Good with computers? Please help

[Austin]

Im on my dell inspiron laptop and since this morning it does not recognize its charger. It tells me to plug in a 65W AC adapter, and on my adapter it says exactly that. I've looked it up on google and ppl have similar problems but I still don't understand what to do.

My computer knows that something is plugged in, but it says its not charging.


Short: My computer is not recognizing my battery charger.


please tell me how to get my computer to recognize it.

[Vivweaver]

Your battery is dead brother; you're going to need a new one. newegg.com is cheap and best buy has good deals around Father's Day. Hope this helps.

Warm Regards,

Vivweaver
Local SysAdmin
CompTIA Security +

[Austin]

I don't see how that is possible. This computer is less than 2 months old.

[Vivweaver]

If you have a bad charger cord, then your battery will drain. If your battery came with a dead cell, then it will also drain. If it's brand new, then I'm assuming you have a 12 or 18 cell battery, and even one bad cell can drain the whole PC.

The only way to be totally sure is to run a full diagonstic on the battery and the laptop. The store you bought it from should do it for free, or if you want to send it to dell, I think they have a one year warranty.

Bad new computer equipment is fairly common. I just returned 56% of my hard drives (roughly 200) back to the manufacturer because they were bad. And the month before last, I sent a HUGE box of memory sticks back to the manufacturer because they were bad as well. Unfortunately, with electronics, you spend allot of time getting the right part a second time around. It's good that you start now so you become proficient at it. Write down the number you dial and extensions, so that when you call again, you don't spend an hour on the phone. When you talk to the rep, make sure you get their name and caller ID number, or trouble ticket number, so you can track your problem through their system if you decide to call Dell.

[Austin]

Alright thanks. Some other ppl who have had similar problems say that the laptop still runs at 0% but it turns off if you unplug it, hopefully this is the case with mine as I need my computer.

I'm on a different computer right now but its extremely slow and aggravating to use.

[Vivweaver]

How much Ram do you have on the computer you're on?

How big is the hard drive, and how much space do you have on it?

[Austin]

By the computer your on do you mean the laptop? Because I"m not on the laptop Im on a differnet computer that has a tiny amount of RAM. Its like 548mg or something like that.

The laptop has 3 gigs of ram. Im not sure how to find how much hardrive space there is but this might be it. It says 2 types of hard drives

OS(C) 60% free

84.5 GB free of 134 GB

Recovery(E) 50% free
8.54 GB free of 14.6 GB

[beckdg]

yupper... either battery or charger are bad most likely... dell is expensive to replace these parts... i considered a new laptop when my first one went bad, but they replaced it after a bit of getting on their nerves. they tried to tell me that batteries aren't covered under warranty that i spent $400 for.

for an inspiron though you are more than likely using a 6 cell (regular rectangle like). if you opted for the upgrade it should be a 9 cell (very uncommon and like a rectangle growing a baby rectangle on its side). i would try their online tech support (live chat) and see what you can resolve with them as they commonly have battery issues it seems and if your battery was on a list it will be free to replace. if you did not purchase all 3 tiers of their warranty replacement might be an issue through them unless your battery is on a list. dell also does not give away warranties... yes a useless one year warranty comes with them... it should be a guarantee that reads like this "we guarantee we did not screw up and if you fight our guarantee you will lose cause we guarantee everyone we employ is flawless".

when you push the indicator button on the battery do all the lights come on??? is your cord plugged in correctly? sorry for the stupid Q's, but if not all the lights come on your battery is not charging all the way and when these batteries go bad that is usually the first indicator. it could also be the charger or your motherboard if that is the case though. a VERY common mistake is that sometimes their crappy cords come loose. they seem tight and don't move cause the fittings are made well, but if it is not stuck all the way in to the adapter it may not work and the computer might or might not see it. i am at a loss for technical jargon so i will call it the box between the 2 cords.

anyway if you bought it at an electronics store i suggest going back to the store. the stores are a lot better about charger/battery related issues than the manufacturer as the manufacturer sees them as a retailer trying not to get screwed as opposed to an end user trying to get over on them and who may not be able to afford legal help as a store can not only cut them off from a lot of sales, slander them giving them a bad name and are quick to use legal recourse as a means of defense.

good luck austin, things seem to be a 50/50 split on your issue usually. half the time it's a known bad battery, the other half usually people are screwed, so you might need all the luck you can get.

[DeadMoose]

I imagine you need to install a driver.

[beckdg]

a driver is highly unlikely imo for a battery/charger related issue. the motherboard should recognize it at all times regardless if an operating system is installed or not. any battery/charger programs should be firmware not software... that means software (kinda) that cannot be deleted (like in a t.v.). i use my laptop without the battery in most of the time, so you could try that, but if it don't work with the battery in it probably wont without it either.