Acer One Notebook Battery and SW error

[#1]

Forgive the stupid question. Is there a simple way to check if a laptop battery will no longer hold charge?

I have been given a old Acer One Notebook. Linex operating system. Runs fine when plugged into a charger. Dead when unplugged. Reading up, there is a SW issue which there are updates for, free if it was windows but can't find for Linex. I am thinking of switching to windows and then downloading the fix file. Before doing this, I just want to check the battery is not the issue,

[#2]

I would leave it on charge overnight, and see if it makes any difference.

That's exactly what I did though, I had one die, running Windows 7, and it just said 0% not charging when plugged into the charger. To make sure it wasn't, I used to test by disconnecting the adapter and the laptop would go off.

Mine was a Dell one, so I did a search on eBay and got a cheapo replacement for around £40. It works but for that money an unofficial one. It looks identical - except on the label the Dell is missing,

Don't know if this is true, but my friend told me they are made at the same factory anyway. If it is true, I guess it is identical anyway. If it is a copy it is a good one - to look at it apart from the missing name you can't tell the difference.

[#3]

Thanks for the reply Alex.

I have left it on charge all night and as soon I pull the adapter it turn off immediately.

While researching a spare battery I found the article about the SW error that gives exactly the same effect. Therefore I would like to see if there is another way to check the battery. Voltage output measured by a multimeter (or Amps)? Anything else another could suggest.

[#4]

@Rourkefamily

How old is "old"... ?   If it is more than 3 years.... then you can be almost certain that the battery has done it`s share of cycling from charged to discharged... and has given up the ghost... no software will fix it...  you can check it with a multimeter to see if there is any voltage. 

If it is the same as this one.....

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/5200-MAH-REPLACEMENT-LAPTOP-BATTERY-FOR-ACER-ASPIRE-ONE-11-6-751H-SERIES-N...

it`s less than £20 and buy it now ! !.. so get one... and enjoy the "new" old Acer laptop ! ! ! ..

 

[#5]

Yup looks like it is dead - result though, for £20 you can get another which will should sort it. 

[#6]

Thanks folks. A lot older than three years. I would say about eight. 

White casing so the battery was quite distinctive. Not that I am bothered about a colour match. 

Let me dig up the link about the SW.

[#7]

A battery which had lasted 8 years has done well.

[#8]

My old laptop battery lasted quite a few years. As the laptop spent a lot of time plugged into the mains I left the battery out. Just making a point of using the battery every few weeks or so to run down and charge up.

I was lucky when I had to replace it as someone on ebay was selling a couple new Toshiba ones for less than a fiver each.

As for checking it I assume it would be the same as checking mobile batteries. When the voltage output drops below a certain point it's cactus. But what that voltage would be for that battery I wouldn't know though if it's ridiculously low...........

[#9]

There is a free app called BatteryInfoView from nirsoft.net which gives info about charge rates, and battery wear levels.

It may or may not help, but it is free.

[#10]

Yep @billnotben, I hardly ever use the laptop or bothered to charge it for some time. I think that’s the mistake I made.

Even though I have a desktop, I guess it is worth switching it on once in a while, to run the barrery down and charge it back up so it gets a chage cycle once in a while so it doesn’t die.