Laptop Charger

I own an HP HDX 1600 Laptop that is running on Windows 7. An ongoing problem that I have is that the charger cuts in and out. I cannot run my laptop without a battery so I know that the charger is fine; however, I have no idea what the problem would be. The AC adapter is not loose so it must me something on the motherboard. Any ideas? Thanks!

Hi PackerFan75, and welcome to the WTT forums. Sorry to hear about the problems you are experiencing. 1 first step is to try a known good working PSU and cord in place of the existing one…any change? 2 Try booting into a live distro of linux like Ubuntu and see if the problem continues, if it does then its likely hard ware at fault 3 If it works Ok with Ubuntu then its likely Windows is at fault so at least we know where to start looking and testing. Post back and let us know how you get on. Regards paws

Thank you for responding. It must be a hardware issue. Do you have any idea what it would be? It's weird because the computer will charge with out any interruption in power when it is asleep, hibernating, or off. Thank you again!

Hi PacketFan75, Let us know how you got on with each of the 3 steps that I listed in my previous post. That should give us a reasonable starting point Regards paws

1. I didn't have another charger so i just tested it with a voltmeter and it was correct 2. It still cut in and out when I tried using that other software. 3. I cannot run my computer without a battery because the power cuts in and out but it does charge without cutting in and out when it is asleep or off Thanks.

Hi PackerFan, Ok I understand. Just to clarify when running Linux Puppy as your operating system ( having booted into it and bypassing Windows completely) the charging issue is still there? Regards paws

Yes. The problem still persists when using that software.

Hi PackerFan75, If Puppy Linux gives the same symptoms and the output from your PSU unit is correct and stable then you are right its almost certainly a hardware fault in the motherboard. The usual way of dealing with this would be to replace the motherboard. However this would probably mean that your computer would cost more to repair than it would to replace with a new one. Most workshops ( in Western Countries) would only replace the mobo, but it may be possible for you to strip down the machine and examine the mobo for dry joints, and possibly test the charging circuits for failures. This is painstaking work and the time taken would probably be in excess of 3 hours……( that's why a lot of workshops are unlikely to undertake this sort of work) Whatever you do, make sure your back up is 100% before you do anything at all…. I would hate you to lose your stuff…. also double check the battery by installing a known good working one, as these can sometimes mimic the behaviour you are experiencing… Regards paws_