You are not alone if you are wondering if you could do your work, enjoy a movie or play a game on your laptop without a battery in it. We have all been there one time or another in our lives when your laptop’s battery has given up on you. You must have heard all kinds of dos and don’ts for your laptop and its battery, but what is the truth?
Can you run a laptop without a battery?
Well, the answer is a simple big fat YES! Yes, you can run a laptop without a battery in it provided that you have the original power adapter of the laptop with you. Laptops, be it Windows or MacBook, are normally designed to operate just fine on both battery as well as A/C (Alternative Current) adapters as their power source.
So, your laptop can work with a dead battery or without a battery if you plug it in with an A/C power. However, you must use the original power adapter that came with your laptop because power variations can seriously damage the components of your motherboard. Usually, a battery can prevent or protect your motherboard against such power variations by acting as a UPS, but without it, you must take necessary precautions!
One important tip to always keep in mind when running a laptop without a battery is to never remove the power cord when the laptop is working, and never to touch the battery contacts when it’s plugged in (you could get a slight jolt if you dare to). Many people do it as a normal practice to keep their laptop batteries safe if their routines require their laptops to sit on desks all day long. Note that this is not the recommended approach.
We researched the most frequent queries regarding this question and compiled them together in this single article for our readers. Let us take a look!
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Will HP Laptop Work Without a Battery?
Yes, just like any other laptop from this decade your HP laptop will work without a battery. It is recommended to remove the battery while working on a laptop that is connected to power at all times usually. This way your laptop works just like a desktop, i.e., from one place.
HP, along with some other manufacturers, recommends in the favor of removing batteries in such instances where a laptop stays plugged in and is never/rarely unplugged or moved nor completely shut down. Again, make sure the adaptor you’re using is the original one!
Can I Use My Laptop with a Dead Battery?
If your laptop’s battery is dead, you can leave your laptop plugged into the AC for as long as you like and use it. So, again, yes! You can use your laptop with a dead battery if you have its adapter with you.
When running your laptop this way, keep in mind that in case of a power failure, even a momentary one, your laptop will shut down right away! So, make sure you create continuous backups and plan, so you don’t lose meaningful data.
If the battery is a faulty one and dead because of an issue, keep it outside the laptop at all times and plug the laptop into a direct source and run it without backup power (the battery). Many users are concerned that using a laptop (plugged in the wall) with a dead battery will damage the components of the laptop, which is not true unless the battery has been acting up and has gone dead.
Because a truly damaged battery (even when dead) can be a fire hazard. Therefore removing it until you replace it is the best way to go about it. Hence, take good care of your laptop’s battery health.
Can a Dead Laptop Battery Cause Problems?
It depends on what you’re referring to when you say your laptop’s battery is dead. If it is discharged and reached the empty charge state, it will cause no problems whatsoever provided the battery is fine otherwise!
You can simply plug and run the laptop on AC and run it for as long as you like. However, if the battery is dead due to some type of damage, it most certainly will cause problems if left in the laptop for long. Laptops made after 2012 come with better battery management to prevent overheating on a dead battery, hence, if your laptop is younger than 2012, you’re good to go!
Just like we were discussing, technically, a bad laptop battery will not affect the performance of your laptop as such, but it will shorten the lifespan of the laptop as well as its hardware. As even with a dead battery, the charge controller may keep charging the battery and cause overheating issues. The hardware can, as well, overheat from the specific amount of current (amps) they draw from the battery and cause damage in the long run.
What Are the Symptoms of a Bad Laptop Battery?
Laptop batteries are prone to failure after some years of continued usage. It is quite normal as most laptops come with Lithium-ion batteries, which despite the improvement in technology, the capacity of your laptop battery is going to reduce over time. Therefore, it is advised to replace the battery every 2-3 years and keep an eye out for any signs of a bad battery.
Here are some clear signs that your laptop’s battery is going bad.
1. Frequent Overheating
When the battery is dying, your laptop will have to work harder than before and produce heat that is unmanageable by the fans and heatsinks. You will notice your laptop getting noisy as the fans will be working overtime. If the loud noises are coupled with a hot base of your laptop (slightly warm is okay) it is time you shut your computer down to avoid any further damage.
2. Shutdowns and Short-Run Times
If you are grabbing your charger often or are tethered to your desk because your laptop keeps running out of battery, you have a bad battery there. Normally, you should be able to get around 4 to 6 hours run time from a fully charged laptop. If you are getting less than an hour or an hour run time from a full charge with low brightness no extraneous activity on the computer, then the battery is certainly going bad.
Moreover, if your laptop shuts down all of a sudden without a warning then you need to pay more attention to the battery as it indicates a faulty battery.
3. Windows Warning
Windows and other Operating systems show warning signs when the battery needs a replacement to avoid unwarranted shutdowns. Windows 7 has its own battery life warning feature which warns you to replace the battery once it reaches low capacity. A red “X” appears over the battery icon.
Mac shows battery details once you click on the battery icon, if the battery needs replacement, you’ll see messages like “replace soon”, “service battery”, or “replace now”.
Is It OK to Leave a Dead Battery in Laptop?
In most cases, leaving a dead battery in a laptop will not do much damage to the other components. But why carry this dead weight around anyways? There are rare chances that a battery may leak corrosive fluids over other parts and cause damage.
It is best to just get rid of it, replace your battery with a new one or use the laptop as a desktop by plugging it into a power source and continue working!
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