Troubleshoot Battery in new laptop wont charge (in storage for a year)

[jetman]

Hi-

I bought a brand new Asus X205TA cheap travel laptop last year. I didn't do the traveling I wanted to do and kept it in storage.

I have now tried using the laptop and it works fine- except the battery wont hold any charge. When plugged in, there is a flashing light which blinks orange- green- off (in that sequence). It has also just flashed orange as well. The Windows icon shows the battery to be 100% charged- but it isn't. if I turn off the mains power the laptop turns off instantly.

I suppose I have permanently damaged the battery by not using it for a year ?

However- are there any tricks or tips and I can use to TRY and get it charging again ? The cost of replacing the internal battery is more than this laptop is worth.

Thanks.

PS- Some extra information...

The laptop was originally Windows 8. I did a totally clean install of Windows 10. Not sure if that would have affected anything (I doubt it).

 

[Weebarra]

I'm not sure if this is any help, apparently it can happen when a battery has never been used before but it's worth a try, sorry i am not much help

My battery shows that it is fully charged, but it is not working
This is known as "False Peak" and is very common condition during first time battery use (or using a battery that has been discharged for several months). The charger light may go out after only 10-15 minutes, indicating that it is fully charged when it is not. Should this happen, simply leave the battery on the charger for about an hour. Remove it, and return it to the charger immediately. The battery will resume normal charging and the charger light will indicate when the battery is ready for use. This may happen several times during the first battery charge. Don't worry; it's perfectly normal.

I also found this which might help, i know it's not your actual problem but again, it's worth a try.
Asus Laptop "Plugged in Not Charging" after upgrade

 

[jetman]

Thanks very much for the response- unfortunately this doesn't apply to my own situation. I'm running out of ideas though !

 

[boredog]

Thanks very much for the response- unfortunately this doesn't apply to my own situation. I'm running out of ideas though !

You can take the batter out and use a volt meter to see it is actually charged.
The batteries I have bought in the past for laptops were only like 50 bucks.

 

[SHvFl]

Lithium ion battery cells need to remain above a certain voltage level to not get bad. I assume within your 1 year of not using it the charge level dropped and it killed the battery so you will have to replace it.
Check your battery model on ebay and in most cases you will find a cheap replacement one and it shouldn't cost as much as the value of any laptop bought last year. That is assuming the battery is easily serviceable and you don't need a tech.

 

[jetman]

Thanks for your replies. Very much appreciated.

Surprisingly, spare batteries for this model appear expensive on ebay (almost half the price of the laptop). I think it must be an unusual product- I will keep looking.

I will try disconnecting the battery, uninstalling the drivers and then reconnecting everything and see if that works (it probably wont but worth a go maybe)

Do you guys think that it is unusual for a new laptop battery to ruin after 12 months of not being used ? It was fully charged about a year ago before I stored it. I appreciate that these batteries degrade if not charged, but I didn't think storage for 12 months would totally ruin a new battery. Seems a bit rubbish !

Also, I have read about putting a battery in the freezer for a few hours to try and kick-start it. Is this advisable or just nonsense ?

Thanks again for your help and comments.

 

[boredog]

55 bucks on ebay 7.6V 38Wh Genuine Original C21N1414 Battery For Asus EeeBook X205T X205TA Series | eBay

How to replace it. Asus EeeBook X205TA Battery Replacement

This is the first time I have seen replacement requiring taking the bottom off.

 

[jetman]

Cheers