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Critical battery low

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4 replies

by jay_linskey

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I am working on thinkpad T20. During Power up either plugged in to an AC outlet or without
I get "Critical battery low error" and then shuts down. I can't even get into the bios. I've used a volt meter on the battery and it checks O.K.
This is my first time troubleshooting a laptop
(IBM) I'd like to know my next steps.

4 replies

by alpha-male

I've seen this sort of thing when a battery is dead flat (or bad). Leave the machine plugged in for a couple of hours without being turned on and see if the battery takes a charge. If not, then replace it. If it does get enough power to bring the system up, you may be fine.

Another consideration is that there may be a problem with the AC adapter and the system is not utilizing it (or charging the battery from it). If your problem persists after letting the system charge for a while, you may want to swap it also. If the other adapter has the same issue, you will have to send the laptop off for repairs.

Good luck! Hope this helps....

by hjs

Try to boot it without the battery installed, I have a lot of IBM's that will not boot at all with a bad battery installed. hjs

by jay_linskey

The user already went that route thinking it was a bad battery and bought a brand new one. I left it charging over night. I didn't try swapping the AC adapter. But I don't have one readily available. I'll have to dig one up.

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