{"id":1721,"date":"2019-01-25T07:00:15","date_gmt":"2019-01-25T12:00:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/langa.com\/?p=1721"},"modified":"2019-01-24T16:06:23","modified_gmt":"2019-01-24T21:06:23","slug":"a-reader-asks-my-laptop-only-charges-when-it-is-plugged-in-while-turned-off-if-turned-on-it-runs-but-wont-charge-what-do-i-do","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/2019\/01\/25\/a-reader-asks-my-laptop-only-charges-when-it-is-plugged-in-while-turned-off-if-turned-on-it-runs-but-wont-charge-what-do-i-do\/","title":{"rendered":"A reader asks: “My laptop only charges when it is plugged in while turned off. If turned on, it runs but won’t charge. What do I do?”"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

If this is a new problem — if the laptop used to charge normally — your battery is likely showing its age. It’s now requiring more power to recharge, and is overtaxing the power supply, leaving you with an either-or choice — charge the battery or<\/strong><\/em> run the PC.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A new battery will likely restore normal operation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If it’s always been that way — if you’ve never been able to charge and run at the same time — then it’s either a design issue (check the owner’s documentation for charging limitations), or a malfunction with the charger itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If the former, there’s nothing you can do. If the latter, a new power supply of equal or greater capacity should do the trick.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(And by the way, make sure everything’s plugged in tight. Sometimes, a plug that looks tight won’t be, and the poor connection can cause a variety of weird power effects!)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Permalink: https:\/\/langa.com\/?p=1721<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Want to ask Fred a question? Have a comment? Click here!<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Want free notification of new content like this? Click here<\/a>!<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If this is a new problem — if the laptop used to charge normally — your battery is likely showing its age. It’s now requiring more power to recharge, and is overtaxing the power supply, leaving you with an either-or choice — charge the battery or run the PC. A new battery will likely restore…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[7,10,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1721","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-a-reader-asks","category-science-and-tech","category-windows"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paaiox-rL","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1214,"url":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/2018\/12\/03\/a-reader-asks-why-wont-my-laptop-charge-when-its-running-it-only-charges-when-its-off\/","url_meta":{"origin":1721,"position":0},"title":"A reader asks: Why won’t my laptop charge when it’s running? It only charges when it’s off.","author":"Fred Langa","date":"2018-12-03","format":false,"excerpt":"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\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "A reader asks..."","block_context":{"text":"A reader asks...","link":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/category\/a-reader-asks\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1222,"url":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/2018\/12\/04\/q-when-a-laptop-is-plugged-in-how-does-the-battery-get-charged-and-the-laptop-get-powered-simultaneously\/","url_meta":{"origin":1721,"position":1},"title":"A reader asks: When a laptop is plugged in, how does the battery get charged and the laptop get powered simultaneously?","author":"Fred Langa","date":"2018-12-04","format":false,"excerpt":"Q*: \"When a laptop is plugged in, how does the battery get charged and the laptop get powered simultaneously?\" A: There are, in effect, two parallel circuits in most laptops; and the laptop's OEM charger is sized to provide enough power for both. When your laptop is turned on and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "A reader asks..."","block_context":{"text":"A reader asks...","link":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/category\/a-reader-asks\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2040,"url":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/2019\/02\/14\/a-reader-asks-how-do-i-unfreeze-my-laptop-ive-pressed-ctrl-shift-del-but-it-did-not-work\/","url_meta":{"origin":1721,"position":2},"title":"A reader asks: “How do I unfreeze my laptop? I’ve pressed ctrl-shift-del but it did not work.”","author":"Fred Langa","date":"2019-02-14","format":false,"excerpt":"If a laptop is completely unresponsive to normal keys and switches, your only option is to kill the power. Try pressing and holding down the PC's power button for 15 seconds or so: Many electronic devices (not just PCs) will perform a forced power-off after the power button is continuously\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "A reader asks..."","block_context":{"text":"A reader asks...","link":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/category\/a-reader-asks\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3686,"url":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/2019\/11\/01\/if-i-charge-my-mobile-phone-from-a-laptop-will-the-battery-charge-last-longer\/","url_meta":{"origin":1721,"position":3},"title":"“If I charge my mobile phone from a laptop, will the battery charge last longer?”","author":"Fred Langa","date":"2019-11-01","format":false,"excerpt":"(Answer requested by Dinju Sebastian) No. Amps are amps; volts are volts; watts are watts. Doesn't matter where they come from. Your phone treats your PC-provided power as just another recharge source. There are no unusual effects on the phone\u2019s battery from PC-delivered power, as compared to power delivered by\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "A reader asks..."","block_context":{"text":"A reader asks...","link":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/category\/a-reader-asks\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1237,"url":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/2018\/12\/05\/a-reader-suggests-caution-re-laptop-use\/","url_meta":{"origin":1721,"position":4},"title":"A reader suggests caution re: laptop use","author":"Fred Langa","date":"2018-12-05","format":false,"excerpt":"A recent spate of questions concerning laptops\/notebooks (see list at end) prompted this note from frequent correspondent* Tony Luxton: \u201cIt\u2019s worth pointing out that 'laptop' is a terrible name (I can remember when they were called \u2018desktop replacements\u2019). The one place you shouldn\u2019t use a laptop is on your lap;\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Reader Comment"","block_context":{"text":"Reader Comment","link":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/category\/reader-comment\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2913,"url":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/2019\/06\/07\/what-is-the-best-way-to-charge-several-devices-at-once-on-usb\/","url_meta":{"origin":1721,"position":5},"title":"“What is the best way to charge several devices at once on USB?”","author":"Fred Langa","date":"2019-06-07","format":false,"excerpt":"A good externally powered USB hub --- that is, one with its own separate power supply --- is what you need. The external power is key because USB is fundamentally a data transfer standard, not a battery-charging standard. Charging takes a lot more power than data-transfer; a PC's built-in USB\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "A reader asks..."","block_context":{"text":"A reader asks...","link":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/category\/a-reader-asks\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/external-usb-hub.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1721","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1721"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1721\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1759,"href":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1721\/revisions\/1759"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1721"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1721"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1721"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}