- laptop freezes all programs because it's been in hibernation without shutdown for too long
- okay I can deal with that; shut it down and walk away
- use the opportunity to put in brand new battery (after much stress about how it doesn't actually fit the casing quite right - I fixed that)
- start charging new battery properly
- get battery charged, take it off cord, start discharging
- COMPUTER FUCKING CRASHES A MINUTE OR TWO AFTER I CHECK THE BATTERY AND IT TELLS ME I HAD 44% LEFT
- plug it back in and check it again; apparently I was down to 8
conclusions: I think I have a problem in whatever sensor it is that assesses battery life whiiiich would explain why it repeatedly tells me that it's not charging when it's at 87% or some shit