What is causing new ASUS laptop to crash when on 35% power?

ProudDUB · 06-09-2016 04:56PM #1

Recently purchased a new hybrid laptop. An ASUS Transformer Book Touchscreen. I'm happy enough with it, only for the fact that it is crashing/dying when it gets down to about 35% battery left. I get no warning before it crashes. It just dies. If I reboot it, it will stay on for about 5 mins, then it will crash again. If I plug in the charger, everything is fine. It powers back up no problem.

When I re power it with the charger, all data is not lost. My web browser windows all restore, including a post on here that was just half typed up. So it's not crashing completely, if that makes sense. When it crashes, I am just doing basic web surfing. I am not watching videos, streaming audio or any other high power usage things. I have not added any new software or applications since I bought it, other than the free version of AVG anti virus.

It is suppose to have a 10 hr battery life, but as it is, I am getting less than 5 hrs out of it. I know that how I use it, the power settings, screen brightness etc etc affect how long the battery lasts for, but even so, it shouldn't crashing until I am completely out of juice, should it?

Any ideas what is causing this? Is there anything I can do to fix it? The shop where it was bought say if I leave it in for repair, it will be gone for 2-3 weeks, but I don't want to be without it for that long. It was the last one in the shop (including other branches) so they can't just give me a replacement one.

Thanks.

Alanstrainor · 07-09-2016 11:57AM

How long have you had it? If you've only had it a few weeks I would not accept them sending it for repair. Replacement, or cash back is all I would accept. Don't listen to any nonsense they spout about sending for a repair if it is indeed very new.

runawaybishop · 07-09-2016 11:59AM

Alanstrainor wrote: »

How long have you had it? If you've only had it a few weeks I would not accept them sending it for repair. Replacement, or cash back is all I would accept. Don't listen to any nonsense they spout about sending for a repair if it is indeed very new.

A repair is valid, the repair must be permanent though.

JOSman · 07-09-2016 12:05PM

I think you need to view power options on the battery. This could be set too high.

Set it approximately 10%.

Alanstrainor · 07-09-2016 12:06PM

runawaybishop wrote: »

A repair is valid, the repair must be permanent though.

If this laptop is brand new, I would not be accepting a repair. I accept that consumer legislation states Repair, Replace, Refund at the sellers discretion but I would push for a refund if it is a brand new machine.

tracey turnblad · 07-09-2016 12:07PM

They are entitled to repair it..if it comes back faulty again..your entitlement turns to refund... you can refuse a second repair

runawaybishop · 07-09-2016 12:14PM

Alanstrainor wrote: »

If this laptop is brand new, I would not be accepting a repair. I accept that consumer legislation states Repair, Replace, Refund at the sellers discretion but I would push for a refund if it is a brand new machine.

Push all you want - they may agree, but they are perfectly entitled to insist on a repair.

To the op - is it set to sleep after x% of battery is left? Usually critical battery will put a device into sleep, but 30% wouldn't be considered critical normally. Could be a fault battery

ProudDUB · 07-09-2016 02:55PM

JOSman wrote: »

I think you need to view power options on the battery. This could be set too high.

Set it approximately 10%.

How do I do that? I've looked at Power Plan Options and I only have the one - Balanced. The only Battery setting that I can see, relates to the times frame for putting the laptop to sleep when the laptop inactive. I don't see Power Options for the battery. Where would they be? It is currently set to go to sleep after 4 mins on the battery. Since I have owned it, I turn it off completely if I am not going to be using it for any amount of time. I don't leave it in sleep mode.

When I turned it on just now & toggle the mouse over the Power icon on the tool bar, it says Plugged In. Not charging. Since I bought it, it normally says Plugged in. Charging. (I have tested that the power socket is working ok, by plugging a lamp into it.) So, it looks like either the charger is dodgy, or the port that I plug it into is defective in some way and is not delivering electricity to the machine or the battery.

I only bought the lap top last week, at DID Electrical. Anyone have experience of them? They said that they will send it off to ASUS for repair. Their own in house repair dept won't deal with it, as its under manufacturer warranty. But that will take 2-3 weeks.

runawaybishop · 07-09-2016 03:16PM

From power settings look at the advanced power settings, critical should be set in there, what is it set to currently?

ProudDUB · 07-09-2016 03:58PM

runawaybishop wrote: »

From power settings look at the advanced power settings, critical should be set in there, what is it set to currently?

When I go to Change Advanced Power settings there is Battery settings with a + sign beside it. Nothing looks highlighted or selected. (I don't see any Critical setting.) When I click on the + symbol I get the following categories, with the following settings.

Critical Battery Action: On Battery Hibernate. Plugged In Hibernate
Low Battery Level: On Battery 6%. Plugged In 6%
Critical Battery Level: On Battery 2%. Plugged In 2%
Low Battery Notification: On Battery On. Plugged In On
Low Battery Action: On Battery Do Nothing. Plugged In Do Nothing
Reserve Battery Level: On Battery 4% Plugged In 4%

Dunno, if that is what you are referring to?

A couple of recent updates.

1. It has been an hour since the tool bar icon showed "Plugged In. Not charging" and I am still showing I have 99% battery power. If it is not charging and I am running off the battery, I should be down to about 85% power after an hours of usage. So, it's either charging ok and the tool bar power icon is wrong. Or it's not charging and the icon is displaying an incorrect power level left in the battery. Only way to know for sure, is if I leave it on for a few more hours and see if it crashes, as it normally does after being used for 4 hours.

2. I just checked my Settings as to what happens when I turn close the lid and select the Shut Down tab. It had been set to go into Sleep mode on both. Doesn't that means that it is in Sleep mode over night and using more juice than it would if it was Shut Down? So it would have less power, when I turn it on in the morning?

I have since switched that over to Shut Down when I do both. But I don't know if any of that makes a difference to it shutting down when I am on 35% power. Unless, it's not at 35%, it is even lower than that, but the toolbar is showing incorrect battery power levels, for what ever reason.

Is there anywhere else I can see what my battery power level is like?

Cheers everyone, for your input btw.

runawaybishop · 07-09-2016 04:15PM

Yeah those are the values for critical sleep, they look fine. Have you all your updates applied? Can't think of anything else tbh, points towards a dodgy battery.

JOSman · 07-09-2016 08:24PM

Go to
1. Settings
2. Sytem (display, notification, apps, power.
3. Power and Sleep
4. Additional power settings
5. (go down to) Change when computer sleeps.
6. Change advanced power settings.
7. (scroll down to battery and change) low battery level.

This is on windows 10 also new laptop.

Hope this helps

J

Alanstrainor · 08-09-2016 10:18AM

ProudDUB wrote: »

When I go to Change Advanced Power settings there is Battery settings with a + sign beside it. Nothing looks highlighted or selected. (I don't see any Critical setting.) When I click on the + symbol I get the following categories, with the following settings.

Critical Battery Action: On Battery Hibernate. Plugged In Hibernate
Low Battery Level: On Battery 6%. Plugged In 6%
Critical Battery Level: On Battery 2%. Plugged In 2%
Low Battery Notification: On Battery On. Plugged In On
Low Battery Action: On Battery Do Nothing. Plugged In Do Nothing
Reserve Battery Level: On Battery 4% Plugged In 4%

Dunno, if that is what you are referring to?

A couple of recent updates.

1. It has been an hour since the tool bar icon showed "Plugged In. Not charging" and I am still showing I have 99% battery power. If it is not charging and I am running off the battery, I should be down to about 85% power after an hours of usage. So, it's either charging ok and the tool bar power icon is wrong. Or it's not charging and the icon is displaying an incorrect power level left in the battery. Only way to know for sure, is if I leave it on for a few more hours and see if it crashes, as it normally does after being used for 4 hours.

2. I just checked my Settings as to what happens when I turn close the lid and select the Shut Down tab. It had been set to go into Sleep mode on both. Doesn't that means that it is in Sleep mode over night and using more juice than it would if it was Shut Down? So it would have less power, when I turn it on in the morning?

I have since switched that over to Shut Down when I do both. But I don't know if any of that makes a difference to it shutting down when I am on 35% power. Unless, it's not at 35%, it is even lower than that, but the toolbar is showing incorrect battery power levels, for what ever reason.

Is there anywhere else I can see what my battery power level is like?

Cheers everyone, for your input btw.

1. Plugged in, not charging simply means that the battery is full and the device is running off mains power and not the battery. Since the battery is full charged, it is not charging! So that sounds normal.

2. Surely if you hit start -> shutdown, it will simply shut down? As for closing the lid, it is correct to leave it sleep in my opinion. I open and close my laptop many times a day, I would not want it to shut down, and fully boot every time! It does consume power in sleep mode, it depends on the laptops as to how much it will consume. My advice would be to leave this setting alone, and shut down the computer at night (or leave it in the charger if need be).

But if the original issue is still persisting you should go back with it. The longer you wait, the harder it'll be to deal with when it comes to getting this issue resolved. I can't think of any reason for it to behave in this way that isn't some hardware issue.

Also worth noting:

http://www.did.ie/content/delivery

They will take back any item, faulty or not within 2 weeks. For a full refund. You should be trying for this if they don't have stock.

ED E · 08-09-2016 05:03PM

Laptop batteries are controller by a small circuit that keeps a running tally of what "full" is and what "empty" is. If its wrong at the top and bottom of the scale repeatedly then its likely that that has failed not the battery itself(or one cell therof). Either way it needs a replacement.

What is causing new ASUS laptop to crash when on 35% power?

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