Potential laptop battery issue

[wander]

I've recently noticed these past two days that when my battery is due to reach about 15% of battery, my laptop will switch completely off, like someone is pulling the plug on a desktop computer.

I'm fairly sure my battery is giving me incorrect info on how much is left, seeing as the laptop dies before I get a 10% and 7% warning. It's not the display going to sleep, all the lights blink off and the battery light flashes, making me think the laptop is drained when this happens, but after keeping my pointer hovered over the battery icon, it has 17-15% left in it when this happens.

So I think this is a battery calibration issue, though I'm not sure how to solve it... Can anyone help at all?

[AmberStarfire]

I don't really know how to help, wander, but I thought I might ask a few questions:

- How old is the battery?
- Can you run the laptop off the power without the battery?
- Have you tried fiddling with the battery/power settings on the control panel (if PC)?

I don't know how the calibration works but I'm sure there must be information on it online.

If it was me, I'd probably take out the battery and leave it sit until it's well and truly flat, then put it back in, make sure it's properly connected and see how far it charges.

If it was my computer, I'd draw the conclusion it's likely a dodgy battery/on the way out, but it might not be.

[The Dark Raven]

Honestly sounds like what my laptop battery did to me before it completely became a brick.  (My laptop now only runs on plugged-into-the-wall power as I have not bought a new battery.)