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"The AC power adapter type cannot be determined. Your system will operate slower and the battery will not charge. Please connect a Dell 90W AC adapter or higher for best system operation"
Hi all,
I have brand new Inspiron 1520.
Battery fully charged, when I unplug the charger from the wall, but let the plug in the Inspiron for a while (let's say a night), when I startup my computer, I get the message "The AC power adapter type cannot be determined. Your system will operate slower and the battery will not charge. Please connect a Dell 90W AC adapter or higher for best system operation" (needless to say that the power adapter IS a Dell 90W...).
Unplugging and replugging the adapter solves the problem.
I have the same message under Windows when I unplug the adapter from the wall, leaving the plug on the computer side while the commuter is running (to go from one room to another for eg.)
I have contacted Dell support, they asked me to reflash the Bios (already done) then, they sent me an new power adapter : same problem... now they are talking about a mainboard replacement !
While Googling for a solution I've seen this is a very common and long term issue on Dell computers.
Are there any people around here that had the same issue and managed to have Dell correct it ?
I have brand new Inspiron 1520.
Battery fully charged, when I unplug the charger from the wall, but let the plug in the Inspiron for a while (let's say a night), when I startup my computer, I get the message "The AC power adapter type cannot be determined. Your system will operate slower and the battery will not charge. Please connect a Dell 90W AC adapter or higher for best system operation" (needless to say that the power adapter IS a Dell 90W...).
Unplugging and replugging the adapter solves the problem.
I have the same message under Windows when I unplug the adapter from the wall, leaving the plug on the computer side while the commuter is running (to go from one room to another for eg.)
I have contacted Dell support, they asked me to reflash the Bios (already done) then, they sent me an new power adapter : same problem... now they are talking about a mainboard replacement !
While Googling for a solution I've seen this is a very common and long term issue on Dell computers.
Are there any people around here that had the same issue and managed to have Dell correct it ?
I’m grrrrr
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The best solution from the company
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Hello All,
@bwhitaker- I am sorry for the frustration, but I am 100% confident there is no conspiracy afoot to sell ac adapters by designing them to fail. We warranty those parts and designing them to fail would drive up warranty costs. If your ac adapter needs to be replaced, I will be glad to dispatch you one myself [out-of-date information removed].
To all others on this thread, if you would like me to replace your ac adapter, please contact the site mods here to get my email address. Then email me your service tag, name and current ship to address. I will overnight you all replacement ac adapters and power cords. Thanks for your patience.
3 people say
this solves the problem
The best solutions from everyone
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I had the same problem, My other Dell charger would work fine but the original one that came with this laptop would always throw an error message indicating that the Charger wasn't recognized. None of the suggestions on any of the forums worked.
So I held the chord by the circular flex thing at the end, and pushed in the power pin with force into the laptop, held it on for a few seconds - And now the laptop recognizes the adapter, charges and works fine! If you push the power pin slow and gently into the laptop, it doesnt recognize the adapter. I think the problem is either with the wires near the pin of the power chord or with the adapter inside the laptop.
Try it, worked for me!
3 people say
this solves the problem
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I am having the same problem at the moment with a XPS M1330 that I purchased from PC World (UK). The error only used to occur occasionally but seems to be getting more frequent and over the last few days has been occuring pretty much everytime I turn the laptop on.
I've just emailed their tech support department so will hopefully hear something back soon!
I’m frustrated
5 people say
this solves the problem
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Due to volume, only the 15 most recent replies are being displayed
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Inappropriate?Good luck folks. I've gone through three power adapters... the original, a replacement that Dell was nice enough to furnish as a replacement, and an aftermarket one when the second Dell failed.
The other problem is that the power jack is a weak link. You can find out about the problem by Googling a few of the terms. I replaced the power jack once and it failed again about two weeks ago after one year of service.
So... I'm typing this post on my new HP HDX16... after being a very good Dell customer for several years.
(Gee... just found my original post in this thread... about a year ago.) -
Inappropriate?I sent my shit Dell back and got a refund. I've noe got a great ACER. -
Inappropriate?well, I have had a dell laptop from my company as well - latitude E6400. I have had a number of issues, even though it is a new computer. Drivers that don't work and cannot be installed, slow booting etc. I have heard from my manager that they are going to kill the contract with Dell because of numerous problems with their laptops. I hope that really happens, as they are really going far, too far. All these issues are happening because they are trying to make it impossible to use any other adapter, and they are trying to make money from selling spare parts and accessories. I also have a very old dell desktop, and their voltage for the drives is different from the whole world...unique. Why? So that you cannot put any drive but theirs in their box...crazy.
Dell is trouble. I imagine that the CEO and the whole management are just a band of crooks. -
Inappropriate?Dell fixed my similar problem for my Inspiron E1705 by replacing the AC Adapter under my warranty program several months ago. Very satisfied with the results and response from Dell
I’m thankful
1 person says
this solves the problem
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Inappropriate?George, have you even read what this topic is about? Replacing the adapter does not help. You sound like you work for Dell...1 Comment Add a comment
This solves the problem
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Actually replacing adapter helped me, the wire was broken.. see my comment above. -
Inappropriate?Just wait.
The adapter is only part of the problem. Eventually the power jack on the MB will fail. A partial failure will result in the "battery will not charge - please connect a Dell power adapter... or please connect a XX Watt adapter, blah, blah, blah), but will still leave the computer able to function on AC power. The battery may even slow charge. A complete failure will leave you unable to use the computer.
The fix, if not under warranty, will require you to send your computer for repairs to replace the power jack. It will cost about $ 150. If you are capable of soldering you may be able to do it yourself. I did the first time and when it failed the second time I scrapped the computer.... it's just not worth it.
You all need to Google your problems and while your at it try "Dell power jack problems" and see what you find. You'll find that you are not alone. Frankly, this problem began years ago (my Dell is/was over 4 years old) and if newer Dells are still doing the same thing... well, the writing should be on the wall.
Dell should have fixed this at least 2 or 3 years ago. The interesting thing is that my 10 year old Dell has a completely different power jack arrangement and I never had one single problem with it.
Good luck folks. -
Inappropriate?Hello Bill,
I like your lovely offer, but how can I expect Dell to build a decent computer when they cannot even provide a decent AC adapter. I have a 1501 and the battery, adapter and probably the hard drive are a problem. When I remove the battery for a few seconds, the computer boots up for about 10 secs after the desktop, then shuts off. Not shuts down...just turns off. Does this computer run on AC alone? I just want it up long enough to get my files off of it and then I'm throwing it in the garbage where it belongs. Its only about a year and a half old .... what a shame.
I’m done with dell
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Inappropriate?My last dell product also. As a very old and grey senior casual computer user there is no reason I should have to replace my nic card which means a new mother board and not only that pay Dell $50. for over the phone help. Never again any Dell product. Bill very kindly sent me a new adaptor which helped solve that problem but now a host of others. D Link as am wireless has been awesome with live help for free!
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Inappropriate?I am too having this same problem. I can't use the BIOS right now because I'm now at a 1% charge level, so I'm trying to leave it alone till someone figures out the problem. I wish I had a Bill to send me a new one ;) I'm hanging on to this 1% like my last dollar :( It seems to be a huge problem. And I hate calling Dell, I was on hold for an hour and finally hung up. I'm just wondering if the live chat thing would work better for me. I'll try that, it's only 4 months old, and still under warranty, so they should be sending it for free I would hope?
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Inappropriate?I ordered a new battery before I knew what this problem was being caused by (I had done a clean install on my computer, meaning I didn't get the dell warnings until, in frustration, I put everything back to factory settings) - The new battery came today with 24% power, I was able, then, to update the BIOS.
It did nothing.
