I have an HP8230 laptop. It seems the battery went "bad" as it will not turn on with or without the battery. My question is... should I be able to use the AC cord without the battery or does it need the battery to turn on?

It should work just fine with the power plugged in and the battery out. If that is not the case, it could be the adapter itself, or something more serious.

The age of the laptop could also be a factor. I think the average lifespan of a laptop is something like 4 years.

Anyone else? Could it be the motherboard?

I'm certainly not an expert, but a while back when my laptop suddenly turned itself off one day and wouldn't go back on, we took it back to best buy and they said it was the motherboard.

Does it turn on when you have the battery in it? Or is it that it doesn't turn on at all anytime?

It's not turning on at all. With or without the battery.

Ok, things to check.

1) there should be a LED on there to show that the laptop is charging. If the battery is in and you plug the adaptor into it does the led light come on to indicate charging?

2) have you tried pressing multiple times on the "power on" button. Like try to bounce it rapidly like 5 times?

Its possible that the button is bad and everything else is OK. Those little bubbles on the motherboard can wear out.

1) No light comes on
2) Yes, I've tried that.

Ok, do you know anyone that has a laptop like yours ?

If no light is coming on and the battery is as dead as you say then the powersupply is bad. (the thing you plug into it)

Hey J,

Do you have a battery charger or "Brick" as it's normally called?

Do you have a multi meter?

A common failure is that the brick (a transformer that converts the AC input to a DC output) has either failed or a wire to/or from the brick has failed. This causes the battery not to charge inside the laptop and eventually the battery will completley discharge. Normally I would expect to see some pop up warnings saying that the battery is dying out, did you see any such message?

If you have a meter, set the meter on "DC" for a range as close to 30 VDC as you can get.

Plug the brick into the wall receptacle. Read the electrical specs on the bottom of the brick. What you are looking for is the "OUTPUT DC voltage = XX".

Once you know what the output should be, place the red probe from the meter into the plug of the wire that goes into the laptop. With the black probe, touch the outside of the plug. You should read the same amount as was listed on the bottom of the brick.

If you see nothing, the next test is to place the meter into AC mode and test both the receptacle and the cord (if it disconnects from the brick) for the proper voltage.

If you see the correct output voltage from the transformer than the problem is within the laptop.

Unfortunately I don't know anyone with a laptop like mine.

Here is one for pretty cheap too.

HP Compaq nc8230 AC Adapter - HP Compaq nc8230 Laptop AC Adapter [3rd Party OEM Compatible](1610003B) :: Best Sellers :: On Sale :: XtreamGadgets.com (http://www.xtreamgadgets.com/product.php?productid=156525)

We have a new adapter. I don't think that's the problem. We kept getting a message telling us our battery was low, then it wouldn't turn on anymore.:mad:

You might also take it to a local radio shack or anywhere they sell laptops and ask them to plug it in for you. They may also sell adaptors too.

Another thing is to check it and see if there is a break in the wire near the end. If you or hubby can use an ohm meter you can check it and see. If it's a break in the wire you can use the good part and cut out the bad part and solder it together.

We have a new adapter. I don't think that's the problem. We kept getting a message telling us our battery was low, then it wouldn't turn on anymore.:mad:

Under normal conditions it should at least attempt to charge and if your adaptor is new then your next step is to have it checked out by a professional. Its also possible there is something wrong with the plug connection. Its unusual that everything goes at once.

Hey Cal,

If they find a break from the brick to the laptop (most likley it will occur near the plug or at the output end of the brick where the wire bends are sharper because of coiling) they would need to first isolate the shield from the power cable, solder the power cable and wrap it with tape or shrink wrap (I prefer shrink wrap) and then do the same for the shield and then bundle and tape the repair.

J- You would need to use electrical solder, not plumber solder.

J,

If you have a new adapter, is it the one that's listed for you laptop?

Also, it is possible that it is defective.

J,

To piggy back on Cal's thought about the laptop receptacle, I have worked on at least three laptops (Toshiba's) where the owners have dropped the laptop on one of its corners.

That caused the ground pin to shift off the receptacle. All I had to do to fix it was to reposition the ground connector in the laptop.

J,

To piggy back on Cal's thought about the laptop receptacle, I have worked on at least three laptops (Toshiba's) where the owners have dropped the laptop on one of its corners.

That caused the ground pin to shift off of the receptacle. All I had to do to fix it was to reposition the ground connector in the laptop.

They go bad all the time. And it makes for an easy sale to just tell people that the motherboard is the problem. Fun to solder back on the board too ;)

Hubby used a voltage meter on the brick... all is well on that end. Can't say that it's ever been dropped.

On hold with HP right now.

Good Luck. Wish you were closer Id look at it for you.

You need the AC cord without the battery, or you SHOULD always be able to use that cord without the battery...
Might be a problem with the cord itself? Taking it to a computer store and seeing if you can use a spare on of theirs and try it out... if that isn't it maybe it's time to look into getting a repair dude to check it out D:

It's dead. It was the power port in the back. Repair was more expensive than a new one.

Luckily we have a great computer guy who is going to build a desktop for my husband's business for $100 rather than getting a new laptop.

It's dead. It was the power port in the back. Repair was more expensive than a new one.

Luckily we have a great computer guy who is going to build a desktop for my husband's business for $100 rather than getting a new laptop.

A dead laptop still has value so don't forget that. So long as the screen was in decent shape its worth more then nothing. Don't just throw it away.
Also it has other valuable parts in it. Memory etc.