Q*: “How do I fix my laptop? When it is turned on and I plug it in, it will not charge, and will only charge when it is plugged in while turned off. What’s going on?”
A: The most common cause for this is an aging battery that draws too much power when recharging; the PC circuitry shuts down to protect itself.
Here’s how to test for this: Remove the battery, and then plug the laptop to the wall normally, turn it on, and see what happens.
Most laptops run fine with the battery removed, as long as the laptop is powered by its charger/power supply connected to the wall socket. So, if your laptop runs OK with the battery removed, you’ve almost certainly proved that the battery is the problem.
(Relatedly, is your battery life much less than when the laptop was new? If so, that would be a secondary corroboration of the battery being the source of your electrical problems.)
The solution is to buy a replacement battery. Follow the manufacturer’s recommendations for first charge (usually a long, slow initial charge is best) , and you should be good to go.
If the laptop won’t run while plugged in with the battery removed, the problem is likely with the laptop’s internal power regulation circuitry; or with the charger/power supply itself.
A simple empirical test would be to borrow or buy a replacement charger/power supply (you can get used ones cheaply on e-Bay); try to get an exact match, or at least one that can provide the same output voltage and amperage as your original (read the back of the charger housing for this info); and, of course, with the same-shaped plugs and sockets.
If a replacement charger/power supply doesn’t help, your laptop needs professional repair — fixing the charging circuitry is beyond handyman skills and tools.
But I’m betting you’ll find that the problem is simply an aging battery. Replacing the battery should get you going properly again.
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Another possibility is using a charger/power supply with insufficient Watts rating to run the laptop AND charge the battery at the same time. For example many laptops will run on a 45W charger, but need a 60W or 90W charger to run the laptop and charge the battery at the same time.