# Using a laptop without a battery



## rkintn (Dec 12, 2002)

I know it's possible, but I did this before on a different brand laptop and was told I fried the motherboard when I turned the laptop off and then back on without a battery in it. The battery on my HP is going out and it will be at least a week before I can get another one. Can I safely use my laptop with just the ac adapter? Are there any special precautions I need to take if I use it with just the power cord? I have googled til my fingers are sore and can't find a straight answer.


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## Cookie2 (Feb 21, 2014)

I have a newer laptop (6 weeks?) and I have to use it without the battery in place. The darn laptop won't charge the battery. I called HP support and they sent me a new battery because their diagnostics said the battery was bad. Well the new battery wouldn't charge either. HP customer support says the battery is building up an electrostatic charge. Yeah, right!

Well, the battery does charge but the laptop doesn't know it is charging. It is a bios problem and I haven't had time to call back HP and insist they update the bios. So far I haven't fried the mother board and I doubt I will.

In the meantime the battery is sitting here in a drawer.

What to be careful of? Don't let that plug fall out or get pulled out. If it does, your laptop shuts down immediately.


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## rkintn (Dec 12, 2002)

Thank you! So you are turning it off and on with no problems with just the power cord?


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## mnn2501 (Apr 2, 2008)

You can run it with no battery.
Why do you turn it off? - my laptop at work hasn't been off for 2 years, except for the occasional (monthly or so) reboot to clear the RAM.
Only time I turn off my home computer is if we're going away for a few days.


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## Nevada (Sep 9, 2004)

I've operated laptops with completely dead batteries before. I didn't remove the dead battery though. It was just like operating a desktop computer. Just turn it on and use it. No ill effects that I'm aware of.


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## DirtyHowi (May 30, 2014)

some of the more inexpensive models will burn up the recharge circuit if there is no load on it, toshibas, acers, and HP laptops dont seem to have this problem, i have run across it on low end dells though.

generally though if the machine wont turn on with a bad battery, then running it without the battery wont hurt anything. 3rd eldest son has a friend who cant afford a new battery, he just takes it out and runs it off power, but its a toshiba so no ill effect there. some of what you buy at wally world are the low end ones that dont have proper charging circuits in them.


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