Computer Help and Support

left-of-center2012

(34,195 posts) Fri Nov 17, 2017, 05:46 PM Nov 2017

How (why) did this work?

I had been busy for a few hours, doing laundry, etc. Then about 30 minutes ago I grabbed my laptop but when I pushed the power button nothing happened.
I can run it either on a battery source, or with the power (electricity) cord. I tried each, but I had no power and couldn't turn on my laptop.

There is a tiny light on the side of the laptop. If it is fully charged, the light is white. If I’ve been using it on the battery, as the power drains, the light is yellow.
I looked at the light and it had no color.

Long story short (too late), I used Google on my smart phone and found the solution.

1. Remove the battery
2. Disconnect the power cord
3. Hold down the power button for 15 seconds.
4. Reinstall the battery, and connect the power cord
5. Push down the power button, to turn on the laptop

Now it’s working fine.
I don't know why or how removing all power sources makes the power work again.

I thought my laptop had died, and it was either pay to fix it or replace it.

19 replies

= new reply since forum marked as read

Highlight:

How (why) did this work? (Original Post) left-of-center2012 Nov 2017 OP

It was futzed. You had to unfutz it. n/t PoliticAverse Nov 2017 #1

(...having a bad-chip day.............) lastlib Nov 2017 #17

A guess canetoad Nov 2017 #2

"may have been stuck in hibernation or stand-by" left-of-center2012 Nov 2017 #8

It ran out of power in hibernation or just got stuck in hibernation Egnever Nov 2017 #9

"It ran out of power in hibernation" left-of-center2012 Nov 2017 #10

Or got stuck in hibernation Egnever Nov 2017 #14

I think that is what I had to do with my BigmanPigman Nov 2017 #3

I had to do that with my husbands desktop one time, only with no battery shraby Nov 2017 #4

Have had similar experiences... but who knows why taking the battery out and bagelsforbreakfast Nov 2017 #5

There are reasons. earthshine Nov 2017 #11

"The batteries have programmed chips. " Thanks - would not have guessed at bagelsforbreakfast Nov 2017 #12

I had one of my work laptops do something similar. I had accidentally let it unplug behind and not brewens Nov 2017 #6

It did not need 'charging' left-of-center2012 Nov 2017 #7

Call the manufacturer and ask them emulatorloo Nov 2017 #13

From the HP site: billh58 Nov 2017 #15

Excellent. Thank you left-of-center2012 Nov 2017 #16

Is its name "HAL", by any chance??...? lastlib Nov 2017 #18

To do intelligent charging, the computer has to know what "Zero volts" is. Thor_MN Nov 2017 #19

PoliticAverse

(26,366 posts)

1. It was futzed. You had to unfutz it. n/t

Reply to left-of-center2012 (Original post)

Fri Nov 17, 2017, 05:48 PM

Nov 2017

lastlib

(24,928 posts)

17. (...having a bad-chip day.............)

Reply to PoliticAverse (Reply #1)

Fri Nov 17, 2017, 10:29 PM

Nov 2017

canetoad

(18,134 posts)

2. A guess

Reply to left-of-center2012 (Original post)

Fri Nov 17, 2017, 05:50 PM

Nov 2017

The laptop may have been stuck in hibernation or stand-by. This did a reset.

left-of-center2012

(34,195 posts)

8. "may have been stuck in hibernation or stand-by"

Reply to canetoad (Reply #2)

Fri Nov 17, 2017, 06:12 PM

Nov 2017

Possible.
But that little light on the side being off?

Egnever

(21,506 posts)

9. It ran out of power in hibernation or just got stuck in hibernation

Reply to left-of-center2012 (Reply #8)

Fri Nov 17, 2017, 06:26 PM

Nov 2017

Not unusual at all.

Removing the battery with no power connected to it allowed it to do a clean restart.

If you want to avoid it happening in the future just disable hibernation.

https://www.cnet.com/how-to/how-to-enable-or-disable-hibernate-in-windows-10/

left-of-center2012

(34,195 posts)

10. "It ran out of power in hibernation"

Reply to Egnever (Reply #9)

Fri Nov 17, 2017, 06:30 PM

Nov 2017

No, the moment I did the procedure the laptop showed 100% power.

Egnever

(21,506 posts)

14. Or got stuck in hibernation

Reply to left-of-center2012 (Reply #10)

Fri Nov 17, 2017, 06:42 PM

Nov 2017

again not unusual at all. Windows has a history of finicky hibernation. you might check the manufacturers website to see if there is a update for the bios that addresses that.

You are certainly welcome to believe what you like but that is what more than likely happened.

By removing all power sources and pushing the power button you discharge all the power in the laptop which clears the memory and forces a fresh boot up.

BigmanPigman

(52,284 posts)

3. I think that is what I had to do with my

Reply to left-of-center2012 (Original post)

Fri Nov 17, 2017, 05:56 PM

Nov 2017

router or modem too.

shraby

(21,946 posts)

4. I had to do that with my husbands desktop one time, only with no battery

Reply to left-of-center2012 (Original post)

Fri Nov 17, 2017, 05:59 PM

Nov 2017

to mess with, but disconnect hold down the power button, reconnect and turn it on. Doesn't sound like it would do anything, but it does.

bagelsforbreakfast

(1,427 posts)

5. Have had similar experiences... but who knows why taking the battery out and

Reply to left-of-center2012 (Original post)

Fri Nov 17, 2017, 06:05 PM

Nov 2017

then putting it back in undoes the "Futz"?

earthshine

(1,642 posts)

11. There are reasons.

Reply to bagelsforbreakfast (Reply #5)

Fri Nov 17, 2017, 06:34 PM

Nov 2017

The batteries have programmed chips. That programming could have crashed. Breaking the circuit resets those chips.

More likely is that there was just enough juice in the battery to keep the laptop from totally resetting.

On a desktop, one may have to kill the power to do a total (cold) restart. The battery on a laptop or phone makes that step a bit more difficult.

bagelsforbreakfast

(1,427 posts)

12. "The batteries have programmed chips. " Thanks - would not have guessed at

Reply to earthshine (Reply #11)

Fri Nov 17, 2017, 06:37 PM

Nov 2017

that!

brewens

(15,359 posts)

6. I had one of my work laptops do something similar. I had accidentally let it unplug behind and not

Reply to left-of-center2012 (Original post)

Fri Nov 17, 2017, 06:05 PM

Nov 2017

noticed until it died. Plugging it back in and starting it did not work. I just changed out the laptop and plugged it in to charge when i got the chance and it seemed to work normally. I thought it should work fine when I just plugged it back in in the first place. I guess it needed to get just a little head start charging before it could run?

left-of-center2012

(34,195 posts)

7. It did not need 'charging'

Reply to brewens (Reply #6)

Fri Nov 17, 2017, 06:11 PM

Nov 2017

As soon as I did the procedure,
it turned on,
and showed 100% charge.

emulatorloo

(45,569 posts)

13. Call the manufacturer and ask them

Reply to left-of-center2012 (Reply #7)

Fri Nov 17, 2017, 06:38 PM

Nov 2017

They are better equipped to answer yr questions

billh58

(6,641 posts)

15. From the HP site:

Reply to left-of-center2012 (Original post)

Fri Nov 17, 2017, 08:29 PM

Nov 2017

A power reset (or hard restart) clears all information from the computer's memory without erasing any personal data. Performing a power reset might fix conditions such as Windows not responding, a blank display, software freezing, keyboard stops responding, or other external devices locking up.

https://support.hp.com/ph-en/document/c01684768#c01684768_removablebatt

And then it goes on to outline the exact same steps that you used.

left-of-center2012

(34,195 posts)

16. Excellent. Thank you

Reply to billh58 (Reply #15)

Fri Nov 17, 2017, 09:33 PM

Nov 2017

Especially since my laptop is a HP.

lastlib

(24,928 posts)

18. Is its name "HAL", by any chance??...?

Reply to left-of-center2012 (Original post)

Fri Nov 17, 2017, 10:35 PM

Nov 2017

Did you check the AE-35 unit for possible failure? You might need to do an EVA to replace it......watch out for those black rectangular boxes, though..........

Thor_MN

(11,843 posts)

19. To do intelligent charging, the computer has to know what "Zero volts" is.

Reply to left-of-center2012 (Original post)

Tue Nov 21, 2017, 10:42 AM

Nov 2017

The circuit can get confused and think the fully charged battery is "zero volts" and refuse to start.

The procedure you did was to remove (almost) all power and tell the computer, hey >THIS< is zero volts. Once reset, it's back to normal, until the reference point drifts again. Lots of laptops are discarded because "It won't charge" are actually in this situation.

Reply to this discussion