Oh The Woes of a Laptop on the Fritz
By Jim Bauer
@porwest (78761)
United States
May 5, 2019 10:06am CST
Yesterday I happened to notice that my laptop was no longer charging. But it was still plugged in.
Hmm.
At first I thought maybe the outlet I had the charger plugged into might have stopped working. So I moved to another outlet.
Nope.
Then I thought, maybe it's the charger cord. I mean, the laptop and the cord is at least 10 years old. It is entirely possible the charger cord burnt out.
So, I went to Office Depot and bought a new charger. Do you believe these damn things are $63 these days? That's ridiculous.
Got the new cord home and plugged it in. No cigar.
Now I am thinking maybe my battery is simply shot and will no longer take a charge. I will return the cord I bought yesterday and ordered a new battery from Amazon. So, we will see if that's the issue.
If it's not the battery I suppose I will have to take the computer in for some expert diagnosis and remedy.
But boy is it frustrating as hell in the interim. Right now I am using my work computer. At least I have some form of a backup until I figure out the problem I am having with my personal computer.
11 people like this
9 responses
@marguicha (215148)
• Chile
5 May 19
I need a person who can come to my house to see my old computer here. Buy I cannot get anyone to come. It seems that computers and laptops are now disposable although they are not chep.
3 people like this
@porwest (78761)
• United States
14 May 19
It's becoming more like that...computers being disposable. They are not cheap but they are far less expensive than they used to be. I can buy a new one these days for under $400. My first computer back in the 90s cost me more than $3,000. Luckily in this situation I was able to fix my problem for under $100 with an extra battery and an external battery charger. I think my charging port to the computer is what's shot.
1 person likes this
@marguicha (215148)
• Chile
14 May 19
@porwest Still, even if I accepted that my computer is disposable, the pictures I have there aren´t
1 person likes this
@porwest (78761)
• United States
15 May 19
@marguicha No, nowadays the pictures do become a more problematic thing. Everything is digital now. Have you ever considered a cloud service or something like Dropbox to store stuff like that? It's Internet based so it does not matter what computer you have, you can access it from anywhere. I use Dropbox.
@Hate2Iron (15730)
• Canada
5 May 19
You are probably just wearing it out lol... I go through computers ridiculously quickly... according to hubby. You have to wonder if they are set up to work so many hours and then QUIT!
2 people like this
@porwest (78761)
• United States
14 May 19
Well, I do keep my laptop (at home) plugged in 100% of the time, so maybe that eventually burnt out my charging port. But that being said, I have had this laptop for at least 10 years. BTW, I was able to fix the problem by buying an extra battery and an external battery charger. Cost me $100.
@just4him (305417)
• Green Bay, Wisconsin
11 May 19
Okay, I'm going to ask a really dumb question. Did you turn on the wall switch? Some wall switches turn on the electricity to the outlet. I have two such outlets in my living room. If you know that's not the problem, I hope you find the solution soon.
1 person likes this
@porwest (78761)
• United States
14 May 19
No. It wasn't that, but I did think of it. I tried it in several outlets and for whatever reason wouldn't charge. Tried a new cord and that wasn't it either. I did ultimately buy an external battery charger and an extra battery, and so now I am able to charge the batteries that way. Eventually I may take it into the shop to see if they can replace the charging port.
1 person likes this
@andriaperry (116860)
• Anniston, Alabama
5 May 19
Mine wont hold a charge, about an hour only, but I can use it plugged in. This is why I bought the kindle as a back up for when I am on the road, Ya know I dont want to disappoint my stalkers by not being online at all!
How much are the batteries for laptops?
1 person likes this
@porwest (78761)
• United States
14 May 19
I have an old HP Pavillion that uses a P106 battery. I bought one on Amazon for $15 and it works just fine. My laptop is 10 years or more old. I was actually a bit surprised the battery was so cheap considering even a charging cord cost me $68 at Office Depot. It wasn't the problem, so I took it back and got my money back. But the external battery charger still cost me $85.
@LindaOHio (155469)
• United States
5 May 19
What a bummer. When computers go on the fritz it's a giant pain.
1 person likes this
@MommyOfEli2013 (81898)
• Rupert, Idaho
6 May 19
That does sound very frustrating! Least you are working on figuring things out! Hopefully the battery is the issue and then it will all be resolved!
@Junbals (1421)
• Philippines
8 May 19
I had also a laptop which went kaputt like that. A friend of mine told me that if the charging cord is attached all the time, chances are the battery would be damaged. This happens if you forgot to unplug when the battery is full. Just don't overcharge.
