Charging PS3 controllers on a laptop

It's the beginning of the month and I'm trying to be good about charging all my lithium-battery-powered devices (gaming handhelds, controllers, and now the Wii U GamePad) so as to prevent permanent capacity loss.

I don't want to turn on the PS3 just to charge the controllers, so I figured I'd charge them on my laptop. You can tell controllers are charging because the red lights are flashing, but now I'm noticing the lights go out after a few seconds. I didn't think they were charging anymore.

The solution is a simple tweak in Device Manager. David D writes,

Go to your Device Manager and then to your Human Interface Devices section before plugging in your PS3 controller. Then plug in your PS3 controller and you will see "HID-compliant game controller" and "HID-compliant wireless radio controls" be updated to your Human Interface Devices section. Right click and disable "HID-compliant game controller" then unplug and replug in your PS3 controller and it should charge fine.