Unable to charge A21M unless connected to external monitor

[loendust]

I'm unable to charge my A21m unless I connect a monitor cable from the laptop external monitor connector to my LCD TV (PC Connector). If I remove the cable from either one, the charging light on the laptop goes out. As soon as I reconnect, the light goes back on. I also noticed, if I touch the monitor cable on the metal of the serial port on the laptop, whilst still connected to the TV, the charging light comes on and charges the laptop.

I left the laptop charging without the monitor cable connected for an hour just to make sure the charging light wasn't playing up, but there had been no charge to the battery.

I'm using a generic charger and have tried this on my T20 and it works okay.

Could this be an earthing problem?

IBM Thinkpad A21M 2628 GSG P3 800Mhz 128MB RAM 6GB HD

[Harryc]

Take the laptop to another location (preferably another building) and plug it in. Does the problem still occur? This problem is a really weird one . Also can you get or borrow an official IBM power adapter to try?

[loendust]

I'll give your suggestions a try, might take a few days to get the Official IBM Charger, will let you know if this works! Thanks.

[loendust]

Just got the genuine charger today and tried it...worked perfectly!!

HarryC, thanks for your advice.

[Harryc]

You're welcome.