Help - not good with computers. Troublesome battery on laptop?

[jodie7774]

Hi there,

First off let me apologise. I am RUBBISH with computers.

I have an acer aspire 5535. Its about 2 years old. I installed windows 7 about a year ago. I have noticed a couple of problems just recently.

First off, I noticed my laptop was not holding its charge for very long when unplugged. (I must admit I used to keep it plugged in over night which maybe why it is so worn out now).

I then began getting notifications telling me I should consider replacing my battery.

I now have to keep it plugged in when I want to use it. When I unplug the charger the battery life lasts for 5 minutes - literally.

The battery symbol at the bottom right has a red cross in it and when I hover it tells me to replace my battery.

Also I find that it overheats quite quickly now and it gets quite scarily hot so I tend to turn it off now and again to let it cool down.

Is this just a simple case of getting a new battery? Does anybody know where I can get one from? I don't want to buy a random one of the internet because I really don't want my laptop to break.

Also

Earlier today I was looking on the internet trying to solve the problem myself. I noticed on a website somebody having a similar problem and somebody had replied telling them to run command prompt. I followed the instructions for an "energy report". On command prompt it told me energy efficiency problems were found. 4 errors, 8 warnings and 15 informational. I then opened the .html. and this is what it told me:

Power Efficiency Diagnostics Report

Computer NameJODIE-PCScan Time2011-09-11T13:24:32ZScan Duration60 seconds System ManufacturerAcerSystem Product NameAspire 5535BIOS Date11/04/2008BIOS VersionV1.04OS Build7601Platform RolePlatformRoleMobilePlugged IntrueProcess Count57Thread Count657Report GUID{24ff456e-d4e0-4d23-95be-f5c7894653f9}
Analysis Results

Errors

USB Suspend:USB Device not Entering Suspend
The USB device did not enter the Suspend state. Processor power management may be prevented if a USB device does not enter the Suspend state when not in use.
Device NameUSB Root HubHost Controller IDPCI\VEN_1002&DEV_4396Host Controller LocationPCI bus 0, device 19, function 2Device IDUSB\VID_1002&PID_4396Port Path


USB Suspend:USB Device not Entering Suspend
The USB device did not enter the Suspend state. Processor power management may be prevented if a USB device does not enter the Suspend state when not in use.
Device NameUSB Mass Storage DeviceHost Controller IDPCI\VEN_1002&DEV_4396Host Controller LocationPCI bus 0, device 19, function 2Device IDUSB\VID_0BDA&PID_0158Port Path2


CPU Utilizationrocessor utilization is high
The average processor utilization during the trace was high. The system will consume less power when the average processor utilization is very low. Review processor utilization for individual processes to determine which applications and services contribute the most to total processor utilization.
Average Utilization (%)15.67


Battery:Last Full Charge (%)
The battery stored less than 40% of the Designed Capacity the last time the battery was fully charged.
Battery ID2772SIMPLOAS07A75Design Capacity48840Last Full Charge3941Last Full Charge (%)8


Warnings

Power Policy:802.11 Radio Power Policy is Maximum Performance (Plugged In)
The current power policy for 802.11-compatible wireless network adapters is not configured to use low-power modes.



CPU Utilization:Individual process with significant processor utilization.
This process is responsible for a significant portion of the total processor utilization recorded during the trace.
Process Nameekrn.exePID1560Average Utilization (%)4.33Module Average Module Utilization (%) 2.65\SystemRoot\system32\ntkrnlpa.exe0.70\Device\HarddiskVolume2\Windows\System32\kernel32.dll0.33


CPU Utilization:Individual process with significant processor utilization.
This process is responsible for a significant portion of the total processor utilization recorded during the trace.
Process NameSearchFilterHost.exePID504Average Utilization (%)3.38Module Average Module Utilization (%) \SystemRoot\system32\ntkrnlpa.exe0.75\Windows\System32\mf.dll0.53\Device\HarddiskVolume2\Windows\System32\ntdll.dll0.46


CPU Utilization:Individual process with significant processor utilization.
This process is responsible for a significant portion of the total processor utilization recorded during the trace.
Process NameSearchProtocolHost.exePID3128Average Utilization (%)2.56Module Average Module Utilization (%) \SystemRoot\system32\ntkrnlpa.exe0.73\Device\HarddiskVolume2\Windows\System32\ntdll.dll0.35\Device\HarddiskVolume2\Windows\System32\rpcrt4.dll0.23


CPU Utilization:Individual process with significant processor utilization.
This process is responsible for a significant portion of the total processor utilization recorded during the trace.
Process NameSearchIndexer.exePID2568Average Utilization (%)2.10Module Average Module Utilization (%) \Device\HarddiskVolume2\Windows\System32\esent.dll0.91\Device\HarddiskVolume2\Windows\System32\mssrch.dll0.25\SystemRoot\system32\ntkrnlpa.exe0.18


CPU Utilization:Individual process with significant processor utilization.
This process is responsible for a significant portion of the total processor utilization recorded during the trace.
Process NameSystemPID4Average Utilization (%)0.74Module Average Module Utilization (%) \SystemRoot\system32\ntkrnlpa.exe0.58\SystemRoot\system32\halmacpi.dll0.04\SystemRoot\System32\Drivers\cng.sys0.02


CPU Utilization:Individual process with significant processor utilization.
This process is responsible for a significant portion of the total processor utilization recorded during the trace.
Process Nameiexplore.exePID3284Average Utilization (%)0.64Module Average Module Utilization (%) \SystemRoot\System32\win32k.sys0.23\SystemRoot\system32\ntkrnlpa.exe0.14\Device\HarddiskVolume2\Windows\System32\mshtml.dll0.08


CPU Utilization:Individual process with significant processor utilization.
This process is responsible for a significant portion of the total processor utilization recorded during the trace.
Process Namesvchost.exePID916Average Utilization (%)0.41Module Average Module Utilization (%) \SystemRoot\system32\ntkrnlpa.exe0.19\Device\HarddiskVolume2\Windows\System32\sysmain.dll0.11\SystemRoot\System32\Drivers\Ntfs.sys0.03


Information

Platform Timer Resolutionlatform Timer Resolution
The default platform timer resolution is 15.6ms (15625000ns) and should be used whenever the system is idle. If the timer resolution is increased, processor power management technologies may not be effective. The timer resolution may be increased due to multimedia playback or graphical animations.
Current Timer Resolution (100ns units)156000


Power Policy:Active Power Plan
The current power plan in use
Plan Name OEM Balanced Plan GUID{381b4222-f694-41f0-9685-ff5bb260df2e}


Power Policyower Plan Personality (On Battery)
The personality of the current power plan when the system is on battery power.
PersonalityBalanced


Power Policy:Video Quality (On Battery)
Enables Windows Media Player to optimize for quality or power savings when playing video.
Quality ModeBalance Video Quality and Power Savings


Power Policyower Plan Personality (Plugged In)
The personality of the current power plan when the system is plugged in.
PersonalityBalanced


Power Policy:Video quality (Plugged In)
Enables Windows Media Player to optimize for quality or power savings when playing video.
Quality ModeOptimize for Video Quality


System Availability Requests:Analysis Success
Analysis was successful. No energy efficiency problems were found. No information was returned.



Battery:Battery Information

Battery ID2772SIMPLOAS07A75ManufacturerSIMPLOSerial Number2772ChemistryLIONLong Term1Design Capacity48840Last Full Charge3941


Platform Power Management Capabilities:Supported Sleep States
Sleep states allow the computer to enter low-power modes after a period of inactivity. The S3 sleep state is the default sleep state for Windows platforms. The S3 sleep state consumes only enough power to preserve memory contents and allow the computer to resume working quickly. Very few platforms support the S1 or S2 Sleep states.
S1 Sleep SupportedfalseS2 Sleep SupportedfalseS3 Sleep SupportedtrueS4 Sleep Supportedtrue


Platform Power Management Capabilities:Adaptive Display Brightness is supported.
This computer enables Windows to automatically control the brightness of the integrated display.



Platform Power Management Capabilitiesrocessor Power Management Capabilities
Effective processor power management enables the computer to automatically balance performance and energy consumption.
Group0Index0Idle (C) State Count1Performance (P) State Count2Throttle (T) State Count0


Platform Power Management Capabilitiesrocessor Power Management Capabilities
Effective processor power management enables the computer to automatically balance performance and energy consumption.
Group0Index1Idle (C) State Count1Performance (P) State Count2Throttle (T) State Count0


Obviously this means absolutely NOTHING to me. Can anybody help? Thanks so much!

 

[linnemeyerhere]

jodie7777,
Welcome to SF. Two years is a short period of time to be needing a new battery but not so crazy as it being your only real option. Check with Acer and see if there are any recall issues or problems being reported on your series of laptop. The heat concerns me as the cells are not taking a good charge and just creating heat. If Acer has no discounted/warranty recommendations then you will need to replace it or leave it out while running on AC power.

 

[cordobara]

Don't know if this will be of any interest to you, but I came across it when googling for an unrelated problem -

Mouse & Keyboard Don't Respond in Normal Mode - CNET Windows XP Forums

 

[Imperfect1]

Two years of battery life does not seem like such an unreasonably short time to me at all. I purchased a 12 cell (supposedly "long life") battery for my HP Pavillion dv5t, and it only lasted about a year and a half.

So, if it turns out that after your research, you find that the battery is just dying, the question then turns to how you're going to replace it. If you don't wish to pay the full price and purchase the replacement from the manufacturer, there are cheaper alternatives, but be careful! I purchased a new battery on EBay, that was supposed to be the exact HP battery (with the same part number - but at about half the price) that I needed, but apparently it was a knock-off because the darn thing didn't fit in my laptop properly. The short version of a very long frustrating story was that, having purchased it from an Asian seller (I'm in the US), the shipping costs and red tape for the replacement battery became so expensive and cumbersome to deal with, that I ended up keeping the darn thing and just taping into my laptop with duct tape. I've had it taped into my laptop that way for about a year now and it's still working --- but very ugly to look at.

 

[logicearth]

You need a new battery end of story, luckily, its under $70 bucks.
Acer - Accessory Store: Accessory Details

 

[arkhi]

Battery:Last Full Charge (%)
The battery stored less than 40% of the Designed Capacity the last time the battery was fully charged.
Design Capacity: 48,840
Last Full Charge: 3,941
Last Full Charge (%): 8%

I'd honestly get a new battery. But just for desperation's sake, I'd also try any of the following. It's about battery recalibration:

(I)
1. Disconnect the AC adapter from the laptop.
2. Remove the battery.
3. Press and hold the power button for about 30 seconds then release it. (You will not see anything happen)
4. Connect the AC Adapter to the laptop. Make sure the AC Adapter is plugged in.
5. Turn the computer on as normal.
6. Once Windows loads, insert the battery.

(II) Note: Do not use the PC during the calibration cycle.
1. Shut down the notebook PC.
2. Connect the AC Adapter and charge the notebook PC until the battery charge light is green, indicating that the battery is completely charged.
3. Turn on the notebook PC.
4. Press F8 several times when the Acer logo appears.
5. When the Windows Advanced Boot Options menus displays, use the Up and Down arrow keys to select Safe Mode and then press Enter .
6. When the Windows Advanced Startup Menu displays, select the Startup in Safe Mode option.
7. Disconnect the AC power adapter from the notebook PC.
8. Allow the battery to discharge completely until the notebook PC shuts down.
The battery is now calibrated, and the battery level reading on the power meter should be accurate.

(III) Note: Calibrate the battery while PC is in use.
1. Connect the AC adapter and allow the battery to charge to 99% - 100% of capacity.
2. Disconnect the AC adapter from the notebook PC.
3. Click Start and type Power Options in the Search field and press Enter .
4. Select Create a power plan from the left sidebar.
5. Click in the Plan name field and type Calibrator . Then, press Enter .
6. Select Never for all topics in the On battery column.
7. Click Create to accept the values and force the battery to consistently discharge.
8. Allow the battery to discharge completely until the notebook PC shuts down.
NOTE: The battery power meter is now calibrated, and the battery level readings should be accurate.
9. Connect the AC adapter and restart the notebook PC.
10. After calibration, return to the Power Options dialog box (Step 3) and select your default power plan setting.

 

[Imperfect1]

Excellent advice arkhi. Rep + to you

 

[whs]

I would replace the battery and also blow the dirt out of the box (with compressed air). When you have the battery constantly attached while on main power, 2 years is the lifespan you should expect.