Laptop question

[2Tiggies]

I always take my laptop with me. The battery in this one is totally spent, as in, if you hook the power supply out of the back it dies instantly. It runs purely off the mains now. I know that they can ask you to start up at security, even though this has never been asked of me. Will this be a problem if I need to tell them it has to be connected to mains power? I am trying to avoid buying another battery as I'm probably going to upgrade the laptop by the end of the year, but if it is going to have the potential to cause hassles I may as well just get a darn battery now. Thanks peeps

 

[DISWolves]

I always take my laptop with me. The battery in this one is totally spent, as in, if you hook the power supply out of the back it dies instantly. It runs purely off the mains now. I know that they can ask you to start up at security, even though this has never been asked of me. Will this be a problem if I need to tell them it has to be connected to mains power? I am trying to avoid buying another battery as I'm probably going to upgrade the laptop by the end of the year, but if it is going to have the potential to cause hassles I may as well just get a darn battery now. Thanks peeps

I had the same issue as you. I was reluctant to ditch my trusty old Dell when I got my Mac, so I purchased a clone from the well know auction site for about £25. Just be sure that the voltage is correct

 

[2Tiggies]

I take it that is a recommendation to have an operable battery in place then. Thanks Nigel

(By the way, this laptop is just a little over two years old -I'm rough on my electronics!)

 

[london75]

Is it not feasible to have the charger in hand luggage?

I've never been asked to power on but I suppose it might happen, however, I'd imagine you're within your rights to have a knackered battery and need a charger! It's up to them if they want to plug it in then.

Or get a compatible travel charger even cheaper than a battery from the auction site.

 

[DISWolves]

I take it that is a recommendation to have an operable battery in place then. Thanks Nigel

(By the way, this laptop is just a little over two years old -I'm rough on my electronics!)

I was told by an electronics guy that I work with, tocharge the battery on the mains and then run on battery power until almost flat and then recharge. I tended to plug mine into the mains and then leave it on charge until I shut down, so I guess this wrecked my battery. Mine was a Nimh type but not sure if this also applies to Li-ion types.

 

[2Tiggies]

Is it not feasible to have the charger in hand luggage?

I've never been asked to power on but I suppose it might happen, however, I'd imagine you're within your rights to have a knackered battery and need a charger! It's up to them if they want to plug it in then.

Or get a compatible travel charger even cheaper than a battery from the auction site.

I do always carry the charger with the laptop in hand baggage - I wasn't sure if access to a power source was going to be frowned upon, in response to a request to boot up.

 

[2Tiggies]

I was told by an electronics guy that I work with, tocharge the battery on the mains and then run on battery power until almost flat and then recharge. I tended to plug mine into the mains and then leave it on charge until I shut down, so I guess this wrecked my battery. Mine was a Nimh type but not sure if this also applies to Li-ion types.

I think mine is a Li ion one. I do the same as you but I am an insomniac so I tend to leave mine plugged in all the time and sleep with podcasts and music going all night so mine is my own doing - I know that's not the way to keep a battery lasting and I also know that I'm going to do this with the next one

 

[paulh]

A laptop battery lasts from 6 months to a year even from new,To prolong the life unplug from mains an use the battery and run down occasionally.Good idea when not using to unplug from the mains as not to over cook them
All laptops only work with a battery in them,even if its a dud.Nothing wrong with the laptop if it`s still running to speed when on the mains,just remember to back up before unplugging
Paul

 

[london75]

I think it's well within your rights to have a laptop that needs plugging in, they only want to see the first few seconds of boot up to see that it's actually a computer not hollowed out and full of drugs etc.

Contrary to what Paul said unless I've misunderstood, in my experience laptops do run without batteries if plugged in. I'd be inclined to test yours without the battery and if that works then leave that at home, then you've got a very clear reason for needing to plug in, no battery plus it'll be a fair bit lighter. I tend to use old laptops semi dismantled around the house as media players or file stores ( yes I'm a geek ) and none have batteries.

Saying all that, if they haven't stopped me by now they won't stop you. My gadget total for one bag is now...

2 laptops, 2 tablets, 2 nintendos, 1 large camera, 2 small cameras, 1sat nav and a mobile phone! I've had bemused looks but they see the excited hyper kids and realise they take a lot of entertaining!

 

[disneyholic family]

I always take my laptop with me. The battery in this one is totally spent, as in, if you hook the power supply out of the back it dies instantly. It runs purely off the mains now. I know that they can ask you to start up at security, even though this has never been asked of me. Will this be a problem if I need to tell them it has to be connected to mains power? I am trying to avoid buying another battery as I'm probably going to upgrade the laptop by the end of the year, but if it is going to have the potential to cause hassles I may as well just get a darn battery now. Thanks peeps

i don't think it has to be able to be turned on without being plugged in....
just take the cord with you in the unlikely event that it has to be turned on....

they really don't ask anyone to turn them on anymore...that is a very distant thing of the past (last time it happened to me was 12 years ago in germany....when the guard told me to do it in german (and i just gave him a blank stare back )....

 

[zippy99]

The same problem happened with my daughter's laptop. As suggested by others a compatible charger from the auction site is a great way round.

I paid £12 for my daughter's ACER charger (did not need the plug itself as i could take that from our current one - just the power supply and lead that connects to the laptop) An official battery was £50.

May be worth looking in to?

 

[brian/melanie]

i would think you would be better not having the battery in the laptop if its no good, they might think the battery has had something done to it if its pluged in but not working, leave it at home and as already been said it will make it lighter

 

[bazzanoid]

*puts techy hat on*

A laptop will happily work with or without the battery in it, regardless of the battery's health. A dead battery will not damage the laptop.

If you've got an older NiMH battery in the laptop, then charging it, unplugging and running down ensures the maximum battery life. These work by taking power from the mains, into the battery, then on to the computer, so the battery is always active.

If it's a newer LiON (Lithium Ion) battery, then it doesn't make two hoots difference if it's plugged in or not, it will only accept a charge if it needs it, and it makes no odds to battery life. These have a separate charging circuit between the mains and the battery - if the battery reports it is full then the charging circuit cuts the power to it and sends it straight into the laptop.

*tech hat off*

Customs can require you to power it up, but they would also have to allow it to be plugged in if they wanted you to do this. They normally won't ask you to do it as they know full well if it is flat they have to have the time to have someone take you into a private room where a power point is available to do it.

 

[jesuslovesyou]

A laptop battery lasts from 6 months to a year even from new,To prolong the life unplug from mains an use the battery and run down occasionally.Good idea when not using to unplug from the mains as not to over cook them
All laptops only work with a battery in them,even if its a dud.Nothing wrong with the laptop if it`s still running to speed when on the mains,just remember to back up before unplugging
Paul

Not true ! you can use your laptop WITHOUT the battery in !!! best way to prolong a battery is to you is as normal BUT take it out if your always running from the mains, that will keep the cycle life down and not over charge it !

 

[chmurf]

I don't see why it would look awkward to have a dead battery at checkpoint

Think about it : a passenger travels economy (without power/em-power) after a transatlantic the battery will most probably be dead
As I fly indirect, my laptop battery is always dead when I go through TSA no matter how new or used the battery is.

There are many reasons why your laptop could not boot up at a checkpoint. And I don't see how security agents would refuse to let you plug the comp if they request that you prove the laptop is functionnal

 

[Shazzie B]

2 laptops, 2 tablets, 2 nintendos, 1 large camera, 2 small cameras, 1sat nav and a mobile phone! I've had bemused looks but they see the excited hyper kids and realise they take a lot of entertaining!

Do you want to do my packing!!!

 

[2Tiggies]

Thanks everyone

It seems the general consensus is that it won't be a problem with a dead battery but in the unlikely event that I am asked to start up, it may cost me a bit of time and inconvenience.

Thanks for all the advice on how to prolong the life of a battery. I do know better but the reality is, I'm probably not going to change my habits

 

[paulh]

reason why i say leave the battery in is sometimes it protects if you get dirty power
Paul

 

[disney13]

Sorry to butt in here but you definately can take the battery out of a laptop and still use whilst connected to the mains. I know I'm using a Lenovo X220 that way now Perhaps on some makes this might be different.

 

[chmurf]

Sorry to butt in here but you definately can take the battery out of a laptop and still use whilst connected to the mains. I know I'm using a Lenovo X220 that way now Perhaps on some makes this might be different.

Yes, you can
BUT what paulh was talking about is "dirty power"
sometimes your mains does not deliver a steady power. There might be slight variations in the current, and sometimes micro-outages.
Without the battery acting as a stabilized power source, should you get such dirty power, your computer could hang, or it might result in corrupted data if this occurs while the hard drive is accessing data, and so on
The battery then act like an UPS

you can operate without the battery, but in case of power outage or dirty power, your work is lost.
It's a backup safety