My sister's laptop is about 4 years old and a few weeks ago the charger stopped charging. So I went to the only place on the planet where you can find that model charger, eBay, and we bout her a new one. Well less than a week after getting it in the mail, that one died too.

I find it hard to believe that two chargers would die in two weeks and I suspect there may be something wrong with the laptop battery. Is there any way an old battery can kill it's charger? How can I check to see if the battery is still good?

Four years is a long time for a laptop battery to remain in good condition, so I'd strongly suspect the battery has had it. Without a working charger, and if you're not technically familiar with electronics, it's difficult to tell you how to safely and accurately determine whether the battery is bad.

Was the replacement charger you bought new or used? If used, it simply may be end-of-life for that charger design, combined with coincidence.

Depending where you live and environment, it could be hot weather combined with over-heating the charger. Heat is a big enemy of electronics. A bad battery can cause a charger to over-heat.


Instead of eBay, where you sometimes don't know what you're really getting, you may be able to buy a "universal" charger. These can be found at computer and office supply stores.

Basically it's a charger that can work on different models of laptops. Make sure it has the connector/adapter that works with your laptop. A universal charger can be cheaper and better designed than the charger designed for a given laptop. A typical price (I think) is about US$70. If you go that route, make sure the charger output power rating is at least as high as the output power rating of the old charger. For example, if the old charger was rated for an output of X-Amps (or Y-Watts), then verify the new charger can handle at least X-Amps (or Y-Watts) too.


edit-fix typo
edit to add-since the laptop is 4 years old, I'd give SERIOUS consideration to replacing it. Even the cheapest notebook today would be a lot faster and have a better display than a 4 year old notebook. And the cost of a new battery and charger would go a long way toward the purchase price of a new laptop, and you'd get a new warranty. However, keep in mind that it is possible that some of your old programs and some old external devices you've been using (if any) might not work on the newer computer if it comes with Windows Vista.

Well she did mention the charger got very hot but I think it is a combination of both the battery and the charger. The new one I bought was, well, new but it was from China so...

It's too bad she doesn't have any money to buy a new laptop. She's only 16.

Well, a replacement battery and charger may run about US$120 + US$70 or about $200...and that might not fix the "real" problem. For example, it could be a problem with the laptop's internal power-regulation sub-system...which could theoretically be responsible for damaging both the battery and charger...and it could do it again.

But, as I said earlier, 4 years is beyond EOL for most laptop batteries...especially older technology batteries. She might luck-out with a new battery and charger, but if not, it's $200 wasted money and time.

By the way, sometimes the only thing wrong with a damaged charger is that an internal fuse was blown. Unfortunately, they intentionally design the things so that the fuse is NOT replaceable by a typical consumer.

If you can't return the charger, a friend somewhat familiar with electronics might be able to crack the case and replace the fuse. I've done that on several chargers.


edit to add-by the way, if the laptop's drive has important data, applications, etc. on it, and she hasn't made a backup of her disk, I'd advise doing so ASAP. 4 years is also a very long time for an older laptop HDD to continue working properly. If the laptop computer isn't working, a backup of its HDD can be made using another computer and an USB adapter such as:
(for SATA or IDE drives)
http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid=2020
(for IDE drives only)
http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid=USB2IDE-25-35
and freeware software such as DriveImageXML (reliable, fast, and easy to use):
http://majorgeeks.com/DriveImage_XML_d4919.html
http://www.runtime.org/dixml.htm
DIXML 1.21 DOES support Vista and XP

Of course, if the laptop is working and has a CD/DVD burner, a backup can be made using its existing backup program (assuming Win98-WinXP (Home or Pro)) and CDs/DVDS, or by using DriveImageXML and an external disk drive (which would be the easiest and fastest by far)


(sorry about the multiple edits...on full pain killers once again...fuzzy thinking)

John's points are very valid.... the best route is to go with a new laptop. Even a budget laptop for around 400.00 bucks will be better than a 4yr old laptop. Get her parents involved. The more you/she spends on new chargers and even get a new replacement battery...... you guys will have already spent half on the cost of one of these 400.00 laptop.



But if getting a new laptop is out of the question.... then get a new universal charger from a local retail store.. As said, the cost of these chargers are going to be in the range of 70~90.00 bucks.... These chargers will come with multiple tip adapters to match with the one that you have. It is just the matter of making sure you use the right one. (adapter tips is the part that you plug into the laptop). The only other thing that you need to be aware of is to make sure the universal adapter matches the power output of the original power adapter. (example.... original adapter is rated for 19V and 6amps.... then the universal adapter needs to be 19V and at least 6amps... a little more amps is ok.)


But do consider a new laptop... before you go out and get a new adapter.... take a look at what you have already spent in $$$ and then look at what you are going to spend in getting another adapter, new battery, or whatever and then compare that to what would it cost to just get a new budget laptop..........