Lenovo laptops now include a Battery Safeguard "feature" that disallows use of third-party batteries in models made after May 2012 or so.
It appears this "feature" is provided by a Windows driver as a particular Lenovo laptop in question will:
- stay powered in Windows on AC
- stay powered in Windows on the original battery
- shut down instantly in Windows on the replacement third-party battery
- stay powered in Linux on AC
- stay powered in Linux on the original battery
- stay powered in Linux on the replacement third-party battery
It's interesting to note that if running on the third-party battery, Windows only shuts down after logging in and the user utilities have loaded. Which makes me think it's a driver or userspace application implementing this "feature", not hardware.
What driver or program do I need to disable to remove support for Battery Safeguard?
len
orbat
orpow
, then disable it, reboot, and see if it works. It’s more time-consuming, but it’s best to do one at a time to be sure you get the right one.