I've had my laptop for a little over a year (Dell Vostro 1510). A few months ago I noticed the battery that it came was starting to get weaker. To the point where if I took it off the charger it would only hold a 10 minute charge. When it was so weak I started getting messages popping up. One said "Your battery needs to be replaced...." the other said that "the AC power adapter cannot be determined....please connect a 65W AC adapter for best performance". I assumed this message just had something to do with the battery being dead. Well I bought a new battery (9 cell...previous was a 6 cell) and the message about the power adapter still pop up. And it won't charge past 27%. But I'm using the adapter that came with my laptop, which according to the sticker on the adapter is 65W AC. So, anyone know what's going on?

ETA: the message pops up a few seconds after I plug in the adapter. So the laptop is actually charging (it says "plugged in and charging") before the message pops up. After I click OK on the message it then says "plugged in, not charging"

Thanks.


[Edited on August 28, 2010 at 11:58 AM. Reason : add info]

8/28/2010 11:54:48 AM

call dell and get this replaced under warranty if youve only had it a year.

8/28/2010 5:08:59 PM

^yeah, that's a good idea. So are you thinking it is an issue with the adapter and nothing else?

8/28/2010 8:22:49 PM

I had this issue w/ my Dell E1505 (4+ yrs old). Battery only held 53% of original capacity until about a week ago. My hand started getting hot one day and the battery overheated and started burning. Some of the batteries were recalled, but not my model supposedly. I would get the "plugged in, not charging" alert, and I'm almost certain it was the charger, not the battery. Because, I could move to another outlet in the house to charge and it would start charging. Of course, my charger also had issues. There are bare wires showing where the cord exits the transformer.


TLDR: I'd go w/ bad charger.

Hope that helps!

8/28/2010 11:24:13 PM

Thanks. I'm almost positive its the charger as well.

8/29/2010 12:11:39 AM

I don't know if they're still doing it or not but my old Dell's power adapter had a small wire inside the plug that would allow the computer to recognize that it's the correct adapter. When it broke, it quit charging. Supposedly a safety thing but it's really a pretty big POS. I'd def. try to find another adapter to test it.

8/29/2010 1:16:14 PM

Yeah I'll try that.
Thanks.

8/29/2010 1:59:14 PM

Just realized this...if the adapter is plugged in after the laptop has been opened or turned on then it will NOT charge (say "plugged in, not charging"). However if the adapter is plugged in before the laptop has been opened or turned on then it does charge. So....that's a little weird.

Just tried my friend's adapter. And it charges normally. So I've found the problem.

Thanks for the help guys. I guess I'll need to do a little shopping for a new adapter.

8/29/2010 3:53:08 PM

My Dell laptop keeps telling me I need to consider replacing my battery. Should I get it from Dell or can I save a shit load of $$ and get it off ebay. I don't want to fuck up my computa.

5/12/2011 12:40:31 PM