Saga of the laptop tech support

[thistlechaser]

The new AC adapter came today. I installed it, and not only did it not fix the issue, it made it worse. It went from "98% (plugged in, not charging)" to 94%. So I called tech support again. Call went something like this:

Me: Hi, I called in over the weekend, had (problem), they thought it was an issue with the AC adapter, so they sent me. That didn't fix the problem.
Guy: Yes. Your AC adapter wasn't the problem.

Duh?

Anyway. Now they say it's the battery, so they're sending me a new one. Luckily it's under warranty.

Question! This is likely a stupid question, but I've never had a laptop before. Last time I called Toshiba tech support (when I first had this issue, months ago), I asked if the machine would still work if the battery dropped to 0% but it was still plugged in. They told me no. Thus I've been in a panic about this! However, googling (and logic) tells me the that that should be incorrect: If it's plugged in, even if the battery is 0%, it should work? Another case of their support sucking or will it really stop working when it hits 0% even if it's plugged in?

I use it only as a desktop machine, the darned thing is bigger than any desktop machine I've owned, I wouldn't try to take it anywhere with me, so if that's the case then this really isn't an awful issue.

Comments

[awhisperofdusk.livejournal.com]

It's not a stupid question at all! My old laptop's done this before. It'll keep running. IIRC, it was an issue with the battery. I hope the battery they send you fixes it. :t It sucks being unable to move the laptop while on.

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Ah, thanks! Good to know!

[mithas.livejournal.com]

As long as it's plugged in the laptop will work even if the battery isn't on the laptop. I take out my laptop battery all the time if I leave the laptop plugged in for extended periods of time.

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Perfect! Maybe I'll just leave the battery out, if I'm going to leave it plugged in all the time.

Thanks! :)

[elo-sf.livejournal.com]

Not to be contrary, but it really depends on the laptop. Most will work without the battery, but not all. Sometimes there is a deeper problem with the power management system.

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Ah, well that's good to know! I'm going to poke around on Google and see if I can find out which applies to my model.

Thanks!

[voidmagus.livejournal.com]

Seconding Elo's sentiment. Some laptops (not many, but some I've seen) charge the battery and draw from the battery to power the laptop. If battery = 0% and plugged in, still won't power on if battery won't charge.

Simple test- remove battery, plug in laptop, attempt to power on.

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

That's my plan! The new battery fixed the issue. Though oddly, behavior changed: Used to be, the message would be "battery: 100% (plugged in, charging)" now it's "battery: Fully charged (100%)". Not sure what's up with that, though I suspect it's evidence the issue really was with the battery.