Premature death of battery--3000 V100

Question

Ever since I got my Lenovo 3000 V100, a little over a year and a half ago, the computer has run too hot to actually put on my lap. Last week, much to my surprise, the battery (the one with extended time) refused to charge anymore. Of the half dozen notebooks I have owned in the past, none has ever had a battery problem. Thus, I checked for a recall notice. There wasn't one. One hundred and twenty-seven  dollars later, I have a battery that works fine--and an amazingly cool (literally) computer sitting in my lap. Because the original battery ran hot from the get-go, I have to believe that either the battery or the computer was faulty to begin with. I'm a  little nervous that another meltdown is just around the corner. Has anyone else experienced this problem? 

Answer 1

Donna, while searching the web for an issue with my Lenovo 3000 V100 laptop battery no longer charging, I found your post.  I have noticed my V100 seems to run hot on the bottom before, but now--about 22 months into its life, my battery has died.
I have been resisting buying a new battery b/c I'm not sure that's the issue, but it sounds from your post it may be.
My symptoms: plugged in, the laptop works fine.  I can pull the battery out (FRU P/N 92P1220) and it is currently completely cold.  If I plug it back into the laptop, the "charging" indicator shows in the systray/power meter, but then 2 seconds later, it stops showing "charging" and the battery won't charge.  It sat for 12 hours without charging.  I assume since laptop works without battery when plugged in, that the problem isn't the power adapter, but I will check the voltage later with a multimeter as I read in another thread.
So, a question to the Lenovo pros: before I drop $150 on a new 6-cell battery, is there any way to be sure it's not a charger circuit gone bad inside the lapp, without needing a friend with a lenovo battery to verify?  Or, of I do buy a new battery but that's not the problem and the new battery won't charge as well, can I return the battery for a refund, since I'll need to replace the laptop at that point?  Thoughts?
Here are battery details from power meter:
Battery Name: LNV-92P1220
Unique ID: (sounds like something I shouldn't give out, if you need it let me know)
Chemistry: LION
Power State: On Line, Critical
Manufacturer: 06
Total Battery Power Remaining: 3%  (it's been 3% now for two days).
If I leave it on battery and pull the plug on the adapter, it immediately goes into standby.
Thank you for your help!!
Message Edited by agentdenim on 08-08-2008 06:27 PM