The laptop hasn't been used in three years, is there an issue with the battery?
The laptop hasn't been used in three years, is there an issue with the battery?
I own a Lenovo laptop that hasn't been used in three years. Recently I realized I needed to pay more attention to the battery. The device is now stored in a damp place and will be there for almost another three years. When should I next check it? Should I worry about chemical leakage? I plan to use it again soon but am concerned.
Laptops/electronics should NEVER be stored in a 'damp place'. First thing to do would be to remove it from the damp place and let it completely dry out. Maybe let it get warm in indirect/filtered sunlight for a few hours. (not hot - just warm)
If there's any visual signs of battery leakage DO NOT try to turn it on. You first need to take it apart to assess where the leak got to, clean it up (careful - it's acid), and put in a new battery.
There's a decent chance that the battery will be completely dead and unable to charge. You can test this after drying it out by plugging it in for a couple hours and then trying to turn it on while plugged in.
At the 3 year point, unless it was a top-o-the-line laptop back then, you may be better off getting a new laptop than spending any money on a replacement battery.
A battery left idle for three years without any charge or discharge cycles will gradually lose its ability to hold a charge, eventually refusing to accept power even when connected to a charger. Keeping electronics in a humid environment is also risky. After this long period, it would be unlikely they would try to start up.
Apologies for the mistake. It seems I was typing while handling an email, and my mind got confused. The item was kept in a cool place away from sunlight.
No one can tell how your battery is doing.
It could be okay or it could be completely dead.
After sitting unused for three years, it seems to be in a bad state.
But here it is—you still have it. There’s no cost to just check it out.
allow the laptop to reach room temperature in a dry environment for a couple of days. Then try connecting AC power and observe whether it charges or not. Be careful not to leave it unattended in case of overheating. Check if the battery can be charged. After some hours of charging, attempt to launch Windows and begin the 3-year update process. Occasionally, the BIOS backup battery may fail, but these should typically last 5 to 7 years.
I began using the laptop once more last night, marking the first time in three years. It failed to charge when plugged into AC power but did when powered on, though it took a long time to reach 0% and then quickly regained charge after about ten minutes or so. The percentage increase seemed uneven at first—rising rapidly to 9% but then settling steadily. There are two batteries inside: one external and one internal. The second battery’s status indicated charging, yet after half an hour it remained at 0%. After turning off the laptop, no charging light appeared, but after a few minutes it turned back on and showed 5% charge, which later increased steadily. Does this behavior seem typical or unusual? For both batteries, they stayed at 0% for extended periods before resuming, was this just a coincidence? And are there any tools or software available to assess the battery health?