Possibly SL related battery problem?

[Stephie-Jan]

Hi,
I've just replaced the hard drive in my macbook, and obviously that meant reinstalling Snow Leopard on my machine. Now I seem to be getting issues with my battery that I didn't before with SL, so I'm not entirely sure that's the root of the problem.

Yesterday (day SL was installed) I noticed that my battery showed 0% and wouldn't charge, but I was still able to use my computer, and it was in fact on without being plugged in and absolutely fine for a good hour or so. Eventually the battery seemed to go back to normal, would charge, and showed a real percentage of battery life (i.e. 65%). This morning I turn on my laptop, realise I'd had it plugged in all night, which I never do, and the light on the lead was still orange. Now my battery icon just shows a cross and says there are no batteries available, though again I'm working without my macbook being plugged in to the mains.

Is this just a bug that will eventually be fixed? I seriously doubt it's my battery, that was replaced around April time and though I use my laptop a LOT not enough to screw it up that quickly.

I've tried searching for people with similar issues, but can't seem to spot any where they don't have to plug into the wall, which is kinda what's confusing me most!

Thanks
Steph

 

[madog]

I suppose it's possible, but personally I wouldn't imagine anything with SL or any software affecting your battery to the point of it not even being recognized anymore.

It's more likely an awful coincidence of a dead battery.

 

[Stephie-Jan]

That's the thing though, my battery isn't dead. It displays that there is no battery available or needs a service check or won't charge, but I'm perfectly able to use my laptop without it being plugged into the mains, and for awhile, the regular time I'd be able to use it before needing to plug it in. The display has gone back to normal again now, which makes me believe that it hasn't got a thing to do with my battery!

 

[pdubak]

Take it to a Apple store or service center. They can run a diagnostic on it that will say if it's "defective" (free replace if under warranty) or "consumed" (you pay). If it's less than a year old and unless you've been using using your laptop 24/7 i'd say it's most likely defective. Bring your power adapter as well and it can be diagnosed at the same time. Also, check and make sure there is no dirt or debris stuck between the power adapter and magsafe port prongs.

You can try resetting the SMC before you take it in too:

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1411