IBook Battery Problem

Hi guys,
Just registered for these forums, as this is the first problem I've had with my iBook in nearly two years!
Recently, for no apparent reason, my iBook has stopped recognising that it's got a battery in it. An "X" appears in the battery icon on the top right of the screen, and it says "No Batteries Available" when I click on it. The battery is fully charged (according to the lights on the underside of it), and it's inserted correctly...so I have no idea what the problem is.
I'm running 10.4.8 on a 1.2GHz iBook G4.
Any ideas what's up? Anybody experienced this before?
Thanks!
Mike

Thanks Phil.
The iBook itself is just under 2 years old, but thanks to the battery recall program the battery was replaced late last year, October or November I think.
There's not been any physical damage to it, or at least there's not been any I'm aware of! I did think of that, as it seems not to recognise it at all, but I can't think of anything that would've caused it.

Similar Messages

New iBook Battery Problems

Hello!
I have a problem with my 3 month old iBook. It seems that whenever its hits 50% battery status it turns off (not sleep, but turns off). Because it turns off at 50% I cannot calibrate the battery because it will not drain any further.
Is something wrong or am i being thick? Am I allowed to claim a new battery since the ibook is only 3 months old?
Many thanks,
palmerar

Your iBook is still under warranty so i think you should contact Apple and inform them of this. Applecare have sorted out all of my problems (iBook battery, iPod headphones) with a minimum of fuss.

Fixed my iBook battery problem

Hi,
I posted a question here before about my iBook not working off the battery, but is fine with the power adapter.
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=868332&tstart=0
I then found out about a solution for this type of problem which is caused by bad soldering in one of the chips in the iBook. I think this problem is observed for late 2003 to early 2004 iBook batches. Refer to the following links
http://www.dse.nl/~yver/logicboardrepair/#Afourthattempt
http://www.coreyarnold.org/ibook/
http://www.forbrug.dk/presse/nyheder/pressekit/ibookg4/lab-report/
Following the instructions in www.ifixit.com I inserted a half centimeter plastic on top of the chip and my iBook now works off the battery =)
iBook G4 2004 Mac OS X (10.3.9)

When you turned off the setting for Documents and Data did you get a warning that all docs and data would be deleted from your phone, and if so what was actually deleted?

IBook battery problems

Ok so I bought a new battery for my Ibook G4 on ebay. I charged and then drained and it worked fine for a day or two. When I first charge the battery and take out the power adapter it works fine, but when I shut down and try to turn the computer on the next day without the adapter, the battery doesn't work. Sometimes one blinking green LED will still lit on the battery for days even when it's not turned on. The current issue I'm having now is that even though the battery is installed, the computer doesn't recognize it. Can someone please help me and let me know on what I should do. I think I already tried everything.

thanks for the reply
I removed the battery again to check the connections, and they are all shiney. Once i placed the battery back in the laptop wont charge it at all now, the orange light comes on, but in MacOS it just shows the running with charged battry symbol.
any other ideas?
Thanks

Anybody that has ever had, or still have battery problems....

Please join me in finding a solution.
Lets all converse in this thread about battery problems. I Have noticed many many many battery and power problems going unresolved in this discussion forum and I think if we all get organized into one thread and work together we may find a solution.
If you haven't read of my battery and power problem before here is the run down.
-battery won't charge(0% and then eventually "No Batteries Availiable")
-Battery is NEW. It is valid(works in other iBooks).
-Its not the DC-in board. No, no... I replaced that and it did nothing, it probably won't help you either.
-I've done all the pointless stuff.(Resetting PMU, PRAM, NVRAM, Deep Reset PMU)
-Battery is Charged(Used my friends iBook). Yet my iBook will not power on from the battery.
Now. I know many iBook owners are having the same problem. I have worked countless hours on this problem and I am never going to give up.
Now throughout searching countless forums of Battery Problems I have gathered some observations.(All these observations are only taken from cases similar to mine)
-They have the same problems I have stated.
-All the Resets in the world don't help them
-Some of them mention a noise coming from the iBook.
-Some of them mention buying third party power Adapters.
-The thread usually ends with them asking more questions and replies never come so they give up.
-They all usually go unresolved or Solved in the case that they just buy a new laptop.
So taking that I am pretty sure that this problem needs to be solved. I have been giving it a good try but without information I just cannot get too far.
Any of you people with the same problem as me... We should all compare certain statistics and symptoms to see if we can zero in on what the problem is.
These are my suspicions.
I purchased My Power-Adapter from Ebay. It looked legit and everything and it provides the iBook with power pretty well. Yet I stumbled across something. It says on the Power Adapter that it is a 65(watt) Power Adapter. But when I check in the System Profiler, This is what it reads:
AC Charger Information:
AC Charger (Watts): 45
Connected: Yes
Now why would the Power Adapter say 65(watts) but when I check the stats on my iBook it receives 45(watts). I have checked all the stats of these iBooks and I know that they need 65(watts) to function properly. Some people say 45w will power an iBook fine but I think this is why the battery won't charge. The power Adapter I bough online clearly stated that it will work correctly on my model and it Even says 65w on the adapter. Remember the faulty batteries? Could people be possibly making faulty power adapters and selling them now too? My friend has moved so I cannot test his "Apple" adapter to see if it works.
I also think this may be the cause of these processor sounds(That are stupidly diagnosed as HD failures) that some people like me get. I found out if I turn the processor down to "reduced" the sound goes away. Maybe the "whizzing" sound could be a capacitor being overworked so it can provide the processor with power or the processor itself but I really think these issues are related.
In saying that... This is what I want. Anybody out there that has the same(or similar) problems as I do, please do this:
-State the issues you are having with your iBook.
-Go to System Profiler and Under Hardware click Power, copy all of those statistics in the right pane and paste them in your reply.
-Say what kind of iBook(or Powerbook) you have.
-Say what kind of battery and what kind of Power adapter you have.
-Ask for other statistics that you think might help you.
-If you have any ideas of what the problem is please tell me.
-And if you already know a solution please tell us all.
We can all tackle this problem if we work together.

I can't speak to all of your problems, but there are a few things that may help.
+I purchased My Power-Adapter from Ebay. It looked legit and everything and it provides the iBook with power pretty well. Yet I stumbled across something. It says on the Power Adapter that it is a 65(watt) Power Adapter. But when I check in the System Profiler, This is what it reads:+
+AC Charger Information:+
+AC Charger (Watts): 45+
+Connected: Yes+
+Now why would the Power Adapter say 65(watts) but when I check the stats on my iBook it receives 45(watts). I have checked all the stats of these iBooks and I know that they need 65(watts) to function properly. Some people say 45w will power an iBook fine but I think this is why the battery won't charge. The power Adapter I bough online clearly stated that it will work correctly on my model and it Even says 65w on the adapter.+
You are incorrect about this. The adapter that shipped with iBooks, initially, was a 45-watt model. 45 watts is all it takes to properly run the iBook and charge its battery. The iBook registers the adapter as 45 watts because the iBook only takes the amount of power that it needs. A Powerbook needs the full 65 watts in order to run the computer and charge the battery simultaneously.
Did you replace your DC-in board yourself? Has it ever worked since the DC-in board was replaced? Are you sure you got it plugged in properly?
Yours is acting exactly the way my husband's did when his DC-in board needed to be replaced. That is, it would work from a fully charged battery, but would not charge the battery. A DC-in board replacement was the fix for his, and sounds like that would be the fix for yours, too. If you did it yourself before, maybe you need to either try it again (you could have received another bad one), or send it off to have someone else do it.
Good luck.

How do I dispose of my Li-ion iBook battery?

I have a burned out battery.
Do I recycle this with other Li-ion batteries or is there a manufacturer that rebuilds these that would want it?
Advice?

eWaste Recycling Facility Search:
http://www.ciwmb.ca.gov/electronics/Collection/RecyclerSearch.aspx
e-cycling central - find a recycler:
http://www.ecyclingcentral.com/
disposal of Universal Waste (category defined)
http://www.dtsc.ca.gov/HazardousWaste/UniversalWaste/
There may be a big-box electronics seller near you where they accept
small batteries from computers, cameras, and so on. You may have to
call and ask; or see if site links such as the above direct you to exact
locations where these products get returned for recycle & reuse.
Some sites and service providers charge a fee in association with the
handling of this class of product; since all batteries should be recycled
and various metals and chemicals should not go into a landfill. Also,
to inquire of the computer specialist in your area about this topic may
be helpful in the proper disposal of e-waste. Information is available.
{The actual chemical component of the iBook battery should not be too
different from any other li-on portable battery; that probably would be no
problem to include that cell with others of that kind/type in the same bin.}
Good luck & happy computing!

5g battery problem??

Hi,
Yesterday while in class my iPod suddenly stopped playing and came up with 'No battery power remain, please recharge'. I thought, no problem, I'll just go back to my room and recharge it. Got back to my room plugged it into my computer and the computer didn't recognize it and all it did was reset itself every couple mins and display 'Please wait, very low battery'. I left it plugged into the computer for a while and nothing seemed to get any better. I then pulled out an old charger (that goes into the wall) and tried that. I plugged it in and the iPod turned on. I left it there to charge all night and this morning it displayed the usual 'battery charged' screen. I unplugged it and as soon as I clicked a song it turned blank and came up with 'very low battery please recharge'. It keeps doing this. As soon as I plug it into the wall it turns on and says battery charged. If I just plug it into the computer it resets itself over and over and displays very low battery. Once unplugged it comes up with 'low battery'.
This is a 2 month old 5g iPod. Please help me.
Toshiba Satellite Windows XP
Toshiba Satellite Windows XP

My 80gb iPod did the exact same thing last weekend. I've only had it since 1st Jan, and it wasn't even used everyday.
I received the packaging on Wed to send it to AppleCare in the UK for repair or replacement. Sent it off today to them.
Hoping for a repaired or replaced iPod back with me next week.
I'm sort of expecting to see in the media shortly about a battery problem with 5th gen iPods.. Maybe a recall. Ive seen this same problem all over forums etc on the net
PC & iBook Mac OS X (10.4.8)

Diagnosing PMU/Battery problems

I have an iBook G4 (1.33mhz) that is experiencing a number of problems I believe to be related to the PMU. These include:
- battery does not fully charge and the indicator will flicker back and forth between charging/not charging when about three quarters charged
- wireless settings and date/time settings are forgotten between restarts
- backlight will randomly shut off (restart will restore it)
- on occasion, the iBook will not startup at all - removing power cord and battery then re-installing will allow startup
My understanding is that the PMU on the iBook G4 is integrated into the battery and there is some small capacitor on the motherboard that will retain settings briefly while the battery is removed/replaced. The PMU has been reset several times (shift-control-option-power).
I seem to recall replacing the battery once, but not 100% sure. The battery shows a cycle count of 299. I am on my third power adapter.
How can I diagnose whether this is just a battery problem vs something more serious? I hate to replace the battery and/or power adapter again only to find something more serious/costly.
Suggestions? Thanks in advance.

Thanks for the reply.
Seems the problem was a third party power adapter I was using. I bought a new Apple-branded 65W adapter and everything seems back to normal now.
The strange thing is that the orginal power adapter was also exhibiting these problems - charge indicator on tip going from orange to green to off - network, date and time not saving, etc. That's why I started using the third party adapter (iGo) which still exhibited these symptoms.

"THE" battery problem, or something even worse???

My PowerBook is only a month old. I calibrated the battery the first time I used it, and it held a charge for about 2 hours the first few times. Then is started getting freaky.
Here's what happens:
-Battery only charges to 96 percent, then the green light goes off and it doesn't continue to charge.
-If I then unplug the cable, I get about 20 minutes of battery life at best.
-If the battery drains completely and shuts down and I plug the computer in, I can't turn it back on. I have to wait several minutes, and then it will suddenly work again.
-When I finally do get it to turn on after a full discharge, my date is set to 1970.
-When I remove the battery and try to work with power only, I can't turn it on at all. It will only turn on at all if the battery is in.
That last point in particular is making me worry. It seems like it may not be the battery, but something else. Any ideas?
I checked the apple site to see if my battery is one of the batteris affected by "the" problem, but it isn't.
PowerBook G4 Mac OS X (10.4.3)
iBook G4 Mac OS X (10.4.2)

You're right -- Apple is aware of the bad batch of batteries. I talked with an Apple tech today and he was very excited about hearing there was some type of thing that happened when I jiggled the AC connector in it's socket. As I mentioned above, on a battery from the "bad" batch, the mAh went from 800-ish to 4600+ just by moving the connector in and out a little -- he immediately escalated the call to his supervisor, as there may be some issue with not only the bad batteries, but also/or the charging circuitry (at least in my PBook). From the two of them (the rep and the sv), I had the feeling there's been no discussion (in their camp) of problems beyond the now-accepted bad battery issue, so at least now they are aware of other possibilities, FWIW. But, like I said, it may just be my PBook.
It's been 24 hours since I this happened, and the battery ran for over four hours non-stop the first time it reset, and I've used it on and off today, with the charge dropping to 85% a couple of times, and it still shows a cur/max mAh as 4563/4570 on XRG.
For those of you (with October, 2005 hi-res PBooks) having battery problems, call Apple for a replacement battery. If you're thinking of also jiggling your ac connector in its socket on your PBook to possibly get the same result I did (described above), be advised that all it took for my unit to change or somehow reset the charge factors was a very SLIGHT, subtle pressure, and it could more accurately be decribed as a very gentle in-out manipulation that was only lasted a split second and it was hardly an exact motion. That's all -- it was an inadvertant result and I can't promise you will be able to repeat it (I don't know that I could repeat it). The important thing is that it happened, and tso I'm reporting it. For the record, I'm NOT advising you to start wiggling and yanking connections -- use your heads, kids
AZB
Performa/G3 iMac/G4 eMac/G5 2.0dp/and my 15" G4 1.67 DL PBook w/2G RAM ROCKS!!! Mac OS X (10.4.3) My Macs are like my children, I love them all equally (even the ugly ones)...

Flashing icon - battery problems? Something else?

Hopefully I have, at last, found the right forum...My lime clamshell iBook, running system 9.2.2, froze yesterday, and when I restarted, a flashing folder with a ?, switching with a folder with the Mac two-facing-profiles symbol, was on the screen. I have never had this symbol ever.
I found my hardware test disk and tested the system -- no probs. But the flashing folder remained whenever I restarted.
Over on the OS 9 board, there is a discussion about this flashing icon previous to my crisis today, and the group said an internal battery is the problem. I asked exactly what model I needed for my old iBook (I'm in Germany, and the Mac store here needs exact names and numbers for anything to do with my old system). I was told "Your lime iBook ca. 2000 machine has the Apple designation of iBook (Firewire). That model, like all iBook models, does not have a separate backup (internal) battery such as some PowerBook models and all desktop models have. The only battery the iBook models have is the main battery." A poster suggested I head over here on this branch of the forum and seek advice. But I posted to the wrong portion of this branch so, hopefully, this is the right one.
Someone on the other branch said something about resetting something... but if I can't turn the computer on (past the flashing icon), then how can I reset anything?
I JUST replaced this battery, not a year ago. But about six months ago, it started losing all power after just an hour or so, and I would have to reset the clock, etc. when the power just suddenly ended when my computer was unplugged. Now, I can't unplug my computer at all except for a few minutes, otherwise, the batter just quits suddenly, poof. I put the old battery back in today, but it didn't help.

I'm not sure what you are reading but it doesn't sound like a battery problem. It sounds like the iBook can't find a valid system folder to start from.
In KB 58042, A flashing question mark appears when you start your Mac under "Steps for Mac OS 8 and Mac OS 9" you will find the following:
The possible causes and solutions for this symptom appear in the order that you should try them. If any step resolves the issue, you don't need to continue to the next one. If at any time in this process you determine that your System Folder or its contents are missing or were intentionally deleted, reinstall Mac OS 8 or Mac OS 9.
If you normally start up from Mac OS 9 but don't have a Mac OS 9 CD that can be used as a startup disk, follow the steps for Mac OS X above. Some computers include Mac OS X Installation CDs and a Mac OS 9 Restore CD that can't be used as a startup disk. Once you've started up from Mac OS X, make sure a copy of Mac OS 9 is installed. If you erased your disk since the last time you started up in Mac OS 9, you may need to need to install Mac OS 9 drivers.
Start the computer from the Mac OS 8 or Mac OS 9 Installation or Restore CD that came with the computer.
Open the Utilities folder and locate Disk First Aid.
Open Disk First Aid and repair the disk.
Open the Startup Disk control panel.
Choose your hard disk as the startup disk.
Restart the computer.
Note: If your hard disk is not available (mounted) when started up from CD, reset the PRAM as described below, then repeat these steps. If your hard disk is still not available after resetting PRAM, contact an Apple Authorized Service Provider or Apple Technical Support.
If you can't choose your hard disk in the Startup Disk control panel, your System Folder may have been altered or removed. In some cases, you may solve the issue by moving files back into the correct location in a process known as "reblessing" the System Folder. A "blessed" System Folder is one that is recognized as a valid startup System Folder, as indicated by the appearance of the Mac OS logo badge on the System Folder.
Reblessing the System Folder only works when all the original files are still installed and in the correct location (or you can put them back in the correct location). If any files have been deleted, you may need to reinstall system software. If you have deliberately removed System Folder files, this includes putting them back where you found them.
Additionally, you should only have one folder named "System Folder" on your disk (not to be confused with the folder named simply "System" that is installed by Mac OS X, if both systems are installed on the same disk).
To rebless your System Folder:
Start up from CD.
Close any open windows.
Open the hard disk.
Choose By Name from the View menu.
Locate the System Folder. Tip: You should only have one System Folder. If necessary, rename any other "System Folder" you're not using. Don't rename "System" if Mac OS X is also installed.
Open the System Folder. At this time, you should replace any items that you have previously removed from the System Folder, if applicable.
Do one of the following:
->If Mac OS X is not installed or is installed on a different volume than Mac OS 9, drag the System suitcase and the Finder to your hard disk icon. If you have more than one hard disk, drag the files to the hard disk where the System Folder is.
->If Mac OS X is installed on the same volume or partition as Mac OS 9, create a new folder outside of the System Folder but on the same disk, then drag the System suitcase and the Finder to the new folder.
Close the System Folder.
Drag the System suitcase and Finder back onto the System Folder icon.
When the Mac OS logo reappears over the System Folder, it has been reblessed. Select the folder in the Startup Disk control panel, then restart the computer.

Battery problems since 10.4.3 update?

I know that there a quite a few threads about battery problems, but has anybody experienced significant decreases in battery life after installing the 10.4.3 update? I installed it a few days ago and I'm noticing now that my battery life is much worse than it used to be.
For example, I was just watching a movie on my iBook. Before I started, my battery was FULLY charged, and Energy Saver was set for "Better Battery Life". I had airport turned off and left the screen brightness at default.
My battery died within 40 MINUTES! I had the sound turned up a little bit but I don't think that would drain enough power to reduce my batter life to 40 minutes when set for "better battery life"....
My battery's less than 2 years old.
Anyone else had similar problems since last OS update?

I just found a useful util called CoconutBattery 1.3 available from :
http://www.coconut-flavour.com/coconutbattery/index.html
Running the app - gives me this info on my battery's state:
current & max capacity: 828mAh
Orginial Capacity: 4400mAh
Battery load cycles: 461
The battery according to this app shows that at max charge it only has 18% of its orginial capacity.
HarjTT

IBook battery heating up - is this normal?

I just upgraded to an iBook from a Pismo a few days ago, and I've been taking it for a test ride.
I've found that the iBook battery seems to heat up very fast: after about 30 minutes to 1 hour, it gets quite hot on the top. I know the bottom is supposed to be hot (it seems all Mac portables have hot bottoms) but is the heat from the top something to worry about?
Strangely, my 6-year-old Pismo doesn't seem to put out as much heat as my iBook, although that might just be the casing design.

Its not normal, my battery is barley even warm.
Check this out https://depot.info.apple.com/batteryexchange/index.html?lang=en

Reception / Battery problems with iPhone 3GS after upgrading to iOS 4.2.1

There are major reception and battery problems with iPhone 3GS after upgrading to iOS 4.2.1.
I can not believe that Apple did not test this for major bugs like this one is.
I am a business user and can not effort to have bad reception. Apple wants to gain in the business clients... I never had this with my former BlackBerrys!
I need a reliable phone not a play thing like this is right now, it just needs it to work propely. And if a major bug like this comes along, fix it immediately. After the iPhone4 story, now this...incredible! Going back to my reliable BlackBerry! It just ain't reliable and takes forever to fix a problem.

I have the same issue after iOS 4.2.1 update. I am using iPhone 3GS officially unlocked by Apple. I tried using different SIM cards and both carriers show same problem when using phone in 3G mode. Phone falls back to EDGE mode showing 'E' from '3G' at start. I have reset the phone and rebooted several times and moved to different cell areas in the city just to verify the problem.
I had no such issues earlier. I also have Nokia E71 which shows full signal and has no such issues.
I have posted the bug on apple iphone feedback page. I hope they Apple will fix the problem and test the release properly on all models before releasing to public.

Solved my iPhone 5 Battery Problems: Maybe it can help you!

Hi every one, I saw many topics regarding battery problems with the iPhone 5. I responded to one discussion describing what I did to solve the iPhone 5 battery dying fast on me. So I thought I'd make a discussion here to help out other users with the same problem.
I would have 25-30% drop with in the hour and all I did was text a couple of my friends. I was using an iPhone 4 for the longest time, and on that phone I was able to watch videos, listen to music and use all the other features of the phone. The battery still lasted me the whole day, I was getting worried that I wouldn't be able to use the iPhone 5 the same with out it dying on me fast.
My friend suggested draining the battery and then charging the phone to see if any improvements were seen. I did that and I saw a small change in the battery strength. I drained the battery two more times, and that is when I saw a huge difference.
I use my Phone as my iPod when I work out, and I run continuous music on it for 1.5-2 hours straight, along with sending texts to my friends. In this duration I would only use 15-20% which was a huge improvement from before. I would say that the battery life was on par with my iPhone 4 battery! It is such a relief, now I can use my iPhone 5 to it's fullest potential without having to worry it'll die on me fast.
I recommend other iPhone 5 users try draining their batteries a couple of times before charging as well if they are experiencing problems.
Hope this helps!
Dylan

I would let the battery completely die before I would charge it again. I would keep 3g off and only turn it on if I'm going to use it and turn it off again. Because the phone uses more power for the 3g/4g that the battery dies even faster.
I text a lot to friends so I'm constantly texting through out the day and when I work out continously run music on it for close to 2hours. It would only drain 15-20% of the battery, which really is a huge improvement.
I also use Siri quite often through wifi and it barely uses any battery power. Try letting the phone die until it turns off a couple of times before you charge it. That is what I did before a friend requested doing that after I was getting fraustrated with the battery power.

IPod touch Battery Problems Since iOS 7 was installed last year.

Hello, I've had recurring battery problems with my iPod touch since the iOS 7 update was installed, and I find myself having to charge my iPod touch (5th Generation) a lot more frequently since I installed this update.
On iOS 6, I had never experienced any problems with the iPod touch's battery, as I was able to let the battery drain down completely, and let it charge for 4 hours (recommended). After the iPod touch was fully charged for 4 whole hours, I was able to unplug the lightning cable, and the iPod touch on its own would last a few days to at least a week or two weeks.
On iOS 7, since it saw its general release on the 18th September last year, I have found that the iPod's battery has drained so bad, that it dies too quickly, and when I put the iPod touch on charge, in almost an hour, the iPod touch tells me that it is 100% charged. However, when I take the iPod touch off its charge after it fully charges for that hour, it quickly drains down again.
I have gone through the standard procedure of restoring my iPod touch to its factory settings, and I have seen absolutely no improvement on the battery life whatsoever. I mainly back up whatever is on my iPod touch (I back up pictures, videos and also transfer updates that I have installed for certain apps onto iTunes), though I have seen how some people have backed up the data on their iPod's or iPhones, only they find their iDevice draining so quickly.
Even turning off certain features in the Settings app to improve the battery life doesn't help, as there is almost no difference that solves the problems I'm currently having with the iPod touch's battery.
I recently heard about the free iPhone battery replacement program which is now available, so I'm starting to worry whether I have to pay for a new replacement battery for my iPod touch.
Your help in this matter would be gratefully appreciated.
Many kind regards,
Alex Smithson
Message was edited by: Alex169853

I mainly charge the iPod touch itself for four hours and it still doesn't make a difference. I've had my iPod touch for almost 2 years and since I installed iOS 7, it still doesn't make a difference.
I was wondering, if the article you have provided doesn't sort the problems with the battery out, is there another alternative??
Your help and advice is most appreciated.
Many kind regards,
Alex Smithson

IBook Battery Problem

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