Strange issue with laptop.

[Kaleen Bhaiya]

So this problem began a month ago. I am using HP Pavilion AU-134TX. I was casually using my laptop for some purpose and I received a Cumulative update from Windows(on W10). After installing it, my laptop started behaving weird when on battery. It would start stuttering when the battery1 reached around 50%. Everything was working fine prior to update, just the battery used to give up pretty early. I was told that battery backup would be less as it is a compatible one so I knew this would be the case.

Since the BB was very less and that I had another spare compatible battery, I installed it. I even did a fresh installation of Windows 10 22H2 just to clear the nothing from the OS side is causing issue. But the battery wouldn't charge above 82% while the battery light showed white colour, meaning the system detected it was charged 100%. I did another installation with older version, 21H1 as well, yet the issue persisted.
So I did a fresh installation of Windows 11 24H2 and the battery charging increased from 82 to 90%. But that's it. Then I did another fresh install of W11 23H2 and the battery finally started capping at 99% with white light, better than 82%. I though this would be calibration issue but I couldn't calibrate it even when kept for 8+ hours as the charge capacity won't go beyond 87% on all previous versions except this current W11 23H2.

Now the problem is, if I have to use the battery, the whole experience is so choppy and it stutters like crazy. It takes 2-3 minutes to scroll on YT Firefox or any browser for than matter(I was assuming Google trying to screw around with add blockers, but YT did the same with all browsers- Chrome, Edge with no add-ons whatsoever. Keeping YT aside, my laptop barely becomes usable if I have to use the battery, but runs smoothly on AC power.

I believe, I have discarded all the OS and software aspects causing issues, so that leaves the hardware part. I discussed this with one of my friend, he's stating that there could be an issue with the Power IC. But I need your opinion as to what could be the issue. I am not looking to buy a new laptop right now because ARM is still in nascent stage and I can easily pull this 16gig model even though MS might think otherwise, as W11, 23H2 runs buttery smooth.

I am sorry for the long post, but I wanted to elaborate as much as possible so that you would have an understanding of the issue. I have used the drivers from HP site just so that they don't cause issue, but it doesn't seem to be causing any issue, in case anyone thinking. Mine is an incompatible hardware. It has 7th gen 7200U with Secure boot and TPM enabled.

 

[TechUser00]

Just for the shake of OS clarity try to install Linux and see if this issue still persists. Then you can circle it to hardware.

 

[rajanmehta]

Change power plan from balanced to High Performance from control panel
Then edit High Performance power plan,
Here under Processor power management / Maximum processor state, choose 100% On battery

 

[DeathAdder_08]

I also suggest first changing the power plan to High Performance. You could also try disabling Intel Dynamic Platform and Thermal Framework (DPTF) in the Device Manager to see if it makes a difference. Afterward, installing Linux can help determine if the issue is related to the software. Also also inspect Device Manager for bad drivers.

 

[Kaleen Bhaiya]

Just for the shake of OS clarity try to install Linux and see if this issue still persists. Then you can circle it to hardware.

Could you suggest which version of Linux should I go for given that I had last tried Linux way back in 2011?
I believe Linux gives the provision to try the OS from USB before installing it on the hard drive. Should I proceed with that or you want me to install it on my hard drive?

Change power plan from balanced to High Performance from control panel
Then edit High Performance power plan,
Here under Processor power management / Maximum processor state, choose 100% On battery

Already did that. The "Processor State" was 100% for both, battery and power.

I also suggest first changing the power plan to High Performance. You could also try disabling Intel Dynamic Platform and Thermal Framework (DPTF) in the Device Manager to see if it makes a difference. Afterward, installing Linux can help determine if the issue is related to the software. Also also inspect Device Manager for bad drivers.

I had to uninstall those drivers under "Intel Dynamic Platform and Thermal Framework (DPTF)" since there was no provision to disable them. Sadly, it didn't make any difference, and when I did a reboot, the drivers were installed automatically.

I just have one driver which has an exclamation mark for PCI device, which I believe, must be for the Card Reader. It doesn't matter since I don't use it anyways.

 

[TechUser00]

Could you suggest which version of Linux should I go for given that I had last tried Linux way back in 2011?
I believe Linux gives the provision to try the OS from USB before installing it on the hard drive. Should I proceed with that or you want me to install it on my hard drive?


Already did that. The "Processor State" was 100% for both, battery and power.


I had to uninstall those drivers under "Intel Dynamic Platform and Thermal Framework (DPTF)" since there was no provision to disable them. Sadly, it didn't make any difference, and when I did a reboot, the drivers were installed automatically.

I just have one driver which has an exclamation mark for PCI device, which I believe, must be for the Card Reader. It doesn't matter since I don't use it anyways.

Install Ubuntu LTS version for stability. And update the drivers.

 

[StygianClaw]

I'm skeptical that the OS is causing this. You can try re-flashing the BIOS and clearing CMOS by taking out the battery. That might have an effect.

I'm leaning towards this being a battery issue. If the battery is not able maintain the required voltage or provide sufficient power, the CPU/GPU might be throttling or clock stretching to prevent the laptop from abruptly shutting off. Both old/failing batteries or poor quality aftermarket ones can cause this.

I did not understand the situation regarding the batteries clearly. To clarify,
Battery 1 - Is an OEM battery which has degraded and no longer provides good runtime. Also causes stuttering if the charge drops to 50%.
Battery 2 - Is an aftermarket battery which is not charging/calibrating properly and exhibits stuttering all the time regardless of charge state.

Did the laptop work fine when unplugged when Battery 1 was installed and Charge>50%?

 

[Kaleen Bhaiya]

I did not understand the situation regarding the batteries clearly. To clarify,
Battery 1 - Is an OEM battery which has degraded and no longer provides good runtime. Also causes stuttering if the charge drops to 50%.
Battery 2 - Is an aftermarket battery which is not charging/calibrating properly and exhibits stuttering all the time regardless of charge state.

Did the laptop work fine when unplugged when Battery 1 was installed and Charge>50%?

Both Battery 1,2 are compatible ones and both ran fine on AC power.

Battery2(B2)- I got it from here. I t was a HP one and not from LapGadgets. This was a replacement as well, since the first battery got from this site had swollen, used to die with 80% capacity. As it was within the warranty, so got it replaced.
Battery1(B1)- This I got it from a friend as a temporary replacement since the website linked above was initially hesitant to give me a replacement battery, but finally gave in.

During the ongoing dispute with B2's owner, I got B1 from my friend and used it. It worked great before the Windows update last month. It worked fine when on AC power. It also worked fine till it reached 50% on battery. After which it started stuttering everywhere. The battery % would drop to around 40% after which it would go to sleep indicating it lost all it's juice. When I turned it back on, the battery started charging from 1% meaning the system thought that it was completely dead. I tried calibrating it 3-4 times but no use.

I already received an under warranty replacement battery, B2. Thinking that B1 had died out, I got B2 installed. This did not charge to 100% initially, so went along juggling with OS's. Finally have it stuck at 99%, which I'll take it, compared to 82% when I had this installed initially.

This one starts stuttering once on battery power, from 99% itself.

My friend has told me that he'll get the replacement for B1 as well. I'll try to install that and see if it works fine on AC power.

It would be a little unrealistic if both batteries were faulty. But I am not ruling that given that it's compatible so a good chance to be taken for a ride.

Hope I am clear

 

[StygianClaw]

It would be a little unrealistic if both batteries were faulty. But I am not ruling that given that it's compatible so a good chance to be taken for a ride.

Understandable especially since your issues coincided with the Windows upgrade. The BIOS flash + CMOS clear I suggested was to clear any persistent settings that were changed in the BIOS from OS level. These may not have a corresponding user facing option in the BIOS UI. So reinstalling the OS would not have an effect if this was the case.

Can you try checking the reported voltage of the battery in Windows using HWMonitor (Or alternatively HWiNFO) ? See if it matches with the voltage spec of the OEM battery when unplugged and how it drops at different charge levels.

 

[ronnie_gogs]

You can also run the following command in command prompt or powershell to get a detailed battery report. It will save the report as a html file which you can open in any browser.
powercfg /batteryreport

Maybe the report can give you better data about your battery condition.

By system will throttle on battery as well but its only in heavy load application such as running a game. Your issue seems to be different.

I have set my laptop up to charge only upto 80% in the laptop software. This setting is persistent even if I switch OS to Linux. Maybe there is a similar setting for your laptop which you accidentally turned on. Also I have more power settings which directly effects the laptop performance.

 

[The Pain]

Both Battery 1,2 are compatible ones and both ran fine on AC power.

Battery2(B2)- I got it from here. I t was a HP one and not from LapGadgets. This was a replacement as well, since the first battery got from this site had swollen, used to die with 80% capacity. As it was within the warranty, so got it replaced.
Battery1(B1)- This I got it from a friend as a temporary replacement since the website linked above was initially hesitant to give me a replacement battery, but finally gave in.

During the ongoing dispute with B2's owner, I got B1 from my friend and used it. It worked great before the Windows update last month. It worked fine when on AC power. It also worked fine till it reached 50% on battery. After which it started stuttering everywhere. The battery % would drop to around 40% after which it would go to sleep indicating it lost all it's juice. When I turned it back on, the battery started charging from 1% meaning the system thought that it was completely dead. I tried calibrating it 3-4 times but no use.

I already received an under warranty replacement battery, B2. Thinking that B1 had died out, I got B2 installed. This did not charge to 100% initially, so went along juggling with OS's. Finally have it stuck at 99%, which I'll take it, compared to 82% when I had this installed initially.

This one starts stuttering once on battery power, from 99% itself.

My friend has told me that he'll get the replacement for B1 as well. I'll try to install that and see if it works fine on AC power.

It would be a little unrealistic if both batteries were faulty. But I am not ruling that given that it's compatible so a good chance to be taken for a ride.

Hope I am clear

I had a similar situation with my msi laptop. It's abt 7 years old and barely used. Only used it every other month charging and discharging etc

Decided to start using it so did a clean install of windows 11 pro and noticed that post the install the battery icon just disappeared. Put it down to the battery being old and conking off.

Ordered a compatible battery from Techie. That worked for 2 days post calibration and then suddenly stopped showing up too. Reinstalled windows. Still nothing

Got it replaced from techie under warranty and the replacement battery stopped showing up on day 2. Post multiple charge and discharge cycles and using MSI calibration tool.

Now suddenly it's showing up since day before yesterday and is seemingly fine as of now.

I can figure it out. But I'm sure it's not due to the OS.

Will wait for it to dissappear again and then take it to a shop. I'm tired of opening and closing the laptop now ‍SMH!

 

[Emperor]

@The Pain , just like Ink Printers didn't recognized refill ink cartridges or miss them (as you don't use original COSTLY cartridges), laptop Brand may too programed to detect Original Battery only.

 

[Kaleen Bhaiya]

Can you try checking the reported voltage of the battery in Windows using HWMonitor (Or alternatively HWiNFO) ? See if it matches with the voltage spec of the OEM battery when unplugged and how it drops at different charge levels.

I can give it a try. But how would I know the voltage spec of OEM at different charge levels? You want me to connect the OEM battery back into the system?

I have set my laptop up to charge only upto 80% in the laptop software.

My laptop does not have this feature, but I was using a software it alerts me when it reached 80%. I keep my battery between 30-80%, but my friend said that the compatibility batteries have a lower capacity than the OEM, so I wanted to charge it to 100%. But unable to do so due to battery issues.

I don't know or maybe paranoia, but my OEM, the other replacement batteries I got, all did not last long when I charged it to 80% only. Don't know if there could be a pattern to this, but all I wanted is atleast 1-2 hours backup.