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I bring my laptop back and forth to school and every so often after removing it from my bag It will not turn on. The only way I can get it to turn on is to fiddle with the battery on the back until it is connected just right. The socket on the battery seems to have small cracks in the plastic where it connects so I am assuming that is the problem and a new battery will stop the issue. Batteries are super expensive however and I literally never use the computer without it connected to a power supply. The problem is that the laptop doesn't seem to turn on even when connected to an outlet unless the battery is connected properly. How can I confirm a battery is needed in order to power on the laptop even if it is plugged in? Any way around getting a new battery if it does normally need one to operate?

Laptop model: http://reviews.cnet.com/laptops/asus-u50f-rbbag05/4505-3121_7-33974718.html

Battery: http://www.buy.com/prod/asus-u50f-rbbag05-battery-62wh-5600mah/q/sellerid/25087312/loc/101/219554233.html

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It shouldn't need a battery to operate... have you tried taking out the battery completely and turning it on with just AC power? – Mehrdad Mar 21 '11 at 20:11
yea, when it won't start with the battery IN the first thing I try is plugging it into the wall starting it up without the battery. – Matt Mar 21 '11 at 20:14
Weird... :\ – Mehrdad Mar 21 '11 at 20:19
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2 Answers

up vote 6 down vote accepted

I would boot to the BIOS setup screen, then pull the battery. If it shuts off, the battery is needed.

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I would def experiment if i didn't need my computer for the rest of the semester. Ever time the battery issue occurs I am unsure as to whether or not I'll be able to get it working again. – Matt Mar 21 '11 at 20:24
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@Matt: You might also consider that, if the battery connector is broken enough to be intermittent, it might also be broken enough to short out under the wrong circumstances. How are you on having your backpack catch on fire? – geekosaur Mar 21 '11 at 20:29
@Matt Or even better: Explode! Do solve the issue as fast as you can. Also, back up your data! – AndrejaKo Mar 21 '11 at 20:31
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@Matt we are serious, btw, not exaggerating. Lithium-ion batteries store a lot of energy (that's the point, after all) and if you short them out all that energy is going somewhere very fast — usually as heat. A lot of heat. – geekosaur Mar 21 '11 at 20:33
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No, but if the wrong pins can somehow come into contact, it could. – geekosaur Mar 21 '11 at 20:42
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up vote 1 down vote

Try this procedure:

  1. Take off the battery while the power is off.
  2. Plug the laptop to A/C power using the power cord.
  3. Turn it on.

If it turns on then it does not need a battery.

If it does not turn on, then I say it is broken but you may interpret is as it needs a battery.

Maybe with the battery semi-connected as you tried, the computer circuitry got confused. Never heard of a laptop absolutely needed a battery.

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