Why is My Laptop Battery Not Working?

So your laptop battery worked…life was good. And now your laptop battery is not charging…life isn’t so rosey. Before you get overwhelmed assuming that you are out of your league and are going to have pay a lot of money to someone more competent than yourself, here are a few simple techniques you can try to fix it yourself. Going through these troubleshooting procedures will help you to competently get your laptop up and running again.

Power Source

Let’s start with the obvious – is your laptop properly plugged in? Check all the connections – the wall outlet, the the AC adaptor, and the computer itself. If that was why your laptop battery was not charging, you never have to admit it to anyone…carry on.

Battery Installation

If your laptop battery is still not charging, check to make sure your battery is properly installed. Open up the battery compartment and check that the battery contacts are properly touching and that none are broken or corroded.

Replace Your Laptop Battery

If none of the above fixed the problem, both sorry and congratulations are in order because the problem is not user error. The next step is to determine if the fault lies with your battery or with your laptop. So if your laptop battery is still not charging, remove it from your computer and plug the computer back in to the wall outlet. If the computer starts up, your problem is a bad battery. Replacing a defective battery is painless. By reading the model number off of your old battery, you can purchase a new laptop battery. This is the simplest fix, problem solved. All that’s left is to talk about how to dispose of the old battery. Please please please recycle it. Throwing old batteries into the garbage is extremely toxic to soil, water, and air. Check out the Batteries4Less.com battery recycling program for details about how and why to recycle batteries. The best part is, you can get up to 20% off of a brand new replacement battery for your laptop simply by recycling your old battery with us…it’s our ‘thank you’ for being a responsible technology owner.

 

Problems with Laptop Hardware or Software

However, if your laptop is still not turning on properly, there are a few more things you can do to determine what the trouble is and potentially even fix it yourself. If the issue is within the computer itself, the two possible causes are either a software or hardware problem. First, determine whether or not your laptop battery is not charging due to incorrect or incompatible software.

a) Windows: Open the “Control Panel” and from there, the “Device Manager.” Double click on “Battery” and then on “Microsoft ACPI-Compliant Control Method Battery.” Go to “Properties” and then to the “Driver” tab. Click on “Update Driver.” When it is finished updating, reboot the laptop. If this doesn’t resolve the problem, Go back to “Microsoft ACPI Compliant Control Method Battery” and actually uninstall it. Restart your laptop. Go back to the “Device Manager” window and pull down the “Action” menu. Choose “Scan for hardware changes.”

b) Macintosh: Older Macs have removable batteries whereas newer ones do not allow you to access the battery. If you have an older Mac with a replaceable battery, follow these instructions to reset the System Management Controller: Shutdown the computer, remove the battery, disconnect the power cord, and press the hold the button down for 5 seconds. Replace the battery, reconnect the power cord, and start up the computer.

If your Mac does not have a removable battery, you still want to shutdown the computer, but do not disconnect the power cord. Keep the computer plugged in. Keep the power off while you hold down the power button and at the same time press the Shift-Control-Option keys. Concurrently, release all the keys. Restart the computer.

Seek Tech Support

If none of the above have worked and your laptop battery is still not charging, contact tech support for your particular make and model. Let them know that you have already gone through all the above steps. If they determine that it is most likely a hardware problem, it is time to call in that super competent person you were trying to avoid. The problem may still be an easy fix, either by the manufacturer or a local computer repair shop.

 

 

Why is My Laptop Battery Not Working? first appeared on blog.batteries4less.com.

Rescuing A Wet Cell Phone

We’ve all seen or heard about it. My most memorable example of a drenched cell phone happened during a wedding extravaganza! The happy couple planned all sorts of events near their marriage site, Lake Tahoe. The bride and groom both had many cell phone conversations with family at the airport, the caterers, the bartender, you name it, they were on the phone checking on it!

The day before the wedding, family and friends gathered at a beach on the lake to play in the sun. The groom was bringing kayaks to the beach, two at a time. He’s an agile fellow and made the transfer of the 6 kayaks look like fun – until his cell phone fell out of his pocket and into the lake. Disaster! Then there was the scramble to retrieve it while all of us watching held our breaths. Beyond all the numbers and texts, there at the bottom of the lake was the time line for everything that needed to happen in the next 24 hours.

The cell phone was toast… but surprisingly only for the duration of the wedding. A knowledgeable guest took over resuscitate the cell phone, using the rice that was to be thrown at the bride and groom! Even though the cell phone was not revived until the couple was already on their honeymoon and all those lists and text messages didn’t matter anymore, it was still impressive to see that it can be done… cell phones can get submerged in water and resurrect. And… the wedding went off without a hitch – (Oh right, they did get hitched!). The amazing efficiency of the bride and groom meant that even without their lifeline, nothing was overlooked and a fun time was had by all!  So regardless of when or where your moment of glory comes and your cell phone gets drenched, all is not lost.  Follow these easy steps…

What To Do

1. Retrieve the phone immediately.
2. Do not check to see if it works!! If you know it was on, turn it off.
3. If the phone is in a case, remove it.
4. Remove the battery (this is the most crucial step because you want to stop all electricity from flowing through the phone). If you have a non-removable battery, of course, you can’t do this.
5. Place the phone on a towel and dry surfaces thoroughly, moving the phone as little as possible.
6. Detach headsets, etc.
7. Remove SIM cards and other cards leaving the ports open. Dry and protect the SIM card – it’s got most of your information on it.
8. When there is no electricity going to it and it is as towel dried as you can possibly get it, bury the phone in a bowl of uncooked rice. Turn it a quarter turn every few hours.  The rice will absorb any left over moisture.
9. Leave in the rice for 1-2 days… and don’t cheat and check to see if it is working along the way!!  Let it dry out completely before sending electricity through it again and risking frying any circuits.

What about Salt Water?

If your cell phone fell in the ocean, some sources say that you should remove the battery and quickly dunk the phone in fresh water to dilute or eliminate the salt and avoid crystals from forming as the phone dries.

What Not To Do

• Do not put the phone in the freezer. This is never a good idea!
• Do not use a hair dryer because the steam or the heat can damage the phone beyond repair.
• Don’t put your cell phone in the microwave.

Future Maintenance

Since cell phones have metal parts and metal can rust, at some point in the future, check to see if the contacts have corroded. It’s possible to clean the contacts with alcohol, but you might be better off having a professional do it.

Good Luck!

 

Rescuing A Wet Cell Phone first appeared on blog.batteries4less.com.

Cell Phone Tips for Parents of Teenagers, Part 2

If you have teenagers in the house, you’ve probably noticed that cell phones and computers have taken the place of almost every other interaction, including household chores and homework!

Can Anything Else Happen if Your Teen has a Cell Phone?

What happened to reading a book, neighborhood ball games, or just plain daydreaming? We thought that the technology giving us access to so much information was going to change the world. We begin to have doubts when we see our children glued to their devices. In order to make a difference in the future of the world, maybe you need to intervene about phone or computer access with your kids (or even your spouse). You may need to address the what, when, and how long limits.

Sorry. That’s a difficult challenge, especially if your son or daughter has had unlimited use of electronic gadgets. There are thousands of online courses out there to help parents tiptoe through the minefield of determining and monitoring what is or should be allowed, so we know that it isn’t an easy task. Here’s our advice: whatever you do, start it with a conversation. There’s nothing a teenager hates more than dictatorial rules that end with “because I said so!” Try some of these discussions:

Which apps do they like? Is there any game you can engage them in? What’s the best music app? See if you can learn something new for your own use. Show them that you’re willing to learn something from them and you might be surprised about what you learn about them?

Who do they talk and text with? Do you know their friends? Ask about them. Find out about their likes and dislikes. Invite them for dinner or maybe an outing of some sort.

What are the limits? Hopefully, you can come up with mutually acceptable time limits that don’t curl your toes or cause doors to slam. Sadly, when you were taking childbirth classes, they didn’t offer tips for been parents of teenagers. Good Luck!

Are you social media savvy? You can bet they are. Here are some guidelines for safe interactions that you can explore:

• Do they have more than one social media account?
• Have a talk about passwords and why it’s important to have different passwords for different accounts and to protect those passwords even from their friends. Passwords are the entrance pathway for hackers
• What kind of public info is available to anyone who cares to pay attention? It’s not safe to disclose their current location or that they are home alone. Remember that the phone’s GPS can reveal the location where your kid hangs out.
• Be sure they actually know who they are talking and texting with online. There are people out there who pretend to be what they are not.  They are often clever at seeming wonderfully attractive.

Consider everything you post on the internet is available to anyone who wants to know it. And it is available forever!

Monitoring

Parents, have you checked your kid’s privacy settings? It really is important not only for your teen’s safety but for the safety and privacy of the whole family. If you are reluctant to be the monitor wearing the bad guy’s shoes, you can ask for help from you cell phone provider. Typically they offer the following features:

• Blocking picture messaging
• Blocking unknown phone numbers
• Limiting the time for texting or calling
• Filtering web browsing
• Using GPS tracking to know physical location

For a fee, cell phone providers offer extra services:

ATT has Smart Limits at $5/ month. You can set time limits for calls and data usage, restrict or allow certain phone numbers, and determine how many minutes can be used each month.

Verizon has FamilyBase at $5/month where you can know how much time your child uses the cell phone for texts and calls. You can also lock their phone a certain times and monitor apps and connected friends.

Sprint provides Sprint Mobile Controls at $5/month to let you monitor your kid’s phone, text, and data usage, set time limits, and observe what apps are on their phone.

Tmobile offers FamilyWhere for $9.99/month with free controls for blocking calls and messages, both incoming and outgoing.

As much as you might want to avoid it, sometimes parents need to be pests. You need to be involved in your children’s activities in order to be part of their lives and especially to keep them safe. What they are doing online can change frequently, so do you own homework and stay up-to-date.

 

Cell Phone Tips for Parents of Teenagers, Part 2 first appeared on blog.batteries4less.com.

The Shadow of the Big Apple!

When you think about laptops of today, it’s possible or more than likely the first device to come into your head is a Macbook? It wouldn’t be a surprise as Apple seem to be dominating the world at present with their products. So what about the contenders that used to be top of the list. How are Toshiba doing these days?

Toshiba: Best and worst laptop brands of 2014
The good news is that Toshiba improved over the past year, increasing its overall score from a lowly 56 to 68 (out of 100). The bad news is that the brand still placed seventh out of nine companies in our report.

Sounds as though the AMD-powered Click hybrid could do with a replacement battery to grab onto when it looses its juice. It seems the battery life was just too short, plummeting it’s rating into the depths of disappointment. The Toshiba Portege R705 did a little better in the ratings, achieving the number 2 spot up against…you guessed it the Macbook Pro!

Apple do have some beautiful looking products, that certainly can’t be denied. They are pretty awesome at how they perform too, but should they really be the first port of call? Are they really all they are cracked up to be? Are competitors even getting in look in due to Apple domination?

Apple’s MacBook Air dominates with 56% of U.S. thin-and-light notebook market
“The MacBook Air, all by its lonesome, has captured the majority of the total thin-and-light laptop market, according to data from NPD,” Brooke Crothers reports for CNET.

That report may have been for 2013, however, it’s pretty much expected to remain the same or increase even more for 2014.  Not only on their sales of Macbooks but also iPhones and of course the iPad.

So if you’re in the market for a new laptop, take some time to check out those competitors that are living in the shadows of the big Apple!

The Shadow of the Big Apple! first appeared on Batteries4Less.

Samsung Galaxy Battery Buzz Is TODAY At 11am PST

How do you pick the right battery for your Samsung Galaxy phone? There are a lot of different batteries and a lot of different phones.  In an effort to help you better maximize your mobile devices, Batteries4less.com is offering educational weekly On Air Hangouts!! Join us and we will help you pick the right batteries and accessories for your Galaxy phone!

Battery Buzz is your opportunity to get all of your battery questions answered for your cell phone, laptop, and more!!

Hang Out with Coryon Redd, owner of batteries4less.com as well as our knowledgeable customer service staff this Wednesday, April 8th at 11am PST.  See live demos, and get your cell phone, tablet, laptop, and other technology power questions answered.  Samsung Galaxy phone owners… you don’t want to miss these tips and tricks!!

Samsung Galaxy Battery Buzz Is TODAY At 11am PST first appeared on blog.batteries4less.com.

Samsung Galaxy Battery Buzz With Batteries4less.com

How do you pick the right battery for your Samsung Galaxy phone? There are a lot of different batteries and a lot of different phones.  In an effort to help you better maximize your mobile devices, Batteries4less.com is offering educational weekly On Air Hangouts!! Join us and we will help you pick the right batteries and accessories for your Galaxy phone!

Battery Buzz is your opportunity to get all of your battery questions answered for your cell phone, laptop, and more!!

Hang Out with Coryon Redd, owner of batteries4less.com as well as our knowledgeable customer service staff this Wednesday, April 8th at 11am PST.  See live demos, and get your cell phone, tablet, laptop, and other technology power questions answered.  Samsung Galaxy phone owners… you don’t want to miss these tips and tricks!!

Samsung Galaxy Battery Buzz With Batteries4less.com first appeared on blog.batteries4less.com.

Capture The Blood Moon Eclipse

Are you into night photography? Maybe you are into astronomy and the beauty of the night sky? Even if neither are of particular interest to you, then you still won’t want to miss a Blood Moon Eclipse, taking place on April 15th.

Photogs Take Note: A Blood Moon Eclipse is Set to Take Place Early on April 15th
On April 15th, a rather rare astronomical event is taking place: the “blood moon.” While technically nothing more than a lunar eclipse, this particular event will the first of four lunar eclipses to happen over the course of the next two years.

There are many impressive ways that you can capture an image of a starlit sky or the moon using your camera. Here’s a video tutorial with some fantastic tips and tricks:-

Night photography can produce some of the most amazing, outstanding images. It often involves very long exposures, sometimes up to a few hours, so you need to make sure that you have a fully charged camera battery or replacement available. If you don’t live in the countryside, away from the light pollution of a town or city, then you are going to want to make the most of your time ‘out in the field’ and be well prepared.

100 Most Spectacular Night Sky Photos
This stunning photo of Venus and the moon was taken in the early morning hours of Jan. 10th, 2013 from Santa Fe in the west side of Mexico City, Mexico by Eduardo Davila.

If the beautiful images in the above article have not tempted you to dig out your tripod, then I’m not sure what will. Such a fantastic myriad of colors and shapes showing the earth and beyond in all its beauty.

The post Capture The Blood Moon Eclipse appeared first on Batteries for Less Camera Blog.

Head Out Of The Sand And Into The Cloud!

Mobile devices together with the cloud really enable us to push our capabilities. Whether it be in a personal or business context, where the two collide, we are left with something truly amazing.

Not only can we keep our favorite photographs safe and secure by automatically uploading to the cloud from our cell phones or other mobile devices, we can also run small to medium sized enterprises from the palm of our hands! Larger businesses benefit too, enabling employees to work from all over the world, and be able to back up their work to the big fluffy white technology space in the sky. Here’s the latest news on the cloud from Microsoft:-

A cloud for everyone, on every device
We live in a world where device types, shapes, sizes and form factors are exploding and will continue to do so. Devices extend our abilities in ways that are uniquely suited to task, context and occasion. As long as human curiosity and ambition drive us to create new things, capture moments and collaborate to get things done, we should expect the world of devices to follow suit.

For those people out there that are still trying to get their head around exactly what cloud computing is, here’s a great video short to give an overview:-

As you can see, there are many benefits of using the cloud, especially from the perspective of a large organization. Not only will it lower cost, it will also reduce the impact on the environment and reduce our carbon footprint. With the advance in technology these days, and the use of the Earth’s natural resources, anything we can do in order to be kinder to the planet is paramount.

Cloud computing good for the environment
Looking to reduce the carbon footprint of your enterprise? The data gathered by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory suggests that moving business applications to the cloud can cut associated per user of carbon footprint by 30 percent for large, established enterprises and 90 percent for smaller, less-efficient companies. In fact the number associated is an estimated $12.3 billion that can be saved by companies that move some of their enterprise apps to the cloud.

Technology is amazing, there’s no doubt about it! The concept of cloud computing can be a little daunting at first but it’s time to get our head out of the sand and into the cloud, because that’s where it’s all happening!

 

The post Head Out Of The Sand And Into The Cloud! appeared first on Batteries for Less.

Is Your Organization ‘Organized’ With A Cell Phone Policy?

Technology has always been an important factor in the business world. Companies do as best they can to keep up with the latest advances in computer systems and communication devices. However, is it all moving so quickly that the issue of security could become a problem? Are organizations ready for the mobile future and the power of cloud technology?

These three trends will transform how employees use their phones
Many organizations are unprepared for the mobile future. The vast majority of knowledge workers own smartphones, and they regularly use them to access apps like Evernote, Dropbox, and Box – whether their companies want them to or not.

An iPhone, or once upon a time a Blackberry is now pretty much standard issue when you work within the corporate world. Once upon a time being given a cell phone device to carry out your employment, used to be a associated with a recognition of status. Nowadays, it appears to be the norm! The first day in the office and you’re assigned your personal piece of business technology, so that you are always connected to your work. Clever huh? Most companies are starting to get cell phone policies in place to determine the correct etiquette. The ones that haven’t should maybe take a leaf out of this high schools cell phone policy awareness video:-

 

Okay, so maybe it needs to be a little more serious than that in the corporate world, less dancing and more important factors, like security,  to cover when writing a cell phone policy. Here’s a useful article with some tips to help with the content, should an organization not yet have one in place:-

Cellphone Policy Sample for Workplaces
Your company is aware that employees utilize their personal or company-supplied cellular phones for business purposes. At the same time, cell phones are a distraction in the workplace. This policy about cellular phone usage applies to any device that makes or receives phone calls, leaves messages, sends text messages, surfs the Internet, or downloads and allows for the reading of and responding to email whether the device is company-supplied or personally owned.

Making sure you have the correct policy in place to share with your employees should be at the top of your list.  You need to be clear with your company expectations, from issues such as personal use to what the procedures are should the cell phone battery need replacing.  A place where everyone goes to, to get the answers in regards to security and maintenance. Make sure your employees know how you want to use technology within your business. After all communication is what it’s all about!

The post Is Your Organization ‘Organized’ With A Cell Phone Policy? appeared first on Batteries for Less.

Compare Add, Qualy Unplug Key, Ring Key Holder, And Style Wall Decoration

…

Compare Add, Qualy Unplug Key, Ring Key Holder, And Style Wall Decoration first appeared on blog.batteries4less.com.