Battery LED is flashing. Do I need to replace my battery?

[Navi]

It flashes even when my Thinkpad is plugged into the power. Is my battery dying? Do I need a new one?

[w0qj]

Err... What model is your ThinkPad?

And may we presume that you are using ThinkPad battery (not those no-name battery "replacements")?

[TheForgottenKing]

Flashing orange? Probably. Check the health

[tallishbloke]

Hi. Perhaps I can piggy-back on this query . . . ?

I have an R400 (a lovely machine) that has been in a cupboard for a long time with its battery attached. It starts and runs with an AC adapter (90W) plugged in, but the battery won't charge. Running Windows 10, the tray icon says: "0% available (plugged in, not charging)" and, indeed, the battery doesn't charge. I installed the Lenovo Diagnostics utility which tells me, with the short test, that the battery passes a health test and has about 35Wh of capacity out of a nominal 54Wh. However, I can't run the extended test that involves discharging and recharging the battery because the machine shuts off immediately if I turn off the AC power. I encountered a similar problem once before with a new old laptop (not Lenovo) and eventually got it to start charging by (I think) repeatedly disabling the battery driver in Device Manager - however, I can't remember the exact procedure and I don't know if it would work with a Thinkpad. Any ideas, anyone? I'm sure I'm not the first person to encounter this problem : (

[ajkula66]

Welcome to the forum!

Any ideas, anyone? I'm sure I'm not the first person to encounter this problem : (

This generation of batteries is well-known for dropping dead out of the blue, the controller chip simply "decides" that it's no longer safe to charge the battery and that's it. Replace the battery. In the meantime run the machine on AC only, or you risk damaging the charging circuit on the motherboard.

[tallishbloke]

Ah. Thanks for the tip.
On the one hand, that's bad news. But, on the other hand, it means I don't have to waste any more time fiddling about - just cough up for a new battery, if there is such a thing.
Cheers.