How to Test a Laptop Cable

Laptop cables are used to charge your laptop battery and supply power to your computer. As it might seem, they are pretty important to have if you own a laptop computer. Most, if not all, laptops come with a power cable, but they are also available aftermarket in computer stores. If you purchased an extra power cable or just don't know whether a power cable is good or not, testing it is a simple task.

Things You'll Need

• Laptop (for testing)

Instructions

1. Plug your laptop cable into a wall plug.

2. Plug the other end of the laptop cable into your laptop computer (computer on).

3. Look at the battery meter in the system tray area of your task bar (the far right side). Mouse over the battery icon and wait for the battery tool tip to pop up. If your power cable is good, the tool tip will show the status as "Charging" or "Charged." If it is bad, you will simply be shown a percentage of how much battery power is left.

Tips & Warnings

• Before assuming that a cable is bad, make sure it is plugged in all the way at each end.

References

• Microsoft: Windows Battery Meter