I have an Ideapad Flex-14iwl, and the charging light on the side of the laptop stays lit constantly, even when the computer is shut off. The laptop is not plugged in when this happens. The light is a solid amber. If I plug the AC charger into the laptop, the light remains amber, but it starts blinking. In addition, when I check the battery charge level in system settings, it indicates that the battery is charged to 63% and will not charge any higher than that. Also, the option to use my fingerprint to open Windows is no longer showing up as an option. Are these things all related? Any thoughts on how to troubleshoot this?

Greetings @jimtrvl917.

Sorry to read that you have multiple issues with the machine.

I suggest that you share the complete machine type model / MTM (ex. 81C70000RK or 20UD000BUS) from the sticker usually located under the case. This would help find more details about your machine variant, while keeping the confidentiality of your serial number.

If you can't find any sticker under the device showing the machine type model / MTM, check this link as guide how to find it within Windows. Please do not include the machine serial number (S/N): https://support.lenovo.com/ph/en/videos/vid100751-how-to-locate-serial-number-and-machine-type-model-number-may-2020-update 

This is very important because, there is a need to check your machine model.

Is your machine running in Windows 10 or in Windows 11?

If your machine is in Windows 11, is this an upgrade from Windows 10?

Were you able to use the fingerprint reader to "log in" to Windows? Do you remember that a Windows update happened prior to this issue?

If your machine is not charging that certain battery percentage, I suggest you can try to check these reference articles here about Battery Conservation.

https://support.lenovo.com/us/en/solutions/ht103159-battery-charge-stops-at-60-plugged-in-not-charging-windows-ideapad

https://support.lenovo.com/us/en/solutions/ht117503-battery-cannot-be-charged-more-than-60-ideapad 

Also, it might be good if you share a photo how does your power light indicator look when the laptop is powered on and when the laptop is powered off. That way members of the community can evaluate the 

Regards.
Dex

Thanks for the suggestions. I am attaching a photo of the sticker on the back of the computer, without the serial number, as well as a photo of the light on the side of the computer. Please note it blinks constantly when plugged into AC power, and it glows a solid amber (same color as when charging) when unplugged. Also, when unplugged, the computer will simply shutdown when working on it without warning. As soon as it is plugged in again, the battery icon comes on the screen and shows that it is charged to 63%.

I am running Windows 11 on the machine. It is an upgrade from Windows 10. This was done a number of months ago. I used to be able to use the fingerprint reader, and I do think that option was lost after a recent update. I'm not sure what update occurred, as my wife was using it, and it asked to do an update, and she let it run. However, the problems with the battery and charging existed prior to the update. I installed Lenovo Vantage, and checked the battery status. The Vantage app stated that the battery was in excellent condition and it had run for 10 cycles.

Thanks again for the suggestions and assistance!

I was looking at my bios version, and it appears to be quite old. The version is AHCN17WW (V1.03). When I look on the Lenovo site, they have a version AHCN34WW, but it states that it is for Windows 10 (64 bit). There are no bios updates shown for Windows 11 (64 bit). Is it advisable to update the bios using the one designed for WIndows 10? Could this be causing some, or all of my issues?

Thanks for your machine details.

Have you tried checking the references I sent regarding battery? Have you checked your Lenovo Vantage if the battery conservation in Vantage?

I wanted to ask something.

Do these issues occur noticeably and remarkably after you have upgraded your OS into Windows 11 from Windows 10 interface?

Not all, but did at least one of the issues occurred noticeably after the Windows 11 upgrade?

I have used your MTM and checked the support site and I cannot see any Windows 11 drivers available there to support this new OS in your laptop. Your Lenovo FLEX-14IWL laptop may be open to accept Windows 11 upgrade but the lack of recommended and supported drivers will make your laptop susceptible to multiple issues like the one you are experiencing now.

In this case I can see two options here.

First option, you can choose to stay in Windows 11 and keep the machine running in this OS, but the issues will be there.

If you will choose this, it means that you are willing to wait for Windows 11 updates either at support page or on the Settings Windows update to potentially fix the issues on other issues like the battery.

Second option, you can downgrade the OS back into Windows 10 or to the original OS that came with the unit. There are Windows 10 drivers on the support page and support the Windows 10 OS in your laptop. You can then see if the machine will work fine when it runs in the original OS that came with the machine. You may reinstall the OS using a DDRS as some expert members of the community do.

Regards.
Dex