Macbook "battery is not charging"

[bob_loblaw]

For some strange reason, my Macbook battery is not charging. It work with the Magsafe plugged in but the status shows it as "Battery is not charging" and is at 0%.

And of course it's out of warranty being it's a 1st gen MacBook and over 1.5 years old with no AppleCare. I've searched around and it might either be the battery or the logicboard thats causing the problems.

Any ideas what I might try?

[APH-Alex]

Who's in your sig?

[bob_loblaw]

I love your reply :laugh:

Hayden Panettiere aka Claire aka the cheerleader.

edit: Sweet, 1000th post.

[APH-Alex]

:p Gratz on teh 1k

[Cormier6083]

Is the light on the Magsafe plug on?

[bob_loblaw]

Yea the light is green. Status shows it as 0% charged.

[dreamsINdigital]

Is there a X on the battery icon? How many charge cycles is on the battery?

You could try resetting the PMU.

It might be defective. If so, they should replace it for free.

[bob_loblaw]

There is no X, it just shows the regular plug icon. System Profiler shows it has 59 cycles on it.

I tried resetting the PMU by holding down the power button (with and without battery) but it doesn't make any sounds to tell me if it completed.

Will Apple replace it for free without warranty?

[crazzy88ss]

i don't think 59 cycles is very high.

[shihchiun]

i don't think 59 cycles is very high.

Yeah, but MacBook/MacBook Pro batteries aren't exactly known for lasting a long time. Check out the reviews for replacement batteries at the online Apple store - there are quite a few people who've had their batteries die within a year.

[CPressland]

My cycle count is on 275 cycles and i've only had the MacBook for 4 months, mine still charges properly, So I think in your case, overuse is not part of the problem.

Yeah I think the best thing you could do would be buy a new one.

Does the battery have any charge at all? Try shutting down the Mac, unplugging it and powering it up on battery just to see what happens, if it runs, try booting off your Mac OS X disc (because thats safer then running off the hard drive) and draining the power down to absolute zero then try charging again. Hell you could try booting onto the disc then unplugging it.

[bob_loblaw]

the macbook won't power up without the MagSafe plugged in. I'll try to power it up without the battery when I get home.

[jpeaus]

I had this recently. Just take it to an Apple store and they should replace it. Mine is about 1.4 years old.

[bob_loblaw]

Good to hear. I'll see if I can get the same luck next time I'm up to my Apple store.

[Bennifer]

i've got a similar issue. it stopped charging. it only works when plugged in the wall. apple sent me a replacement battery that still wont charge. ive tried it with a different wall charger and it wont charge. it needs a new logic board apparently but im only back for a few weeks over xmas so ill have to wait until summer when i dont have critical work to do for coursework so i can get it sorted as they are swamped at this period. gah!

[iconboy]

does applecare cover batteries?

[dior_addict]

It should, that's how I got mine replaced.

[Wannes]

Yup it does but he has no AppleCare anymore.

You could reset the PMU. Remove your battery, remove your adapter, hold the powerbutton for 5 seconds, mount everything again and boot up.

[bob_loblaw]

Well it turns out it was the battery. I went up to the Apple store today to have them take a look at it. Switched it for another demo battery and works like a charm. So they ordered me a new one since they don't have any in stock.

What's even better is that they're doing it under some "quality program" so the service and replacement is completely free. God I love Apple customer service.