repaired the wiring and used a jack off of one of his electronic music things he has to save me some money and not have to buy a new charger/jack. That has been working really well until now. Last week, when I noticed the battery wasn't charging, he did a repair job on the jack but, this time, the battery/laptop isn't getting any juice.(I hope this isn't too convoluted for anyone to understand...lol) So, we were thinking that maybe the battery just died. Maybe all I need to do is get a new charger/jack and see what happens. I'll go to Best Buy tomorrow and get a new charger/jack. I hope that will fix the problem.
Thanks to everyone for your suggestions and input.
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so, hubby being the electronic wiz that he is, repaired the wiring and used a jack off of one of his electronic music things he has to save me some money and not have to buy a new charger/jack. That has been working really well until now. Last week, when I noticed the battery wasn't charging, he did a repair job on the jack but, this time, the battery/laptop isn't getting any juice.(I hope this isn't too convoluted for anyone to understand...lol) So, we were thinking that maybe the battery just died. Maybe all I need to do is get a new charger/jack and see what happens. I'll go to Best Buy tomorrow and get a new charger/jack. I hope that will fix the problem.
