G+_Chuck Anderson Posted February 1, 2017 Share Posted February 1, 2017 Computer question I'm wondering if someone can help me with: I've got a Dell Inspiron 5748 laptop and the problem I've had since I got it about a year and a half ago is that the battery will drain when unplugged even when it is shut off - and yes I mean shut completely down, not in sleep mode. It's a bit frustrating when I unplug it at home and take it to a client's office to do a demonstration (I work with an accounting software for construction companies), and I fire it up and find out I have a little more than half a charge when it was only a couple of hours since I unplugged it at home. I did have to send it to Dell about a year ago for a warranty issue for the screen going blank (an internal connector issue between the keyboard portion and screen) and I also mentioned this as a problem, but they didn't seem to fix it. Not sure they even tried to fix it. I've Googled the problem multiple times and haven't found a solution that works - short of replacing the battery, which is obviously a last resort. The battery seems to have good lasting power when I'm using it on the battery (usually just over 4 hours), so I have a hard time believing it's a bad battery because I would assume it should drain even faster when powered on if that were the case. Anyone else seen this issue? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Chuck Anderson Posted February 1, 2017 Author Share Posted February 1, 2017 Ah, thanks. Never thought of testing it that way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Frank Scardera Posted February 1, 2017 Share Posted February 1, 2017 Windows 8 and higher by default don't shut down even when you pick shutdown, they go into a hibernation like state to speed up the boot times. As result it will slowly drain the battery while shut down, but losing half a charge in 4 hours sounds excessive. Run a battery report and see if it can clue you into any issues. From an admin command prompt (right click the start button, pick Command Prompt Admin), then paste the following command: powercfg /batteryreport /output "C:\battery_report.html" That will put the report in the root of your C: drive, change the file name and directory if desired. Once it has run you can open that file in your browser. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Keith Mallett Posted February 3, 2017 Share Posted February 3, 2017 Those are good suggestions but make sure your firmware is up to date first. There has been updates since you got it. dell.com - Support for Inspiron 5748 | Dell Canada Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Chuck Anderson Posted February 5, 2017 Author Share Posted February 5, 2017 Yep, that the first thing I did, and first thing I do every time I run into the problem again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Chuck Anderson Posted February 5, 2017 Author Share Posted February 5, 2017 Also, pulled the fully charged battery for 3 days and just put it back in - 97% remaining. So it's not a bad battery, something in the computer itself. And the battery report didn't really show anything too revealing. It does show design capacity of 41,440mwh and full charge capacity is shown at 35,313mwh. But that's probably expected because I have the "battery saver" setting to not keep it at a "full charge" all the time because it's kept plugged in a majority of the time so as to extend battery life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Keith Mallett Posted February 5, 2017 Share Posted February 5, 2017 Chuck Anderson Do you have a spare drive? Since this is a persistent problem, try swapping drives and doing a fresh install of the same OS version. You don't need to activate (if its Windows 10 home or Pro it should activate by itself). Just to see if the problem persists. It if does then it is definitely a hardware or firmware issue. If it goes away and the battery works normal it is a software issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Chuck Anderson Posted February 5, 2017 Author Share Posted February 5, 2017 My two main computers (my everyday desktop and this laptop which is for work) I typically do a fresh format and reinstall of the operating systems about once every year or two. Can't remember if I've done this once or twice on this one since I got it. However, I used the Dell recovery instead of just a Windows only install for the refresh, so I suppose (ironically) it could be a Dell program that's the problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Keith Mallett Posted February 5, 2017 Share Posted February 5, 2017 Yeah could be. If you are using Windows Download the Win10 Enterprise iso from MS and try that on a fresh install. You just want to rule out software as the issue before looking at hardware. It could also be a bad controller on the battery. These smart batteries aren't really that smart when things start to go wrong. When you say that you got it 18 months ago was it new or used? If it was used how old is it? Is the battery original OEM? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Chuck Anderson Posted February 8, 2017 Author Share Posted February 8, 2017 New, purchased directly from Dell. I think I'm going to do a clean Windows only reinstall (no Dell "cruft" included this time) this weekend to see what happens. Already have the iso burned to a DVD from some upgrades to some of my other computers ;-) I'll report back with results to see if it makes a difference. I also ran across something recently that said that one of the Intel management programs that Dell installs (or Intel makes Dell install) could be the culprit too, so a clean wipe should get rid of that one too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Keith Mallett Posted February 8, 2017 Share Posted February 8, 2017 Yeah - I have seen Intel Management software mess up other dell stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Jim Lloyd (AudioMaveric Posted February 13, 2017 Share Posted February 13, 2017 Chuck Anderson I agree with the fresh OS install, and without the default Dell 'add-ons'. So many things to check, and most of them already covered. There had been security issues with background tasks associated with the "Dell System Detect" application. If you have ever used their support site wizard to inventory your computer, this was installed. It was supposedly corrected about the time you sat you got your computer, but ... I removed everything I could. I have a Dell Inspiron 7558 2-in-1 that I bought in July of 2015, and has been doing very well in every regard. . Along with the other items, check the BIOS/UEFI settings for "Wake On ..." settings. The main board could be polling the LAN, keyboard, or other device for activity to wake it up. . I didn't see this mentioned, but just in case you haven't checked... There are a few things to check in the "Advanced Power Power Settings". . Good luck on solving your issue. Please, report back what you find! It will most certainly save someone a lot of time and frustration. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Keith Mallett Posted February 14, 2017 Share Posted February 14, 2017 Hey Chuck Anderson what happened? Just curious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Chuck Anderson Posted February 14, 2017 Author Share Posted February 14, 2017 Nothing yet, got a few things I still need to finish for work before lose it for the couple of days it takes to wipe, reinstall and get things back to normal. I promise I will update once I do this and am able to test things to see if it solves the problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Chuck Anderson Posted February 20, 2017 Author Share Posted February 20, 2017 Unfortunately no improvement as far as battery is concerned. Wiped and reinstalled yesterday, then unplugged it in and shut it down overnight - totally dead battery this morning (1% left after I plugged it in and booted it up). But still glad I did it to get rid of all the Dell crap ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Keith Mallett Posted February 20, 2017 Share Posted February 20, 2017 LOL OK if you are going to keep it you might want to replace the battery. Did you check to see what they are going for? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Jim Lloyd (AudioMaveric Posted February 20, 2017 Share Posted February 20, 2017 Chuck, I can't imagine how frustrating this is for you. It is baffling enough for me to keep trying to find a possible solution... partly because I have a similar Inspiron and because I also live in the computer world of technology. So, I dug a couple of links to see if they lead you anywhere. One points our a "Fast Boot" option that keeps the hard drive in hibernation. Sounds like a shot. Another mentions one of the Intel drivers that may be an issue. You may have already addressed this by not installing extra software on the rebuild. Since the battery held a charge outside the laptop, it does indicate something in the computer is not fully off. - Why is the battery draining while my laptop is shut down in Windows 10? http://forums.windowscentral.com/windows-10/376623-why-battery-draining-while-my-laptop-shut-down-windows-10-a.html - Dell Inspiron 7537 - Battery drains to 0% while laptop is completely off http://en.community.dell.com/support-forums/laptop/f/3518/t/19647472 I hope someone actually hits what this is, because I really want to know! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Keith Mallett Posted February 21, 2017 Share Posted February 21, 2017 Alas we may never know. I would like to see if a different battery produces the same result. Right now based on what Chuck has done my gut feeling is a failed battery or a failed charger circuit. A battery is a cheaper solution but if Chuck has no other use for it it may be wasted money. The charger circuit on those systems was integrated with the system board (I could be wrong but I use to do Dell NBD repairs so I am going on memory) so it is not worth fixing but a used board may be available on Ebay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Chuck Anderson Posted February 21, 2017 Author Share Posted February 21, 2017 YAY - SUCCESS!!!! - It was the FastBoot setting in the BIOS solution provided in that first link that was the issue!! Turned that off and unplugged overnight and still had 100% battery when I just booted it up this morning. Thank you Jim - that's one I hadn't found while Googling. You're a lifesaver. Also thank you to everyone else. Even though they didn't work, there were other ideas that were thrown out here that I didn't think of or find on the 'net - more ideas to try are always better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Jim Lloyd (AudioMaveric Posted February 21, 2017 Share Posted February 21, 2017 I hate it when a computer kicks my butt! Sometimes, they are just ready to be retired or replaced. I am glad you are now in possession of a computer that you can actually enjoy. May it be of service for at least the first 5 years of its life. That is what these forums are for... Just think of the number of people who contributed ideas before one worked. It just shows how complex they can actually be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Keith Mallett Posted February 21, 2017 Share Posted February 21, 2017 Thanks Jim Lloyd I will remember that! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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