Battery dying? gt72s dominator pro g dragon (6th gen) (gtx 980)

Hi, First time poster here.

A few months ago I purchased a gt72s dominator pro g dragon (6th gen) (gtx 980) from Newegg. It was an open box item, so I knew that I wouldn't be covered under warranty.

After a couple very happy months with this laptop, I have been having a charging issue. I am still not entirely sure if the battery is dying or if there is some sort of problem with the ac adapter connection inside the computer.

About a month ago my laptop would start not charging even when plugged in. At first I didn't think much of it, I would turn it off, plug it into another outlet and it would work. It started becoming more frequent and eventually it wouldn't charge at all.

About a week ago I back up all of my important files and used the burn recovery tool onto a flash drive.

Once the battery was completely dead I decided to open up the back just to see if I could see a loose connection (I had to remove the "Void warranty if removed" sticker, but since I am not covered under MSI's warranty I figured why not). OF course when I saw the internals I knew there was no way I could check the connections without disassembling more parts, which is something I am not comfortable doing. I put the bottom casing back on immediately, plug it in and go to sleep. In the morning I turn the laptop on and it is fully charged somehow. I used the burn recovery tool and do a fresh install. Everything seemed to be working perfectly for a week, until now. It won't charge again.

The laptop is currently at 20%. Perhaps when it completely drains it will charge again? Or maybe there is a loose connection.

I thought I would ask here if anyone has an idea of what is going on. I never got a chance to use the battery calibration tool as it requires the laptop to be plugged in. Should I call MSI tech support and try to send it in? Will they take it even though it isn't under warranty? I am okay with paying for the repairs obviously. Is there anything I can do without having to send it in (I use this computer mainly for work).

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Steven

 

I forgot to mention, at one point I bought another power brick to see if that was the issue. When it charged, both power bricks charged. When the laptop wouldn't charge, neither power brick worked.

 

Have you tried clearing the EC with a paperclip? Also have you checked Ac adapter to see if outputting correct voltage?

 

Hi Tanner,

Thanks for the quick reply. Unfortunately I do not know how to do either of the things you mentioned. If you could go into further detail that would be very helpful. As I mentioned in the OP, I am not very experienced with computer hardware. I built my own PC maybe 12 years ago but since then have stuck with pre-built and laptops to try to avoid these kinds of situations.

Thanks again,

Steven

 

Disregard

Regarding clearing the Embedded Controller, there is a small whole on the D surface in which a paperclip will fit to hit a reset button. Just hold that down for 30 seconds, then plug in the charger and see if it will power on and charge.

 

Hi again,

I let the battery drain and tried the reset button (what exactly is it that I'm resetting? just out of curiosity). Sadly, it didn't seem to work, the laptop is not turning back on after plugging it in. Just to be clear, I have attached an image of the back of my laptop to make sure this is the hole you are referring to.



I am currently on my back up HP laptop. Here's hoping I don't have to send in my MSI laptop and use this thing for a month in the meantime..

Thanks again for your help, any further thoughts?

- Steven

 

That is the Embedded Control reset button, If that did not resolve, the machine will likely need to be serviced by MSI

 

That is disappointing. Do you have any guess as to what is wrong with my laptop? Is it most likely a defective battery? I have never had to send a computer in for servicing before. Will they repair it even though it is not under warranty as long as I pay for the repairs?

 

Likely the port if it was running off battery. If the battery was bad it would still power on when plugged in. Even if it was open box, there should be some sort of warranty on it I would think, even if its only six months.

If out of warranty, they can still repair and send you a quote yes.

 

double post

 

Thanks, I appreciate all of your help. I will call tech support and try to explain my problem. I will try to be thorough in my explanation but like I said I am not very tech savvy. Is there anything in particular I should make sure to mention to them?

 

Not really, they will ask what you've tried and just let them know. If you have issues just PM me and I can try to assist with our reps

 

Do you still have the receipt/invoice of your purchase? You can call MSI directly to verify warranty status and request for a RMA # and just send the system in asap.

 

double post on my part as well.

 

@Kevin

Yes I have the invoice. I will definitely try to verify if I am under warranty, good tip. I am assuming not since it was an open box item and when I tried to register the product under my MSI account it said that the product had already been registered

 

Just that you have tried a new Ac adapter and tried clearing the EC, neither has changed the behavior.

 

Ownership is transferable per MSI, if you bought it from a first owner then warranty can be carried over, but if you bought it as refurbished item then the warranty is just 90-day.

 

I don't believe the item is refurbished. It seemed to be brand new packaging. I asked Newegg before purchasing what Open Box means exactly, and they just said that it means that the product is not guaranteed to include all accessories (though it did, came with the backpack and everything)

 

Oh, in that case it's still considered like-new item with full warranty. You can replace ownership information by providing MSI with your purchase receipt/invoice and they can update it in the system for you.

 

Interesting. I sent a support ticket asking for warranty information explaining how and where I purchased it. Hopefully they will tell me that the laptop is still under warranty. I purchased the laptop on 4/4, so with any luck the product was only registered on their website shortly before then. I will be calling tech support at some point tomorrow if I don't get a reply back soon

Thanks

 

Don't be shy, call them and your questions can be dealt with immediately other than 1 to 2 days.

 

Small update.

Since my unsuccessful EC reset attempt I have had the laptop plugged in, hoping that the fully drained battery would start charging. It wasn't charging or turning on for the past hour or so.

As a last ditch effort, I just lifted up the laptop while plugged in and shook it around (not too hard, but not that gently either) and guess what? The charging light came on.

So definitely a faulty connection right? How should I proceed, should I still send it in? Is the fix simple enough for an inexperienced guy like myself to try?

You are right, I will call tomorrow as I am leaving work soon and it is past their business hours. Also, see the post I just made above

 

MSI is located in California and it's 2:41pm right now so they aren't closed until 3 hours and 10ish minutes later.

 

Ah, didn't think about that. Any thoughts on the fact that I was able to get it to charge just by shaking it a bit? Easy fix or still send it in for repair?

 

Loose connection such as defective DC jack or bad contact.

 

Thanks,

Any idea if its something I could try to fix myself so I don't have to send my laptop away for who knows how long? Or would it require taking the insides apart.

 

Usually a loose connection will require a replacement of main board, and if you want to do it yourself then you have to have knowledge in soldering, however since your unit is most likely under warranty I would recommend you to contact MSI for service.

 

Any idea how much the repair might cost if I am not under warranty? Just curious

 

It may be free of charge.
But if it's out of warranty, then it can run from $150 to $350, depending on the severity of issue.

 

Finally, was the power connector the failure?

 

Hi Quincux,

Yes, there was a bad connection inside the dc jack of the laptop, MSI fixed it within a week free of charge. Very satisfied