I'm using an HP ProBook 4540s (Windows 7 OS).
Yesterday I noticed that my notebook's battery was running low despite it being plugged into the outlet. It must have stopped charging properly (or getting power from the outlet) for a while, because it was suddenly at 9% power or so.
I tried plugging it into a different outlet, but I only got a message (from the toolbar) informing me the charger must be damaged or something. Eventually I shut down the system to conserve what little power I'd have (and it seems it's too little to power it back up).
What this has led to is a notebook that has an empty battery, that can't be turned on, but can detect the presence of a plugged-in charger. I've eliminated the charger as the root of the problem.
I've poked around and found that others have had problems like this with similar laptop models. I tried the hard reset (removing the battery and charger, holding down the power button, then plugging it in, etc) and nothing helps.
When the battery is installed in and I try to turn the system on, the light above the power connector blinks orange. When the charger is plugged in (battery or not,) it blinks blue.
Is the culprit the Microsoft ACPI? Would it make sense to use a powered-up battery (through an external battery charger or a different battery entirely) to try to get it switched on and take care of the possible software issue, or could it be the motherboard? Is this a common problem for the 4540s?
Time is an issue for me, and I'd like to be able to at least turn the system on and copy some files before I give it up to a repair center or something. If we can't find a solution for this problem then I would very much appreciate ideas for the next steps to take.
Thank you in advance.