I was given an old refurbished HP laptop

[passiveporcupine]

by a friend (or maybe not)...and it has Win 7 installed. My pc has Win XP pro, and is not able to support some stuff on the web, like MSNBC videos.

My problem with the laptop, is that even though the battery shows full charge, I cannot run it on battery because the screen is so faded out on battery, it's impossible to see. Also, whether battery or plugged in, the sound volume is so low I can barely hear it.

Is this normal? Do most people with laptops use speakers because the laptop speakers are not loud enough...and do most people only run their laptops when plugged in because they can't see the screen on battery?

My battery shows fully charged. It just does not support the visuals on this laptop,. And even plugged into power, it does not provide adequate sound.

I've never had a laptop before so I don't know how this stuff usually works.

Is this normal?

[A Little Weird]

1. Adjustments

I think if you right-click on the battery icon you can adjust the brightness. (I don't have a laptop anymore so I can't check). If that doesn't work you can try the Advanced Power Settings. I've always had hand-me-down laptops that people were getting rid of because the batteries were shot. So yes, I often had to use them when they were plugged in.

I never noticed a problem with the sound being low but I normally don't turn up the volume very much anyway so maybe it's just my preference.

[passiveporcupine]

3. I'm a little hard of hearing.

I have to keep my speakers on my PC set on high, as well as volume control. The laptop sounds like people whispering to me.

I don't really want to be tied to my laptop with cords, so I might just have to use external speakers. If I can ever find a transformer for my harmon kardon speakers, I will use the cheap speakers on my PC for the lap top.


I guess I just wanted to know...does this mean the battery is pretty much shot?

[A Little Weird]

7. No I don't think it means your battery is shot.

If it were shot you would only be able to work for a short while before the computer would shut itself down on you.

Since I've never had a new laptop, I just don't know if the faded screen and quiet speakers are normal or not. I suspect they probably set the screen brightness really low by default to conserve power and the speakers on all computers often seem like an afterthought. It is probably one of the places that manufacturers go cheap on to cut down on costs. That's just my guess. I hope you can find a good external speaker solution that works for you.

[MADem]

2. Get a set of headphones. You'll be able to hear just fine with them and not bother others. nt

[passiveporcupine]

4. I'm not bothering anyone but my cats and dogs,

And they don't care.

So external speakers or headphones are necessary to hear your laptop? Volume is set on high.

And the screen is so dim on battery, I need a caver's light to see it. (just kidding)...I seriously can not make out much of what is on the screen until it is plugged into power. Then it brightens right up.

So battery is shot?

How hard and expensive to replace battery?

[discntnt_irny_srcsm]

5. Many laptops have a brightness setting...

...for AC and a separate one for battery. Try adjusting the brightness while on battery only.

[passiveporcupine]

6. I think I did, but I'll try again.

[RoccoR5955]

8. If adjustments to the Operating System do not work

it appears that you have a power supply that is going bad, or should I say voltage regulator. It regulates voltage to the peripherals. I have only seen this once or twice, but it was on HP laptops both times. I have dealt with several people whose HP laptops just died a few weeks after the warranty was over. (I wonder if this was not one of Carly's tricks to get more profits to HP).
It is not the brick that you plug into the AC, but rather the circuit on the system board that may be defective.
I would also try a brand new battery, if the battery does not last more than a couple of hours.

[passiveporcupine]

9. I can't test the battery, unless I just unplug it, turn it on, and walk away

Cause I literally cannot see the screen to use in on battery power.

Oh well...if it's dying it's not that big a loss. It was a surprise gift and I kinda think the friend who sent it didn't want to deal with the problems and got another one, and sent me this one, thinking I could just use it plugged in.

Thanks everyone for all the advise and help. I will try to get to it soon. Not having a good day today. Last night had a major health issue and feel like crap today...and I've got a major project to deal with (rebuilding front porch) that I need to focus on. But I will get back to this. I've had the laptop for almost six months now and have barely used it, it's so useless to me like this.

[discntnt_irny_srcsm]

10. Try this

Open the control panel > open "power options".

In the area with a white background, one or more plans are listed. Only one will be selected, it's name will be shown in bold.
Next to that name in bold on the right side of the power options window, there is a clickable link in blue that says "change plan settings".

Click that "change plan settings" link.

The options for both on battery and plugged in are displayed.
At the bottom of the battery options is the brightness option. Set it to maximum and click the save button.

Then disconnect the power.

[passiveporcupine]

11. Thx will try this!

[discntnt_irny_srcsm]

12. by the way

What's the model #? It's an HP right?

[passiveporcupine]

13. Yes it's an HP.

Oh, and I called it refurbished, but not by HP. It was fixed up by someone and sold on e-bay. So it's really not refurbished.

I don't know if this is the model #. Label on bottom says:

Product: Compaq nw8440
s/n CNU7180Q44
p/n RB556UT#ABA

[passiveporcupine]

14. That fixed the screen brightness on battery

Thank you!

[discntnt_irny_srcsm]

15. cool