MacBook battery "not available"

Title states main problem exactly!

My MacBook was brand new in late 2006. The battery has performed well until just a day ago.

The running time has decreased, naturally, over the two and a half years I've been using it, but last time I ran it on battery a few days ago (I was mostly surfing Sciforums, to be precise) it lasted approximately two hours, if I remember correctly, maybe slightly more. I think it used to be around 3 hours if all I was doing was typing and/or reading.
Battery recharged fine. No problems.

Within 24 hours, the computer was suddenly saying there was no battery attached at all. The battery icon has an X through it. Pushing the button on the battery itself (turn over the laptop, button is on the bottom next to five green LEDs). All five LEDs lit up, which indicates a full charge as far as I know.

So the battery tells me it's charged, it was charged just the day before, and was running fine, albeit not as long as it used to...
And then a day later, the computer doesn't even recognize it! :shrug:

Anyhow, I found these...

Apple owns up to MacBook battery problems

MacBook battery sometimes not recognised/refuses to charge

http://forums.macnn.com/69/mac-notebooks/334871/macbook-does-not-recognize-my-battery/

The last link seems to illustrate a more grim situation.
I just don't see how my battery lasts over two hours, recharges fully, and then goes completely unrecognizable the following day, even though the built-in tester on the battery itself shows that it's fully charged.:bawl:

Anyone with a laptop who wants to comment is much appreciated, but those with MacBooks and the like will be doubly appreciated!

 

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Do batteries really die that fast? I would think that if it were on its last legs, it would probably only run for less than an hour. It seems too good to be true that it would make such an incredible leap.

 

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Regarding the link the John99 sent me

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2424

I have read a little on this topic before, and I find the numbers given in this Apple info doc perhaps a little minimalistic.

From another article:

http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/lithium-ion-battery2.htm

Mine is approaching the three year mark. I know it doesn't last as long as it used to. But last time I used it, it still lasted about two hours while I was viewing and typing on SciForums. I successfully recharged it after it had gotten down to under 10%. The next day I noticed that the battery icon indicated it no longer was available.

I guess I'm a little perplexed that the full-charge indication coupled with the fact that it still runs about 2 hours means the battery is suddenly dead.
Does this really happen? I would think (given what my Mom said about her laptop battery) that when the running time gets down to around 30 minutes, THAT'S when you should be making funeral preparations.

 

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Anyone who has used a laptop for several years or had to replace a battery:

FEEL FREE TO COMMENT! ANYONE?!?!

 

Yes, this is true. Early in my career (starting out with corporate sales), I always made it a point to stress to customers that laptop batteries (indeed cellphone, camera batteries as well) do not have an infinite useful life. Any type of rechargeable battery eventually loses function...you change your car battery every few years, why is it so difficult to believe that a laptop battery is the same?

Take note that many manufacturers EVEN when offering a machine warranty of three years, do not cover the battery, simply because the device will not ever last that long in an efficiently operable state. In fact I don't count on more than 18 months on any rechargeable...anything beyond that is a bonus

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Batteries do die fast. The 3 year old laptop (Acer) that hasn't even been on battery power that much has only 12% its former power, and can't last more than 10-15 minutes on battery.
I looked up recently it would cost 40-50 bucks to have a new one, but since we don't use it on battery, I will wait until the laptop dies...

I also heard that for batteries it is better to have fully used up before recharging, so that pattern could extend the life of the battery...

 

My battery ran for about 2 hours last time I used it (last Friday). Do they really go that fast? My battery shows it still has a full charge.

I know 3 years is about the limit for batteries, but I find it crazy that it would just go like that. *POOF*

 

I have a Dell for work, and the battery was working fine for ~10 months, then nothing.

Four other batteries from similar machines around the office all died w/in 2 months of each other.

Li-ion seems to have great capacity, but not much in the way of longevity.

The new batteries of this type coming out now are supposed to get 1000 recharges (instead of the current ~300), but we'll see if it pans out in reality.

 

Is it possible that this problem of going from 60+ minutes of charge to not being recognized or available has to do with something in the battery like its circuitry that would shut it off or disable it prematurely?

I'm reviving this conversation for various reasons.

 

Die, you Mac bastard!

...although, if I were going to be helpful, I'd say that I got a Chinese high-cell (8?) Dell battery about a year ago almost, and the thing still works like rocket fuel. It just won't die. I'm sure it's full of lead, radioactivity or aborted baby parts, but it's survived well.

 

I love you GeoffP.. leave that prison island and sail to America, and discover the lost continent of Mu.

I have put off getting a battery, mostly I think because if you go up and read the idiotic thread, I am not sure that it was just the battery or whether there is a hardware issue other than.
And the fact that I'm a lazy bastard doesn't do any harm.

 

I think it's a little unusual for the battery to just up and die like that in a few days. I would think it would more likely be a failure in the charging system.

I totally Lol'ed.

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I didn't think it could die that quick either. Especially after I read about people having the "battery is unavailable" message, even after replacing the battery.
Every story I read about batteries dying is generally something like the have 15 minutes of charge time.

 

Batteries can internally short and die quickly...but usually it's more like marriage...a slow, painful death.

 

I wish the battery could tell me for itself.

HEY! I have a voltmeter. I could test to see if it outputs voltage. Yay!

Hooray for me.