Laptop Plugged, Not Charging 1%

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My HP laptop says "1% Plugged, Not Charging."
I searched HP and found instructions to take out battery
and swab it down with alcohol.

If the battery is that long piece at the bottom of the back,
controlled by a moving bar/lock, then that's what I did.
I used a small hospital small swab and wiped everything
I could see, including pins.

Result: zilch.

What should I do? HP seemed to suggest a new battery which I can't afford.
Unless they're really cheap.

What should I do now? This is my only computer.

Sounds like it could be a failing battery if it is a few years old but there are a few other things you can do to check.

https://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Notebooks ... -p/5122059

It can also be the power cable, for some models in particular, I had to get a new one every 2 years or so.

Can you not just use it plugged in?

My laptop battery isn't charging either so I keep it plugged into the mains whilst I'm using it.

I had an old HP years ago. I had to remove the battery before it would work whilst plugged into the mains. My current Dell doesn't require battery removal to work.

So far, after the battery got to 0%, the laptop works plugged into the mains. I think I'll let it do that.

I did look at batteries on eBay but I have to find the model number of the laptop. That seems like a Herculean chore and that's why I'll not pursue batteries if it'll work with the plug, which it does.

Something weird happened. Last Friday, I sent an e-mail to a computer repair shop unknown to me. I asked if they could fix the battery problem. I got an automated acknowledgement but nothing else. Yesterday I got a phone call from "Ken at your computer company" who told me there's a serious security problem that must be addressed immediately. He said he had questions to save my security, the first one was "Are you the only one who uses your computer?" I was just out of a dead sleep so I asked if he got my e-mail. He said no and repeated his speech, loud and fast, very pushy. So I said, "I'm sorry, I have to hang up now, goodbye." I haven't heard anything since.

Lithium ion batteries only get a certain number of recharges before they die permanently. You have to expect that you will need to replace your battery eventually. I don't think replacing a laptop battery is all that expensive. Should only be like $20-$30. I haven't actually checked the price though.

Well if it works when plugged in then just do that for now probably. That said it might not be a terrible idea to maybe look into a new computer...I know that can be hard if you are on a low budget, but if your computer is having issues now then maybe if you can save a bit of money for a few months you could afford a new laptop.

I had an HP for a while, and well IDK I just don't really trust the HP computers...seems like they are kind of prone to errors. I had an HP laptop but before that we had an HP desktop at my house and seemed like I had to reboot it due to issues every couple of months, that was in the early 2000s but still I just haven't had great experiences with HP computers. Currently I have an Acer laptop and I really like it, granted this one is starting to slow down some and so I am sure I will want to upgrade eventually and I would probably upgrade with another Acer.

I mean how old is your laptop? They don't function well forever so even with plugging it in at all times instead of using the battery at some point you will need a new laptop. Like I literally just checked my 3-4 year old laptop and it doesn't have that battery its all just internal. So I am assuming its older laptops that still have the battery. So may be time to start looking for an upgrade.

I once had a Sony Viao that I got 2nd hand. It was 5 years old when I got it and I had it another 5 years till the hard drive started clicking. Kept it another year through the occasional clicking and occasional crashing and eventually it wouldn't boot up. That was just last year.

I bought a 2nd hand Dell off eBay, prob 4 years old, for £100, and although the battery has gone it's been a good runner.

I dont mind running things into the ground. I like to wring my moneys worth out of them.

Since I'm a cybertwit, I have adopted one rule that I think has saved me hassles over the years - buy everything so they match. That's why everything I own is HP. Anything where I don't have to understand is a good thing. It could as well have been something else - if I had started with Dell then everything would be Dell - or whatever.

My Laptop's still going ok on being plugged in. See, I never took it anywhere. It stays on the desk forever. What a waste of a battery. Because it was plugged in all the time. I'm a slow learner. I still operate as 25 years ago - don't have an iPod or iPhone and my itsy-bitsy phone is minimal, though I did take a pic with it once. Damn I'm turning into my mother - she couldn't work the VCR.

I like that expression- cybertwit! I’m at the “dangerous “ level with technology. I know a bit and want to know more, but ...... I liked computers back when they were DOS based. I was able to revive the computer after I had buggered it up by adding or deleting code. I usually use my iPad now, but I still have my IBM Thinkpad that runs on Windows 98!

^ Interesting reference to a Thinkpad. I feel that older Thinkpads and Dell Latitudes might be a smart way to go. In the UK at least, they can be picked up for under £100, often with an i3 or i5 processor, and can be upgraded to 8GB RAM very cheaply. I recently bought a T430 Thinkpad with an i5 for £90, and an e5410 Latitude with an i3 for £72. The batteries on these were fine, but replacements are available on Amazon for £20-£30, though admittedly it's a bit of a lottery and prospective purchasers should definitely do some research in this area.

1) Disconnect your laptop’s power plug.

2) Shut down your laptop.

3) Remove your laptop’s battery.

4) Reconnect your laptop’s power plug.

5) Power on your laptop with the power key.

6) On your keyboard, press the Windows logo key

and X at the same time to open the quick-access menu.

7) Click Device Manager.

In Batteries section, right-click on your battery driver, commonly it’s Microsoft ACPI-Compliant Control Method Battery. Then click Uninstall device.

9) Shut down your laptop again and then disconnect the power plug.

10) Insert the battery to your laptop and then reconnect the power plug.

11) Power on your laptop and when it boots into your Windows, your battery driver would be reinstalled automatically

Let me know if you have any trouble with those instructions.
My work has over 16,000 HP laptops on the network so I've seen all the problems they can offer.
Hope the dental work went ok