Has the battery been recharged recently?Batteries — especially older
ones — may not be able to hold on to their charge for an extended period
of time, even if they’re not being used. When I plan a trip, I leave my
laptop plugged into its charger for at least half a day before I depart; I
keep it topped off in hotel rooms and airport lounges whenever possible.
Will the computer come to life when directly connected to an AC
source?If you’re really at 30,000 feet, you’re going to have to wait until
you’re changing planes at O’Hare or are happily ensconced in your hotel
room, office, or home.If the laptop does work when powered by an AC source but not when on its
own, then your battery may have assaulted you for one of several reasons:
The battery reached the end of its life.Although laptop batteries are
rechargeable, they don’t live forever. Sometimes they fail slowly, losing
their ability to hold on to a charge over time. Or they may fail all at once,
usually due to an internal electrical short.
The charger wasn’t properly connected.Some chargers use interchange-
able power leads at the end that goes to the wall outlet; this allows for
use of plugs with differing designs as required around the world. Make
sure the lead is properly attached to the charger and that the charger is
plugged into the laptop.The charger wasn’t getting the juice. Are you sure you used a live power
outlet? Check it by plugging in a lamp or a radio to the same outlet — not
the one above or below it — to see if power is present. (Remember that
some outlets are controlled by switches on the wall; in Europe and Asia,
it’s common to have a switch alongside most outlets.)
The battery charger failed.Although this is a relatively rare occurrence,
the charger may have been damaged by a power surge or poorly regulated
current. The charger converts 110 or 220 volts of AC to DC voltage gener-
ally in the range of 5–20 volts; the conversion usually creates a bit of heat.
The converter shouldn’t get hot enough to boil your morning coffee. If you
see smoke or smell the distinctive acrid odor of burning electrical compo-
nents, carefully unplug the converterand seek a replacement.When all is dead and done ..................................................................
You can check your AC adapter’s or battery’s health in several ways: The sim-
plest is to find someone else who has the same make and model of laptop (in
working condition) and swap first the adapter and then the battery.
If your machine had previously been dead to your adapter and the battery,
but comes back to life with a known-good adapter, that tells you your adapter
isn’t working properly and needs to be replaced. If your machine had worked
Chapter 3: Things That Go Bump In the Night (or Day) 31