On Sun, 24 Dec 2006 10:58:04 -0500, Barry Watzman wrote:

> Every laptop that I have ever seen (and I service laptops) will run just 
> fine without a battery installed.
> 

I service laptops too, just Toshibas. It sounds like the DC in jack has a
dry joint. If you plug the DC cord in, wiggle it around a lot, you'll
probably notice the power light blinking rapidly. If this is the case, ask
someone to disassemble and resolder the jack. In most cases it is
repairable.