Hello guys,

I have been suffering from some battery problems recently.
I've had my laptop (Lenovo n100 3000 0768-FVG) for a year now.
So far so good (as much as possible, with Vista).
I've been using my laptop without AC here and there, once or twice a week till complete discharge.
Recently, I've been using it on full battery power, and after 10 mins or so, the computer goes to sleep, as if it reached critical battery level (though I've been using hardly office applications - no videos, wi-fi, anything...(The battery was completely charged).
Once I wake the computer from sleep, the battery indicator shows 3-7 percent (changes randomly, but around that level of power).
If I connect it to AC, it starts charging from the level mentioned above, till it reaches 100 (and takes time as if it was really at 3-7 percent power).
However, if I do not connect to AC, the computer keeps running for an hour or so, even more.

I spoke to Lenovo, sent the battery for a check - came out just fine.
They said it is probably a problem with, you got that right, Vista.
Any idea on how to solve this or what causes this problem?

Thanks,
Tamir.

Chagne your power managment and see if that makes a difference

Tried it...No change.
Also tried draining it to 0% and let it shut off till complete discharge and then charge again - no change.

Sounds to me that the notebook is defictive

Sent it to the lab, found nothing wrong with the hardware.

Well, tried Ubuntu - works for a little more than 4 hours.
Apparently, this IS a vista problem.
Any idea?

TamirMeiri wrote:

Well, tried Ubuntu - works for a little more than 4 hours. Apparently, this IS a vista problem. Any idea?

I don't doubt that. Have you reported to MS. Sometimes they have a KB fix that you can download yet they have not published it yet.

TamirMeiri wrote:

Hello guys, I have been suffering from some battery problems recently. I've had my laptop (Lenovo n100 3000 0768-FVG) for a year now. So far so good (as much as possible, with Vista). I've been using my laptop without AC here and there, once or twice a week till complete discharge. Recently, I've been using it on full battery power, and after 10 mins or so, the computer goes to sleep, as if it reached critical battery level (though I've been using hardly office applications - no videos, wi-fi, anything...(The battery was completely charged). Once I wake the computer from sleep, the battery indicator shows 3-7 percent (changes randomly, but around that level of power). If I connect it to AC, it starts charging from the level mentioned above, till it reaches 100 (and takes time as if it was really at 3-7 percent power). However, if I do not connect to AC, the computer keeps running for an hour or so, even more. I spoke to Lenovo, sent the battery for a check - came out just fine. They said it is probably a problem with, you got that right, Vista. Any idea on how to solve this or what causes this problem?

I have been googling, and the issues I have been able to discover online regarding the machine is that battery life lasts 2 - 2.5 hours instead of the advertised 4 (using Vista), and that batteries can fizzle out after about 8 months. Hmmm actually, inability to store power for very long would be indicative of battery failure

It sounds like Lenovo are just giving you the runaround -- I doubt very much that Vista is to blame, given that they have sold you a product including Vista -- and that it worked perfectly until recently.

I do appreciate though that you just want the computer working properly, instead of this nonsense.

I also appreciate that it can run Ubuntu unplugged for 4 hours or so, but Linux uses drastically less power than Vista, because Vista has been designed to gain maximum efficiency out of your hardware components, so that power usage is considerably higher.

This is however far more likely to be a fault in the laptop/battery than in Vista, you should *insist* on getting a replacement part (if it's still under warranty), and you should realise that the Lenovo employees are just dragging the problem along in the hope that the warranty will expire and you will be stuck with it at no further cost to themselves. They, like everyone else, are aware of the fact that laptops running Vista are vulnerable to the types of power drain you are encountering -- but then again, this is THEIR responsibility not yours, for having sold you just such a computer.

But it seems to me that you really just need a replacement battery -- getting it out of your warranty is obviously better than paying for a new one. You should be aware that even though it's happy with the Ubuntu now, this may be unlikely to continue for the forseeable future.

In the longer term, you should consider getting a more power-friendly PC for your next laptop purchase : laptops using the AMD Turion line of CPUs have been specifically designed with the goal of low power usage in mind

Will try to report to MS.

The warranty is void already, have the laptop for more than a year.
I already paid like 50$ for a lab check with Lenovo, since the warranty is void.
They said in the lab the battery is fine and the connections between the laptop and the battery itself are fine...Have no intention to pay 50$ again for the same answer...

So surprising - Microsoft said that I should speak to Lenovo, playing Ping-Pong with a customer is obviously a very funny thing.

Any suggestions?