Please consider the fact that not everybody here is a native english speaker, what do yo mean with:
I would really encourage anyone with this issue to load-test the battery before making assumptions
Load testing
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Load testing is the process of putting demand on a system or device and measuring its response. Load testing is performed to determine a system’s behavior under both normal and anticipated peak load conditions. It helps to identify the maximum operating capacity of an application as well as any bottlenecks and determine which element is causing degradation. When the load placed on the system is raised beyond normal usage patterns, in order to test the system's response at unusually high or peak loads, it is known as stress testing. The load is usually so great that error conditions are the expected result, although no clear boundary exists when an activity ceases to be a load test and becomes a stress test.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Load_testingYou can also do current-draw checks to see how much juice is really being used. I have seen a couple of software programs that would emulate load-testing for your laptop battery.
In general, when you begin the process of troubleshooting mechanical/electrical systems, it's best to break it down into sections, and start at the source, i.e. if it's a desktop for instance, check to see if it's plugged in, and make sure the outlet has power, this may sound simplistic and silly, but I guarantee you it happens a LOT more than you would think, people just don't talk about it
I worked for one of the nation's largest electronic retailers years ago, and they came and got me one day before the store opened, all in a panic because their whole system was down, cash registers, computers, everything. First thing I asked: "Where is the main server"?, after they pointed it out, first thing I did was trace the rather long cord back to the wall, where in the process of rearranging the office the night before, someone had dislodged it just enough to break contact. Literally two dozen people had been trying everything else, calling tech support and their main office, calling the power company, calling their ISP yada yada....and nobody had bothered to check this one simple thing, that should have been the first thing they checked.
Buy another battery, worst that can happen is you now have a spare and have eliminated that as the source of your problem. I have homemade devices to load-test any kind of battery, and know how and where to insert an ammeter inline to check current draw, but the complexity of these things is waaaaaaaaay more than I can type here with my two-finger-hunt-and-peck typing skills
