Latitude D800 won't hold a charge - normal?

I have a Dell Latitude D800 I bought in Summer 2003. I've never really used it away from a power outlet in almost six years of ownership, aside from one time a few weeks ago - when the battery died within 15-20 minutes of powerwing on.

Is it normal for a six year old notebook battery to not hold a charge, even if it's never really been used, and has just been plugged into power (or shut down) constantly throughout the bulk of that time?

Should I just buy a new battery (I need to take it on the road now, unlike in the past) or could this be the sign of a more serious motherboard related issue?

 

It is normal for a six-year old battery not to hold a charge... and I believe it is MORE likely to be completely dead if you don't use it at all. It is almost certainly not a motherboard issue and if you are satisfied with the machine, you should just get a new battery.

 

you're lucky it at least holds 15-20 mins......

most batteries would be dead after 2-3 years

 

Thanks for the replies.

I thought that was only true with the old Nickel-Cadmium batteries, not Lithium ion?

Any recommendations for where to buy the battery from? I'm sure some place can beat Dell's $155 price for a new one.

 

lithium ion batteries degrade from the day they leave the factory, whether you use them or not.

if you're interested to know more, google battery university. they have a good sort of "online encyclopedia" on it.

if you buy a generic battery, its good to get it from a reputable source. i've heard bad things about ebay sourced generics.

also, you could send your battery for refurbishment. i cant remember some of the websites that do it, hopefully someone else does or you could search for it

 

Look on eBay for a new battery. You can get a genuine Dell replacement for around $60 or $70.

Greg