topic Re: Battery drain when laptop switched off in PCs & Accessories

Battery drain when laptop switched off

sunking101 — Sun, 24 Jun 2007 18:07:46 GMT

Any ideas what could be causing my VAIO battery to drain whilst the laptop is switched off? Something is causing a fairly large drain, I lose about 20% overnight and the whole thing is dead in a week. It isn't the battery, when I remove it from the laptop it doesn't drain. Laptop out of warranty (just) - any ideas???
Could it be the wifi?

Re: Battery drain when laptop switched off

Blencogo — Sun, 24 Jun 2007 18:39:31 GMT

It shouldn't drain the battery unless something gets turned on!

Are you sure the Vaio is completely switched off and not set to Standby or Hibernate. The default in Vista is Sleep which is just a standby state useful if you want to power down for a few hours only - change this to Shut Down.

Check in Device Manager that both your LAN and WLAN cannot wake the Vaio. Look in Power Management and uncheck the box "Allow this device to bring the computer out of standby".

Check in the BIOS that 'Wake on Lan' is not enabled.

Re: Battery drain when laptop switched off

sunking101 — Sun, 24 Jun 2007 23:48:12 GMT

It shouldn't drain the battery unless something gets turned on!

Are you sure the Vaio is completely switched off and not set to Standby or Hibernate. The default in Vista is Sleep which is just a standby state useful if you want to power down for a few hours only - change this to Shut Down.

Check in Device Manager that both your LAN and WLAN cannot wake the Vaio.  Look in Power Management and uncheck the box "Allow this device to bring the computer out of standby".

Check in the BIOS that 'Wake on Lan' is not enabled.

Hi, thanks for your reply and hopefully there is something to work on there. Can you give me some pointers on where to find the stuff you're on about though? I've got XP Pro and when I open Device Manager there is just a big list. I can't see LAN or WLAN on this list, only things like USB ports and display etc. Also, in Power Management, I cannot find this box to untick "Allow this device to bring the computer out of standby" - any pointers as to where this is? In the BIOS there doesn't appear to be anything. Bluetooth seems to be hidden! How would these things affect my problem though, when they mention standby? My problem is when the laptop is shut down. Thanks in advance!

Re: Battery drain when laptop switched off

sunking101 — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 16:43:59 GMT

Has anyone got any ideas on this? It's driving me nuts! I've got a laptop which drains batteries!

Re: Battery drain when laptop switched off

Blencogo — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 17:40:33 GMT

Hi sunking101,

Apologies for not replying sooner.

You are right, if your Vaio is completely turned off it is only the BIOS 'Wake on LAN' that could activate it and I suspect Sony have disabled this facility anyway.

It is beginning to sound more like a short or a power leak within the circuitry. I think I would have a work with Vaio-Link Support to see if they have heard anything similar before.

Re: Battery drain when laptop switched off

sunking101 — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 19:52:25 GMT

Hi sunking101,

Apologies for not replying sooner.

You are right, if your Vaio is completely turned off it is only the BIOS 'Wake on LAN' that could activate it and I suspect Sony have disabled this facility anyway.

It is beginning to sound more like a short or a power leak within the circuitry.  I think I would have a work with Vaio-Link Support to see if they have heard anything similar before.

Hi, how do I get hold of Vaio-Link Support?

Re: Battery drain when laptop switched off

Blencogo — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 19:56:00 GMT

Try Here: -

http://support.vaio.sony.co.uk/contacts/contacts.asp?site=voe_en_GB_cons&tp=vaio&cm=phone&cc=UK

Re: Battery drain when laptop switched off

sunking101 — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 19:26:18 GMT

Try Here: -

http://support.vaio.sony.co.uk/contacts/contacts.asp?site=voe_en_GB_cons&tp=vaio&cm=phone&cc=UK

Thanks, I will try them. Just one last question, when I switch the laptop on my bluetooth LED lights up immediately until XP has fully booted, then XP seems to turn it off (I have it switched off) - I'm just wondering if there is some way that bluetooth is stsying on when my laptop is powered down? The WLAN LED doesn't come on until XP boots so this has got me wondering. Also, as I use wifi every time I'm on my pc I never turn off the wifi switch on the front, this wouldn't have anything to do with it would it? Turning this switch on and off every time I use the laptop would put a lot of wear on the switch!

Re: Battery drain when laptop switched off

Blencogo — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 19:41:22 GMT

My AR31S does exactly the same. The Wireless Switching Utility only runs as a Scheduled Task during the OS loading and by default both are switched on.

I doubt if this is the problem. Have a word with Sony - worst case is a dodgy main board!

Re: Battery drain when laptop switched off

sunking101 — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 03:31:31 GMT

My AR31S does exactly the same.  The Wireless Switching Utility only runs as a Scheduled Task during the OS loading and by default both are switched on.

I doubt if this is the problem.  Have a word with Sony - worst case is a dodgy main board!

Sony support are USELESS. I've read it before but pity the fool whose Sony product develops a fault! I've emailed them, I've rung them but each time I get asked for my serial number and the date I bought the laptop. I can't remember the exact date so I approximate each time (the right month, just the day is wrong) and each time they say that my registration details are incorrect and that support will email me to sort it out...but they never do! I can't get through to an actual human being, it's all automated - even on the phone. I'd expect this of some third-rate electronics company but Sony? This is disgraceful! I have a problem and I want it sorting out. They're throwing bureaucratic brick walls my way and don't allow me any way of traversing them! Any advice thankfully received.

Re: Battery drain when laptop switched off

mager — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 12:06:45 GMT

Hello,
I have the same problem. The battery emptied itself, when I was on holidays for two weeks an I didnt use the computer. The e-support wasnt a big help. They said, that it seems to have a promlem with battery, but they would only change the battery within 6 months after buy. In my case it was a feew days longer than 6 months and they said that they cant do anything. I think, I will in the futur no longer buy sony-products, if they let me stay in the rain because of only a feew days out oft their limit.
So I cant help you but I can just say, that yourcase is not an only case.

Greets
Markus

Re: Battery drain when laptop switched off

sunking101 — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 01:33:55 GMT

Hello,
I have the same problem. The battery emptied itself, when I was on holidays for two weeks an I didnt use the computer. The e-support wasnt a big help. They said, that it seems to have a promlem with battery, but they would only change the battery within 6 months after buy. In my case it was a feew days longer than 6 months and they said that they cant do anything. I think, I will in the futur no longer buy sony-products, if they let me stay in the rain because of only a feew days out oft their limit.
So I cant help you but I can just say, that yourcase is not an only case.

Greets
Markus

Markus,

Do me a favour will you? Charge your battery and then remove it from the pc. Leav eit for a day and then plug it back in and see what power is left. My battery drains when connected to the pc but not when unplugged. Is it still possible that a defective battery is causing this problem?

Re: Battery drain when laptop switched off

mager — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 19:02:32 GMT

I tried, what you answered, and the result is, after 1.5 Days, that the battery-level indicates 94% (including starting the system on battery to see the amount). So it seems, that the computer is in fact the cause for battery-loss isn't it?

By the way, these times I also have the problem, that my computer hangs himself up just after the cooler becoms all of a sudden louder. May tere is a link between the two problems an the vaios have certain hardware errors?

Re: Battery drain when laptop switched off

MattWilson — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 19:15:10 GMT

Well 94% after a boot up is perfectly normal. It is exactly what i get. I find that the first 50% goes much quicker than the last 50% so as of 1.5 days it is fine.

Try leaving it longer and see if it is any different.

If you have a multimeter (Volt meter) then test the terminals of the battery to see if the voltage changes from fully charged and then you can establish what is really happening.

Re: Battery drain when laptop switched off

sunking101 — Wed, 04 Jul 2007 01:59:08 GMT

Well if I charge my battery fully and remove it from the pc for 7 days and then reconnect it and boot up, it shows approx 94%. However, when I fully charge the battery and leave it attached to the pc overnight, on boot-up after 20 hours the charge is showing 91%. This is after less than 24 hours. Along with Markus, this would point to a hardware problem with the VAIO rather than a battery issue.

Could there still be a battery issue despite it not draining when removed from the VAIO and despite it giving good long-lasting performance when in use? What test would using a voltmeter prove? Please let me know, SONY ignore my emails and I can't get past their automated system on the telephone, it keeps asking me to register but I already have! When I give the same registration details it says I have input an error and SONY support will email me...but they never do! Dreadful.

Re: Battery drain when laptop switched off

Thalamus. — Wed, 04 Jul 2007 19:01:11 GMT

Hi Sunking101,

I've escalated this to Sony, hopefully someone will be able to assist you..

Re: Battery drain when laptop switched off

sunking101 — Sun, 08 Jul 2007 00:31:46 GMT

Hi Sunking101,

I've escalated this to Sony, hopefully someone will be able to assist you..

What does excalating it to Sony do though? I had someone do that for me a couple of months ago over something else and heard nothing whatsoever. Sony are useless!

Re: Battery drain when laptop switched off

Thalamus. — Sun, 08 Jul 2007 14:58:55 GMT

Hi sunking101,

Did someone from Sony contact you regarding this problem on or around the 5th July..

Re: Battery drain when laptop switched off

sunking101 — Sun, 08 Jul 2007 17:34:07 GMT

Hi sunking101,

Did someone from Sony contact you regarding this problem on or around the 5th July..

Not at all! By what method did they try to contact me?

Re: Battery drain when laptop switched off

Thalamus. — Sun, 08 Jul 2007 18:45:07 GMT

Hi sunking101,

Did someone from Sony contact you regarding this problem on or around the 5th July.. 


Not at all! By what method did they try to contact me?

Hi sunking101

I'm sorry to hear that you've not been contacted...

Thanks for the PM by the way, Sony would normally use the contact details that you entered when you registered your Vaio..

As far as I know they usually try to phone..