Laptop battery dead?

[Ozzylator]

My bastard laptop is three and a half years old. In this time I can think of about five or six occasions that I've ran it off battery alone. A few weeks ago was one of them: I let it fully discharge by accident.

Now for three weeks it's reported itself as "0% (charging)"

Is it fucked?

[luttman23]

yep. Mine does that too. Need another one.

[terrorbite]

It's a good idea in future to let it fully charge and fully drain every so often.

Not that that helps your situation right now :D

[Ozzylator]

Another question: How big would the explosion be if I were to short-circuit it for teh lulz?

[Timmeh]

I dunno where people get the idea that electronic components explode, an explosion requires dense, highly flammable material and spark/flame. Laptops do not contain a large and dense amount of highly flammable material, so chances are you'd end up with either a fizz as it dies disappointingly, or just a regular electrical fire. Electrical fires can only be put out with a chemical fire extinguisher, and if you're actually fatally stupid enough to consider short circuiting a laptop battery "for teh lulz" as you so eloquently put it, I can say only this; Darwin salutes you.

[codename_47]

I dunno where people get the idea that electronic components explode,

Star Trek.

We go to the stars but forget how to work a fuse.

[The Grim Reaper]

I dunno where people get the idea that electronic components explode
Guessing Dell laptops etc where batteries have randomly caught on fire?

[piemastermike]

no explosion though. Just an electrical fire.

explosion:
http://rhysy.plexersoft.com/Explosion%20test%202e.jpg

electrical fire
http://www.rafmarham.co.uk/relations/stories-2005/fire-training-nov05/g231-012438-169x.jpg

[Steak]

Capacitors pop quite nicely though.

[Martinus]

Guessing Dell laptops etc where batteries have randomly caught on fire?
Not randomly, too much heat or a blow was the cause.

Timmeh is differentiating between electrical components i.e. a loaded circuit board and chemical components - a battery. Circuit boards are populated with components that consist of largely inert materials. Batteries on the other hand contain significant quantities of charged, reactive materials.

I would point out that reported cases of people kicking the bucket due to asploding batteries are thin on the ground i.e. it's not a large explosion.

[Ozzylator]

I dunno where people get the idea that electronic components explode, an explosion requires dense, highly flammable material and spark/flame. Laptops do not contain a large and dense amount of highly flammable material, so chances are you'd end up with either a fizz as it dies disappointingly, or just a regular electrical fire. Electrical fires can only be put out with a chemical fire extinguisher, and if you're actually fatally stupid enough to consider short circuiting a laptop battery "for teh lulz" as you so eloquently put it, I can say only this; Darwin salutes you.

Thanks for the advice. Perhaps just chucking it into a bonfire might do.