I have a sony laptop model vgn-cr205e. The laptop is about a year and a half old any already the battery has died. Computer won't run unless it is plugged in. The system shows a battery is not even present and all settings to do with battery are greyed out (Windows XP). Should the system still recognize that the battery is dead and still there. How can I test if it's the battery or computer that's bad. Is putting a meter on the laptop battery leads and lookinf for a voltage enough? Sony wants 250 bucks for a battery so I want to be sure before I get a new one (ebay probably).

Find someone with same laptop and try his battery. Or go to a store and work it out with a salesperson. Another idea is check the battery with voltage tester. Goodluck

In all likliness the battery pack is shot. They are internally fused, typically with an overtemperature fuse.

$250 is way too much. Try Laptop Battery: Vaio - VGN-CR Series - Product Details

Or try a battery pack rebuilding service.