Do I just need a new battery?

[scubaslim]

I have a Toshiba Satellite L455 with a 12 cell battery I got off eBay. Up until this afternoon, the battery lasted forever. All of a sudden, the computer turns off after 5 seconds or so after unplugging it. The battery meters says it's at 100%. It doesn't turn off when plugged it. Do batteries just die like that? Do I just need a new battery or could it be something more serious?

As a probably unrelated side note, the network card has been acting up a lot lately. Constantly disconnecting.

Any help would be great. thanks

 

[C12Friedman]

It very well may be the battery needs replacement. Try removing the battery and using the laptop plugged in. Then turn off, replace the battery and see if it works then.
Your battery showing 100%, along with your NIC acting up may be signs of the beginning of more serious issues - don't know, just something to keep in mind.

 

[scubaslim]

sorry its taken me awhile to get back on here. I did what you said but instead of replacing it with a new battery -- just put the current one back in. everything seemed to working smoothly for over a week (with the exception of the battery meter almost always reading 100%). today i just randomly died again. I tried the steps you mentioned again, but this time it didn't work. with the battery in, the battery meter reads 0% and charging, but it never leaves 0% and won't turn on without being plugged in.

any ideas?

 

[C12Friedman]

If you are able to run okay with the laptop plugged in, then the battery is in need of replacement. As a rule batteries die somewhat slowly, cells go bad, voltage or amperage or both drop (not enough not to work at first) but with time, more cells go bad. There are websites and videos on how to test, repair and rebuild your batteries if you are interested... not something for a beginner though, although not too difficult.
Best bet at this point, replace battery.

 

[scubaslim]

Best answer selected by scubaslim.