What is wrong with my macbook battery and can I fix it?

Question

It will not charge and I always have to keep it plunged in. If I unplug it the computer instantly dies. There is also and X where the battery charge level on the screen is supposed to be.

Answer 1

There have been other people with this same problem but I haven't had it the best thing to do is just return it or at least try visiting a local Apple Store.

Sorry

Answer 2

Sounds like the battery is dead, or not actually connected.

All batteries gradually hold less and less charge over time and the number of 'cycles' (charge and discharge). If your battery is over three years old, I'd expect it to be holding a lot less charge, maybe lasting less than an hour. More than five years and it could be really very dead. But to display a cross indicating no battery, I think instead that it is either failing to connect (dirt on the contacts, broken contacts?) or the battery has actually completely failed.

There's a possibility that the charging circuitry has failed, but I'm not sure it would display a cross.

If you have a friend with a Macbook, try swapping batteries and seeing if your battery charges in your friend's Macbook, and see if your friend's charged battery works in your laptop. This will let you narrow down where the problem is. If your friend's battery works in your MacBook, leave it installed with the power supply attached and check if the battery is charging. That will then tell you if your charging circuitry is working.

If it's just your battery, you'll need to buy a replacement one from any Apple reseller or online.

If it's the charging circuitry, you'll need to get a quite from an authorized Apple Service centre for getting it repaired.

If you don't know anyone with a MacBook, you could get a reseller to do these checks for you. A friendly one won't charge for these basic checks, but is likely to charge if you book it in for a repair.

Good luck.

Rob.

Answer 3

Before you can make a judgment about your battery, reset the MacBook's System Management Controller:

MacBook, MacBook Pro

   1. If the computer is on, turn it off.

   2. Disconnect the AC Adapter and remove the computer's battery.

   3. Press and hold down the power button for 5 seconds and then release the button.

   4. Reconnect the battery and AC Adapter.

   5. Press the Power button to restart the computer.

MacBook Air

   1. If the MacBook Air is on, turn it off.

   2. Connect the power adaptor to a working power source.

   3. On the MacBook Air keyboard, press (left) Shift-Control-Option along with the power button once.

      Note: You must use the keys on the left side of the MacBook Air keyboard.

   4. Wait 5 seconds and press the power button to start the MacBook Air.

Apple recommends only performing an SMC reset when the MacBook Air has been properly shutdown. This prevents issues from occurring to the file system.

While the power adaptor does not need to be connected to reset the SMC, it may be necessary in situations where the battery needs charging, or the MacBook Air has been without power for an extended period of time.

If your MacBook battery pack is more than 18 months old or has been discharged-recharged more than 500 times, you may need to buy a battery pack or have the cells replaced. All laptop battery packs have a charging controller circuit inside as well as several  battery cells (usually 6 x 1.8 volts = 10.8 volts total) that are connected by wires welded to the cells. An old battery pack can be made like new by exchanging the old cells for new ones. A professional battery pack restore firm must do this work and usually can save you $20-30 over the price of a new battery pack since you are not paying for the controller board and case. In addition, the refill cells may be of higher capacity than the original since battery technology now is better than it was when the original battery pack was made.