Laptop won't turn on without taking out battery

Factual Questions
1

I’ve got a weird issue with my Sony Vaio laptop (Windows 7). I can’t turn it on unless I take out the battery, unplug the power source, and hold the power button for 10 seconds. Then when I put the battery back in, it comes on. When I try to turn it off, if I click “Shut Down”, it automatically reboots itself. The only way to really shut it down is to hold the power button for about 5 seconds.

So would a new battery solve this problem? Or is it the power cord, or something else entirely? I can’t seem to find the right words to make Google happy, and Sony’s support system leaves a lot to be desired. Thanks!

2

Sound like the microswitch attached to the power button is stuck in the “on” contact position. Did anything spill on the unit recently?

3

Hmm, no, not to my knowledge. And wouldn’t that only address the rebooting issue? The stranger part (to me) is the inability to turn the thing on unless I take the battery out and then put it back in. But everything looks normal with the power button, as far as I can tell.

4

I thought you meant it was booting automatically when you put the battery in, In re-reading your OP I see this is not the case. Never mind about the switch hypothesis.

I’m not getting this.

Once there is no battery and the PS is detached the unit is off. Why are you holding down the power button?

5

When it first started happening (i.e. when I couldn’t figure out why my laptop wasn’t turning on), I did a frantic search on my phone for possible reasons and solutions. I came across something that I can’t find again that said to unplug it and take the battery out, then hold down the power button for 10 seconds, then put the battery back in and plug it back in. I was skeptical but panicky, so I figured I would try it, and much to my surprise it actually worked.

But now I can’t figure out why it works, and how to get things back to normal. And I can’t find the webpage that had those instructions in the first place. It’s like a horrible version of Jeopardy… I only have the solution, not the problem.

6

I know this sounds unrelated, but trust me on this.

Have you added extra RAM memory to it in the past? If so, remove that extra memory and try it without it.

Even if you have never added memory, remove the existing memory, try to boot up without it (it won’t boot) then put the memory back in and try again.

The memory can be found through a little door on the bottom of the laptop with a Phillips screw or two holding it in place.

7

I have a Sony and need to do the same thing. It powers off for no reason, and we have to do a battery pull/replace to get it to come back on. it’s 50/50 on whether the first attempt will work. I think the key is to just wait about 10-20 seconds after pulling it. Holding the button does nothing.

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8

Try my above recommendation. Make sure the memory is well-seated when you reinsert it.

9

Will do.

10

Phil, it sound to me like it’s overheating.

11

Sony Vaio laptops have a poor cooling design, sucking air in from the bottom and exhausting it from the side. So it tends to suck dust into the fan and spread it all over the heat sink. Take some compressed air and blow out the fan intake on the bottom and the exhaust port on the side.

12

Is this the original battery? How old is the laptop?

13

If you actually have to hold down the button, it’s so you can get out the leftover charge. I have to do it to my desktop, after pulling the plug. I know it comes back on since the light glows for a bit, even though it isn’t plugged in.