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How to Fix a HP Laptop Not Charging (STEPS)

HP laptop not charging
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Why is my HP laptop not charging?

A HP laptop will not charge if the battery is dead, the charger is faulty or because of a corrupt battery driver.

Reasons for a HP laptop battery not charging are:

  • The battery is dead.
  • The charger or adapter is faulty.
  • The power (DC) point is not working.
  • Software issue.
  • The battery driver is corrupt.

 

Laptop batteries have to be replaced after some time

Depending on how long you use your laptop on battery power, the battery will run out of its recharge cycle and you will have to replace it with a new battery of identical specifications. When you are close to a power source, you must try and connect the charger and continue charging the battery.

 

Check the Charger

The battery may be still good but the charger/adapter you are using to charge it may not be working properly. You should carefully run the charger cord through your fingers to check if there is any damage.

The adapter may have an LED indicator. Check if it lights up when you plug the charger. Finally, check if the DC power socket you are plugging it into for charging is receiving power supply.

 

Software Issues

There are cases where the HP laptop fails to charge due to the battery drive not functioning properly. You may have to uninstall and reinstall the drivers for the charging to be restored.

Similarly, the ’Microsoft ACPI Compliant Control Method Battery’ file may have to be uninstalled and reinstalled to check if the problem is coming from there.

 

HP Laptop Troubleshooting Chart

ProblemSolution
LED indicator is not turning on.Check the adapter for any damage.
LED indicator is on but battery not chargingCheck if the charger is plugged correctly into the power port on the laptop.
Charger good but not charging.Check the power source; change the source, try another wall socket.
Replace the battery but still not charging.Reinstall drivers and other software.

 

Why is My HP Laptop Plugged in and Not Charging?

The reason for the HP laptop not charging could be due to glitches in the power management software. You can take care of this by the following these steps:

  1. Click on Start.
  2. Type ‘Device’ in the search window that appears.
  3. Once there, select Device Manager.
  4. Select ‘Batteries’.
  5. Click on the + symbol there to expand the Batteries menu.
  6. You will find the option ‘Microsoft ACPI Compliant Control Method Battery’.
  7. Right-click on this entry and choose Uninstall.
  8. Now, go back to the taskbar in the Device Manager window and click on Action.
  9. Click on ‘Scan for hardware changes’.
  10. Windows will automatically install the missing drivers.

The above fix is applicable only if you find the message ‘Plugged in not charging’ when you go to the battery icon. Other problems have different solutions.

 

Why is My Laptop Plugged in and Not Charging?

There could be several reasons for this and this complaint is quite common. You will have to check a few things to identify and rectify the problem.

The checks should include:

  • The complete connection from the power source to the laptop’s power port.
  • The power adapter should be checked with the battery removed from the laptop.
  • Checking the drivers is the next task.
  • Check the Power & Sleep in the Windows Settings.

 

How to check if the adapter is working?

One way that you can quickly establish that it is the laptop battery which is at fault is to do as follows:

  1. First, switch the laptop off and remove the battery.
  2. On some laptops, the battery may not be boxed outside and you have to exercise care in removing the battery in such cases.
  3. Now, press the Power switch on the laptop for 15-20 seconds.
  4. This will remove the remaining power in the machine.
  5. Now, plug the adapter and power the charger.
  6. If the laptop is receiving power, you can conclude that the adapter is doing its duty and only the battery is at fault.
  7. Replace the battery.

 

Windows Power & Sleep Settings

The following routine can be carried out to make sure the Power & Sleep settings are working properly.

  1. Press the Windows key.
  2. Go to Settings.
  3. Click on System.
  4. Click on Power & Sleep entry in the System settings.
  5. If you find Related Settings, click on Additional Power Settings.
  6. Here, select Change Plan Settings.
  7. The settings there will have many entries such as Turn off the display and Put the computer to sleep.
  8. Once you have completed these settings, you must click on Save changes.

These are for the Windows driven laptop. For Macs, there are similar adjustments to settings.

If none of the above actions solved your problem, you must approach a service center.

 

How to Fix HP Laptop Not Charging When Turned Off

This is a rare occurrence but can happen. The charging of the HP laptop battery may stop when you power-off the laptop. You have to go to Settings to fix this issue.

If your HP laptop stops charging when turned off, the following steps may be followed to resolve the issue:

  1. Go to Settings after pressing the Windows key.
  2. Choose the Device Manager option under Settings.
  3. Go down to the Battery option and expand the menu.
  4. The menu option to be selected is ‘Microsoft ACPI-Compliant Control Method Battery’.
  5. Right-click on it and click on Uninstall.
  6. Now from the Action tab on the taskbar within the Device Manager window, click on ‘Scan hardware changes’. This will ensure that the right battery drivers have been reinstalled.

This should resolve the issue of the HP laptop not charging when turned off.

The above has been observed in the specific case of the E5540 battery. It can be followed in other battery types also.

 

HP Laptop Not Charging with USB-C Docking Station

The HP laptop not charging when the USB-C docking station is hooked up can be solved by downloading and installing the driver with the file name sp79353.exe. You should be able to find the download link on the HP website.

The other way you can try is to dock another PC to your laptop and see if the charging takes place.

If the above two solutions don’t work, the only option left would be to ask HP to replace the DOCK.

 

HP Laptop Won’t Charge to 100%

There can be occasions when your battery does not charge above 80 or 82%. This issue can be solved through the following steps:

  • Remove the charger.
  • Keep using the laptop until the battery charge level drops to 15%.
  • Shut down the laptop.
  • Allow a gap of 30 minutes and turn it back on.
  • Now, reinstall the ‘Microsoft ACPI-Compliant Control Method Battery driver’.

You can now restart the computer and you will find the battery charging up to 100% or at least up to 98%.

The regular checks to determine the battery condition have to be done. These include checking the adapter and charger, the power source, and the power port on the laptop.

 

HP ProBook Not Charging

The battery charging feature in the HP ProBook has been designed in such a way that as soon as the charge hits the 100% level, it stops charging. Once this happens, if you move the mouse over the battery icon on the taskbar, it will indicate ‘Plugged-in not charging’.

This is not a fault. The battery will be allowed to come down to a charge level of 94% and the charging will resume.

If your laptop is HP ProBook 4520s, you should perform the various tasks already described earlier in this article. You must check if your laptop is still under warranty and pursue with HP for replacement.

There is a possibility that the chip which facilitates the charging process has failed. This chip is on the ProBook’s system board. Now, there are two options if this happens. You have to either replace the system board or replace the chip.

A simple solution to this issue of the HP ProBook 4530s not charging involves using rubbing alcohol and a cotton ball and it has been found to work.

You must wet the cotton with alcohol and clean the connection points on your laptop. This is located at the point where the battery gets connected to the laptop. If you do this cleaning process and replace the battery in the slot and now try charging, it will work.

 

HP Pavilion not Charging

When it comes to the HP Pavilion notebooks, the HP Support Assistant usually guides you through the steps to resolve any issues. They provide links to fix the battery charging issues as well. Try them first.

If your issue of the HP Pavilion notebook not charging persists, try these BIOS reset procedures.

  • If the HP Pavilion laptop is currently switched off, power it on.
  • Press the F10 key multiple times as the booting process starts.
  • You will be taken to the BIOS setup page.
  • As you move down through the options, you will see the ‘Restore BIOS defaults’ option; click on that.
  • The laptop will ask you to confirm this action, confirm it.
  • Once this is done, you must click on the ‘Save & Exit’ button.

You have to follow the steps outlined earlier for uninstalling the ‘Microsoft ACPI Compliant Control Method Battery’ in the Device Manager.

After you have done that, continue with these steps:

  • Shutdown the HP Pavilion notebook.
  • Remove the power adapter.
  • Keep the power button pressed for a full minute.
  • Now, you can reconnect the power adapter and re-fix the battery.

These steps should solve the issue of the HP Pavilion Notebook not charging.

Ernie Lo

Ernie Lo is a qualified web designer and web developer. He works as an IT support technician and website manager at Benleigh Vending, and he also fixes vending machines.

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