Laptop needs to be plugged in at all times to work??

[unluckygirl2]

I have a HP 15 Notebook PC. Recently it has shut off randomly and had to be plugged in in order for it to reboot. During reboot it said CMOS Checksum Invalid. Now it has to be plugged in at all times in order to work . Will a simply battery replacement fix this?

 

[mjslakeridge]

It sounds like the battery is no longer holding a charge. How old is it? Did the date and time have to be reset?

 

[10tacle]

The easy answer is that it is a bad battery. You should have a built in HP diagnosis utility that you can access on boot up by hitting a key like F2 when you get the splash screen (BIOS screen text at startup). There should be a battery health test in one of the options. My HP Pavilion G7 has it. Here's how to access it:

https://support.hp.com/lt-en/document/c03467259

^^Scroll down in the Component test menu to where it shows the Power option, then look for the battery test option. Here's a direct sub-link to that:

https://support.hp.com/lt-en/document/c03467259#batterytest

The more difficult answer is that the CMOS battery itself is dead, which may also cause that error. The CMOS battery is a little coin sized battery that all PCs have to keep the internal clock going and whatnot even when the laptop is unplugged and without a battery attached. You'd have to take it to a shop to get replaced if that's what it winds up being. I've worked on laptops and they are no fun at all to take apart and put back together (read: labor costs more than the part replacement). This is highly unlikely however is that they are designed to last many, many years before needing replacement.

 

[unluckygirl2]

The easy answer is that it is a bad battery. You should have a built in HP diagnosis utility that you can access on boot up by hitting a key like F2 when you get the splash screen (BIOS screen text at startup). There should be a battery health test in one of the options. My HP Pavilion G7 has it. Here's how to access it:

https://support.hp.com/lt-en/document/c03467259

^^Scroll down in the Component test menu to where it shows the Power option, then look for the battery test option. Here's a direct sub-link to that:

https://support.hp.com/lt-en/document/c03467259#batterytest

The more difficult answer is that the CMOS battery itself is dead, which may also cause that error. The CMOS battery is a little coin sized battery that all PCs have to keep the internal clock going and whatnot even when the laptop is unplugged and without a battery attached. You'd have to take it to a shop to get replaced if that's what it winds up being. I've worked on laptops and they are no fun at all to take apart and put back together (read: labor costs more than the part replacement). This is highly unlikely however is that they are designed to last many, many years before needing replacement.

I dont know much about computers... but my BIOS version is 1.6.0.0 so it has the memory and hard drive test. If it passed both, does that mean it is not the CMOS battery that needs replaced? Just the main battery? I had date and time issues in the pass is why I am wondering. It was ongoing for a while but stopped a few months ago. I dont remember how I resolved it. Thanks

 

[10tacle]

I dont know much about computers... but my BIOS version is 1.6.0.0 so it has the memory and hard drive test. If it passed both, does that mean it is not the CMOS battery that needs replaced? Just the main battery? I had date and time issues in the pass is why I am wondering. It was ongoing for a while but stopped a few months ago. I dont remember how I resolved it. Thanks

You should have a battery (power battery) test in there somewhere. But if you had date/time issues before, then it very well could be a faulty CMOS battery that was put in there from the factory. I'd get a second opinion on HP's product support forums. They are very helpful there. Good luck.

 

[The Paladin]

I have a laptop (dellxps19") and I need to keep it plugged in , Even with a new battery showing fully charged., I wished someone would answer that question,
Dell wanted 250$ to service it to find out what was the issue.... its stored in the shed on a shelf.. shame really its an I7 16GB 19" monitor gaming laptop

 

[10tacle]

Dell wanted 250$ to service it to find out what was the issue.... its stored in the shed on a shelf.. shame really its an I7 16GB 19" monitor gaming laptop

That is a shame. If you have a small privately owned computer/laptop repair shop in your area, try them (stay away from Best Buy's Geek Squad - they are a ripoff and money maker for BB). It's worth looking into trying a local repair shop. The one down the street from me only charges $50 (USD) to diagnose on their time. If you know what's wrong they will wave that and then just charge you parts and labor. Laptops are a nightmare to take apart and work on, and unlike PCs, no internal components are standardized in form factor like ATX spec. They are all different internally in layout and behave differently in problem symptoms...something else that makes them difficult to work on.

 

[The Paladin]

oh I wished I knew what component was bad, I haver the service manual and already have opened it up, that isn't the hard issue, its "tell me what is bad so I can replace it."

 

[whiteangelcl]

There should be a problem on your battery.