Acer laptop only charges when off
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hey all, Has anyone seen this behavior before? I have a laptop that does not charge when it is turned on and plugged in but when it is off, it charges just fine. any possible explanation for this behavior? I have not seen it before, could it be that it takes too much charge when turned on but when it is off the AC adapter is able to keep charging the battery since it is not requiring draw? what is the best way to find out? appreciate any answers thank you! It is an HP laptop running WIndows 10 also. EDIT: there seems to be some damage on the side of the laptop next to the charging port. and the battery doesn't stay in on its own... but it still charges when turned off which is strange to me. Popular Topics in HP Hardware
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Ghost Chili
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AR-Beekeeper
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Is it a new laptop?
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Jalapeno
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patp2
May 25, 2017 at 19:52 UTC
No, an older laptop. out of warranty.
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Mace
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Martin2012
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Is the charger producing enough to power and charge and the same time
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Pimiento
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MTGriz08
May 25, 2017 at 20:21 UTC
Depending on if the AC adapter port is just the recepticle to motherboard or if there is a separate logic board that it connects to. I have seen this issue various times on multiple laptops. Most always due to damage from being dropped while plugged in. Also, as mentioned you can test the charging adapter to ensure it is putting out the correct voltage, etc.
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Sonora
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Aaron.Pearce
May 25, 2017 at 20:21 UTC
Tru Blu IT Solutions is an IT service provider. I'd try with a different charger if available, or if you don't have one spare get a multimeter on the end of the charger and check the outputs match what's stated on the label. Good luck.
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Thai Pepper
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Jim Schuuz
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I have dozens of HP laptops that have the same problem. I've worked with several HP techs over the past 3 years to try and resolve it, and we have never been able to reliably. They think it is a problem with Microsoft's ACPI power drivers being incompatible with the firmware for the charging circuitry, and a few times deleting that from the Device Manager seemed to resolve it for a short while, but it has eventually returned on all laptops that ever exhibited that same problem.
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Thai Pepper
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Jim Schuuz
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FWIW, I've tested multiple replacement chargers,chargers that are working on other laptops (exactly the same models), and even sent some off to the HP repair depot multiple times, and it's not a charger problem or a circuit problem - I do believe it's a problem with the firmware and HP just can't get it fixed.
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Habanero
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2300peterw
May 25, 2017 at 22:14 UTC
Jim Schuuz has shown it is not the charger. On patp2 laptop there may be damaged circuitry near the charging port that could cause the issue but, again Jim Schuuz appears to have shown that this is unlikely. If it is the Windows 10 firmware then you could try a live Linux distro to see if the fault persist. If it does then it points to the battery hardware and internal processes that causes the issue. If you do not get the fault with Linux then it suggests that Windows has the problem. EDIT. Forgot to mention this. As I understand it the battery system has to safely work when the laptop is working in just BIOS/UEFI mode and when it is working with an OS. The battery system has to make sure that the battery does not get to hot, attempt to overcharge, etc. Inside it has its own simple processor with firmware to tell it what to do and a serial port to communicate with the laptop. The battery and probably the BIOS/UEFI system control all the events with the battery and it should be totally independent of the loaded OS. We shall see if someone carries out the Live Linux check. Edited May 26, 2017 at 07:40 UTC
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Pimiento
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jameshillstrand
May 26, 2017 at 08:04 UTC
Seen the same problem with my sister's HP. I think too its the firmware related.
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Poblano
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jebova2301
May 26, 2017 at 14:27 UTC
Had the same issue with a consumer grade laptop from HP before. I used a new power adapter, and that fixed the issue for a few days, then it went right back to doing the same thing. Had a friend with the same model and plugged his in to both power adapters and it worked just fine the whole time(even gave him one of my adapters to use for a few weeks and it never had any issues), which ruled out the adapters in my opinion. Tried deleting the ACPI drivers as anotheruser mentioned, but that didn't make any difference.Called their warranty and ended up having to send it back. They sent it back saying it was a faulty power adapter and they simply replaced it with a new one. Upon further inspection, I found out they replaced the entire motherboard(different serial number on the motherboard and had an older bios than the one I sent in). I lost all faith in their support after they denied multiple times that they didanything other then test it with a new adapterand that resolved the issue.Haven't had any other brand have the same issue. My solution for the future is to just steer clear of HP laptops. Been using a Lenovo for the last couple years and haven't had any issues(other than when I accidentally closed a recliner on the adapter and cut the charging cable, but I take full responsibility for that). I would say to try with another adapter if you have one just in case that is the cause. If it still has the same issue with another adapter, try the ACPI drivers(or try them anyway if you don't have another adapter). If none of that works, you are probably in the same boat as I was and will probably need a replacement board. Hopefully you have better luck getting it sorted out, but you may be out of luck with it being out of warranty.
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Anaheim
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abrahambm
May 26, 2017 at 15:57 UTC
Your pretty much out of luck. Used to work a refurbishing company that did HP laptops. Laptops with the same issues would get sent back to rework. 95% of the time they wouldn't work after being repaired. After a lot of testing and repairs we came to the conclusion to scrap those boards. So if a tester found that exact same issue they would go into the scrap pile. We've tried a lot of different things too. Including replacing or reflashing BIOS chips. The go to was replacing the battery connector. That would rarely work. We tested on various OS' including Vista, 7, 8 and 8.1 with the same issues. Chances are even if you send it in for support you will get a new motherboard. Albeit at a higher cost. If it's still worth it to you then you could probably purchase another motherboard and replace if you are comfortable with that.
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Tabasco
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ITPro1000
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I've seen this happen with faulty/3rd party batteries. The computer detects it as 'damaged', and shuts off charging to protect the computer.
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Ghost Chili
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Priscilla@HP
May 30, 2017 at 14:38 UTC
Brand Representative for HP Hello @patp2, thank you for your post which has received some helpful feedback. So that we can research this issue within HP do you mind pinging me with the product number and serial number of your HP laptop?
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Habanero
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2300peterw
May 30, 2017 at 17:28 UTC
Has anyone tried with a Live Linux yet to firmly rule out Windows OS?
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Pimiento
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danielabode
Sep 13, 2017 at 10:14 UTC
1st Post
I am facing the same issue with my laptop, I plugged it in a bad socket and I heard a spark that damaged my charger. After that I changed the charger and I found out my system would charge when I plugged it in and it is but will not charge if it is on. I tried several chargers and the problem persists. Another thing is if I plug it in, remove the battery and power it on, it will not come on.
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Pimiento
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danielabode
Sep 13, 2017 at 18:09 UTC
I changed the charging port and it work fine now
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Pimiento
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spicehead-6ji9r
Aug 20, 2018 at 06:40 UTC
1st Post
i am facing the same problem.
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Pimiento
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spicehead-925qa
Sep 4, 2018 at 20:04 UTC
1st Post
I am facing the same problem and i am having using Windows 10 and Linux both as dual boot in my laptop, the problem remains the same in Linux I guess it shows that the problem is somewhere in the hardware i.e charging adapter or motherboard.
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Ghost Chili
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Priscilla@HP
Sep 5, 2018 at 16:55 UTC
Brand Representative for HP Hello @spicehead-925qa and others, I regret that you are experiencing "the same problem". As I indicated above to the member creating this post, so that we can research this issue please ping me with the computer's product number and serial number as well as your contact information.
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Pimiento
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Jeri254
Nov 24, 2018 at 09:41 UTC
1st Post
Hi,
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Ghost Chili
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Priscilla@HP
Nov 24, 2018 at 23:34 UTC
Brand Representative for HP
Hello @Jeri254, thank you for your post and ping with product information. Please see my response.
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Ghost Chili
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Priscilla@HP
Nov 26, 2018 at 14:38 UTC
Brand Representative for HP @Jeri254, in addition to the information in my ping, here is feedback from the consultant:
#####
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Pimiento
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spicehead-62scw
Feb 17, 2019 at 13:11 UTC
1st Post
I just experience the same problem with my HP laptop, no charging when on, charging when off. And HP should resolve this problem. Since I'm the last to report this problem, I suppose previous complainants had already resolved this problem. Any new advise please. Thank you so much
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Pimiento
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GrowingPains
Apr 30, 2019 at 07:15 UTC
1st Post
Ive had this problem with a 4 month old HP laptop. The solution for me was looking at the pins inside the port on the laptop there are 4 pins, top, bottom, left and right. I think the pins werent correctly lined up so it didnt work while on. I made the top and bottom pins close together to hit the central pin on the charger and the left and right pins need to be slightly wider so they dont hit the central pin. After correcting them it started to charge while turned on. Terrible charging connector and port. I'll not be getting another HP again. Poor quality for the price.
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