XPS M1730 - Invalid AC Adapter (Cannot Be Determined)

I had this problem too and it was frustrating me to the point where I finally bought a new adapter to test weither it was my computer or the old adapter. After recieving the new adapter and plugging it in to my laptop, the laptop recognized the charge and thankfully is running at full capacity. I plan on having dell replace my old adapter since my computer is under warranty still though I'm not sure if they will. At least it's not the laptop.

Over the summer while out of town, I had the same issue with my system; getting a replacement AC adaptor fixed the issue- temporarily. Three months later I lost all USB function and then my system board failed. It was replaced under warranty TWICE, but failed again. Throughout all of this, I never did regain my USB port function!
Last week I got a NEW system (warranty exchange), and four days later guess what? AC adaptor not recognized...
Needless to say I suspect the issue might just be connected to the faulty boards.

http://en.community.dell.com/forums/t...

I am getting the exact same error message when I power up. My PC is just a few weeks out of warrenty. As I don't have a second adapter I was told by tech support that I would have to buy one, this is going to cost me 90 Euros and it might not even be the issue. It seems a bit insane to have to purchase an adapter to debug the fault, isn't that Dell's Job. I don't know what will happen if it turnes out to be the motherboard. I'll Post the outcome as soon as I know.

Service Tag: 5KQW73J

Buy on eBay

I also have a Dell XPS M1730 that is 13 days out of warranty and this message appeared after plugging my laptop in again after a short time of use on battery power. Now I'm worried my laptop is going to run too slowly for my games. I have not yet tried to play any games because I've been busy at work. My battery is frozen at 83% and won't charge. This is a manufacturer's defect if so many people are having this problem, which warrants a recall, not all of us having to buy a new adapter. I have found numerous incidents of this happening in Dell Inspiron laptops as well. I hope somebody finds the solution to this (since Dell doesn't seem to want to help) so that we're not all having to buy a new adapter.

Out of curiosity, what difference does it make if we provide our service tag?

Dell XPS M1730 AC power adapter wattage and type cannot be determined?
I went on a trip and took my laptop when I tried to turn it on in the hotel and
When I tried boot up my laptop, I got this exact error:
The AC power adapter wattage and type cannot be determined.
The battery may not charge.
The system will adjust the performance to match the power available.

Please connect a Dell 230WAC adapter or greater for best system performance.

To resolve this issue, try to reseat the power adapter

Strike the F3 key (before the F1 or F2 key) if you do not want to see power warning messages again.

Strike the F1 key to continue, F2 to run the setup utility. Press F5 to run onboard diagnostics.

It still runs on AC Power but the battery doesn't charge, I tried taking out the battery and putting it back in but that doesn't help. I was wondering if I need to replace the adapter, battery, or get some other part on my laptop fixed. Any help would be great.

My Service Tag is H4Y3DF1

I called Dell Tech Support for XPS. You can try any of these things and see if they work for you. He took me through some checks of the adapter and battery. He had me remove my battery and press the button to check the status; if the battery lights up in patterns of 1, 3, or 5 apparently there's a battery problem and likely needs to be replaced. He also had me go to to the Dell support page and select the Drivers & Downloads. Then click on Search by Service Tag and enter your number. Then be sure you have the correct operating system listed, and click on the "+" beside BIOS. I had to update this from A03 to A09. Then the computer rebooted. In my case, there was no change in the problem, so the tech said I needed to replace the motherboard. I am now exactly two weeks out of warranty, can you believe this? Dell has this problem with many of its laptops, and according to this tech support rep., their new laptops now have the motherboard problem fixed. I think Dell is so worried about making money that they will not issue a recall because of the sheer number of computers with this problem. They have known about this problem for a long time and are only willing to help those still under warranty because they HAVE to. No laptop or desktop computer should have this type of problem after one year of use, and especially a "luxury" laptop like the XPS M1730. Think about it...when you buy a Ford Focus, you get a different level of service than when you buy an Aston Martin DB9. This laptop, especially last year, was at the higher end of laptops, depending on the upgrades you selected when you customized your computer. The high price tag should also come with an extended warranty if Dell knew these were that unreliable; at this price these laptops should not be this problematic. We paid for top-of-the-line in specifications, so this should also be reflected in reliability. I expected much more from this laptop, and especially more from Dell. When a product has your name on it, you'd think you would have more pride than this.

I have the exact same issue with my M1730...that and a faulty DVD drive amongst others.

On the adapter problem, mine didn't go bust suddenly...i started to get the warning message when booting a few weeks ago and, as any ignorant out there, i fiddled with the power cords and the contacts on both the laptop and the power brick. That seemed to work and for a period i went through this ritual every time i powered up the laptop.

As of 3 days ago no amount of fiddling and positioning will work anymore and i have subsequently contacted Dell support in my area. Their service rep told me it was an adapter problem and that they'll replace it for me...reading the posts above i'm worried about a possible motherboard issue as well, although the service rep here didn't mention this possibility at all.

As for the way Dell is apparently treating this widespread issue, i think it's unacceptable. The price tag on systems like M1730 and such really warrant end users to expect quality as well as performance. Sadly, this issue with the AC adapter isn't the only one plaguing the system...i could go on for ages about the DVD drive, the SLI video cards and the lack of proper drivers.

It all adds up to the conclusion that this was a poor buy on my part, and that i've been dooped by a few bright lights and a flashy name.

Hi Again,

I finally purchased the new adapter as I was unable to find anybody locally with the M730 XpS. It has fixed the problem. I am still disopointed with Dell and their apparent lack of customer care, there is obviously an issue here. Does anybody know if it is possible to have the old failing adapter sent back tp Dell for failure analysis?

Thanks for all your responses and I hope this helps a little.

This is happening to me too. My warranty just expired 1/28/2009...so just mere days after the warranty expired, my power cord doesn't work...which looks shady. I'm agreeing with a recall. I spent WAY too much for this to be a one-year computer.

I had this problem fixed with a new motherboard and power supply about 3 weeks ago on my XPS M1730. The problem just returned again!!!!!!!

This morning the battery light is back to blinking on and off randomly, and it is no longer charging every time you plug it in. The problem is the same as before, the symptoms are the same. My power adapter is brand new. This is how it happened last time as well.

Am I going to have to have them install a new motherboard monthly on this thing? This is ridiculous!!!! My warranty is only good 3 more months.

We boought 5 of these at work about 6 months ago and 3 of them have already had the motherboard replaced and also a power adapter replaced for one. Never had a power issue like this before with dell, however we have had mother board issues with the power plug coming loose. I think Engineering needs to do a little work on this issue.

Small update

A new adapter arrived for me a week ago. Got home and plugged it in then left the laptop running on idle while doing some chores around the house. After around 30 min i heard a noise very similar to that of a circuit board shorting out...guess what? It was my brand new adapter getting fried.

So, this time around, instead of getting the dreaded "can't recognize the adapter type" it just blew out ! I called the Dell rep again and he had no explanation whatsoever, except "wait another 10 days until a new one arrives"

I think i'll order two of them just to make certain :P

Yes, but what about the rest of us who are out of warranty? I haven't decided if I should replace the motherboard ($$$) or the adapter ($$) because I am afraid it's just going to keep happening. I wish Dell was more concerned with their customer service. When companies are small they pride themselves on quality and service, and this used to be representative of Dell. With Dell's rapid growth and success In recent years this seems to have faltered. I can't tell you how extremely disappointed I am. I saved up for over a year for this laptop. To have this happen only days after my warranty expired is unacceptable.

I had this same problem with my Dell XPS M1210 Laptop when it was under warranty. I called Dell support and they sent me a replacement power supply. That didn't fix it, and then they sent me a replacement battery. That didn't work, and then they sent a technician that replaced the motherboard. Then it worked fine for a few months. Now the problem started up once again, but now it is out of warranty. In researching this issue online, it seems that thousands have people have had this issue with several different Dell models, and for most it was the power supply. However, I'm affaid to pay the money to replace it because it may not be the root cause. I might just have to buy another laptop, and it definately will not be a Dell.

I am also going through this! ARRRGGHHH! I got the horrid message and called dell they replaced my mother board and a new ac adapter. It was fine for about 6 months. Then YAY two days ago the dreaded message again!!! Also my battery died and I had to get that replaced. I am so over this issue. I don't even want to keep this lap top anymore. I extended my warranty for this lap top because I'm not going to pay for new ac adapters, batteries, motherboards etc. Also I have played WoW with the 'unrecognized' adapter, and it lags hard core!

I also have this problem, BIOS won't recognise the charger. The battery won't charge but the laptop will work albeit very slowly. Dell have been useless, this laptop is 10 months old and as I am the second user they are not interested in repairing it even though it is a known problem. This is the ninth Dell I have purchased and it is the last - never again.

Wow. This sucks big time. Over a week the problem has progressivly gotten worst, and now no recharging. Great. I've had mine for 6 months.
I guess Its time to send it in a get the new bits.
One other thing is that Dell has been supplying the M1730 with crappy LCD screens, and they replace them only if you ask. My Blu-ray look worst than DVD and blacks are grainy. Its a LG Screen, that they replace with a sharp.
I think Dell need to pull their head in...........

Yep this issue happens alot. Ac adapters don't last forever. its like your fuses in your house. You put them in and forget about them until they blow. The same thing with the ac adapter. But you can make it last longer this time by using a suge protector 100% of the time. And your out of warrenty from support.dell.com. So buy a new one n00b.

Read LaptopNomad's post above.

I've researched this frustrating problem and found several tech experts saying the cause of this problem is the design flaw that's blowing up up the ID chip in the Adapter or the Controller chip on the motherboard.

This is a serious design flaw DELL was WELL AWARE OF. Of course buying new adapters and batteries is more profitable than fixing the problem. Help spread the word. Dell products, honesty and service is as bad as it gets.

This is Garbage what is the chance of getting a recall on something like this, its not even like I can just go buy a battery Dell in Edmonton went bankrupt. Good thing I got that extra ram! love wasting money, Thank Dell

I have the same problem..I got my XPS M1730 on Christmas and for the past few days I am consistently getting a pop up with the AC Adaptor error..I called DELL and they are sending me a new adaptor....However it seems that even the new adaptor will not fix this problem as there is a design flaw with it. Fortunaley I have got a 3 year warranty on my laptop and DELL will have to put up with me for the next 3 years...I WILL NEVER BUY OR RECOMMEND A DELL LAPTOP TO ANYONE ELSE...I NEED TO BUY 3 more LAPTOPS with the same configuration...I will either go for an apple laptop or maybe an alienware (if that is not a dell product) but bot dell.

If DELL does not replace my laptop if this problem presists..I will SUE DELL for selling laptops with manufacturing defects when they are well aware about it...this is like cheating and stealing from customers..

DELL SUCKS....

For "The AC power adapter type cannot be determined" failure, how about a Dell Class Action law suit remedy instead? Send classaction@poynerbaxter.com your information and see if that will work for you. It's my understanding that they are initiating a class action suit. While I'm not a lawyer, I do know from personal experience that even a small claims action for your damages requires substantial time and energy when you do it yourself, and taking on Dell on an individual basis would be prohibitive in both cost and effort.

I had this same AC Adapter 230w problem for about a week now. I am about 4 months out of warranty and this happens! I've only had the laptop for 1yr & 3 months. I bought a brand new AC Adapter for 120$ and it still hasn't fixed my problem. I dont really know what to do next. I have 2 batteries, 1 is completely drained and my 2nd is at 3% life.

@ Heather, I too have noticed that it is bad for people that play WoW.

They replaced mine and its all ok.

I recommend you all check out this site

http://www.dellacadapter.blogspot.com/

I to have this problem , Video card went bad got that fixed then 2 months latter my AC Adaper light wont come on, I went and got another AC adapter pluged it on Power Light came on but as soon as i Plugged in AC adapter in My Dell Inspiron 1705 laptop the Light went out on my Adapter, I can't get adapter to work anymore, It is the right adapter for it to.

This just suspecius to me findng how so many people havng these problems when warrenty is almost up and some with already warrenty up, I wonder if there is a Smart inplanted Microchip in every Dell or any large manufacture name like Gateway,Dell,HP and so on company names with already Build for you Laptops,

A Susppecius Microchip Designed to Fail AC adapters, batteries, Or any Kind of Hardware just to make sure when warrenty runs out to force you to pay out cash for new?.. Be nice if we can find some good hackers to rip apart these manufacture company name products to see if there is a suspecius microchip someware inplanted because this is what i come to believe.

I'm Thinking if there is such a chip maybe I have a better chance to keep something working if I set Date,Time,year Back some so everything won't Go bad,

I'm not a rich person to pay someone to find out if this is true or not but maybe 1 of you guys can for us please.

I have a solution that may work. It did for me.

I have a Dell XPS1730 and as with the many others that have had the dreaded "The AC Power Adapter Type cannot be determined...." error. My warranty ran out just a few weeks before the problem reared its ugly head.
After searching the internet I was dismayed with the huge number of people who had experienced the same problem. I was even more dismayed to hear that Dell was not doing a recall on the faulty laptops.

I haven't approached Dell because I expect the worst but I tried tinkering and found a solution of sorts. If I disconnected the power supply, then opened the battery meter under Dell Quickset, then plugged the power supply in again all is fine and the battery charges.

This would seem to indicate to me that it is purely a software bug which Dell could easily (and cheaply) fix. Lets hope they do because I generally like Dell laptops.

Hope this helps

Cheers

Exactly the same problem as the rest. I bought this computer xps 1730 with rave reviews via ebay using visa last march. it came with 1 year warranty when bought in March but expired in Jan (when seller bought it from manufacturer). Regardless, it is now the end of May and the laptop has run out of warranty. I find it interesting that i was never sent a reminder to extend my warranty....i wonder why!

I have no battery power left but it runs off the main for now. im dreading the day when it starts to damage the computer itself. I cannot update the bios as you need at least 10% power to do so. Not sure exactly what my next move is, but it seems logical that buying a new power pack is not the answer.

I shall write a letter to dell. if i have no joy, i shall threaten them with legal action and certaonly pass on my details to the Canadian law firm above. I shall need to look into whether or not i can get protection from either ebay (doubt it) or visa. As over a year has elapsed im not convinced either approach will work but surely consumer watchdog or the likes must be able to intervene. I shall update this with my findings.

1 month out of warranty my xps 1730 brought up the exact same message, looking up on the net exposes hundreds of people with the same problem, most at around the same time (shortly after the warranty runs out), im looking into the cost of a new power brick at the moment not that i can really afford it, but hopefully it fixes it as if its the controller chip on the motherboard i wont be repairing it.

its left me with a bad taste in my mouth and i dont think that i will worry about buying from dell again, i just hope dell does the right thing and repair this fault with the laptop, too many have this problem to ignore it and while problems like this exist, it makes it hard for me to recomend anyone to buy a dell

Dell called me a month after my warranty expired to find out if I wanted to extend my warranty. I was definitely interested. I extended for another two years and waited a few weeks before making a phone call to their XPS technical support. The tech said it sounded like a motherboard or AC adapter problem and that both would be replaced. They sent a box the next day. The repair took a day to fix and they shipped it out the same day. I couldn't believe how fast I got my laptop back (sent Monday afternoon, received Thursday morning)! This tells me they have probably done this repair many, many times. I now have a new motherboard, new AC adapter, and a battery that charges. My laptop is fast again. If you can somehow get this paid for, this will fix the problem. Let's see how long it lasts.

I have the same problem power supply failure and guess what my warranty expired 1 week ago and yes Dell will not stand by their prodoucts even after 4 hours on the phone being bounced form call centre to call centre.........Is there anyone out there in cyber space that knows the name and or tel # for the VP Customer Service for Dell Canada

I have the same issue. Add me to the growing list of people who got hosed buying this machine. Warranty went out a few monts ago and as if an alarm were set boom I have an expensive paperweight. I got the adaptor error for a bit then it just stopped booting. Now its DOA! Any help would be appreciated

Service Tag: GZBBQF1

Does anyone know how to open the m1730 PSU and does anyone have the sequence of bytes needed in the serial EPROM? I guess it is a matter of connecting the USB data + pin to the centre pin of the PSU (switched off, of course ;), to get the data out of a new PSU) - I think this is what Dell does and it does explain why the USB ports sometimes die at the same time as the PSU. Anyways, with those two things and a simple USB cable and the Maxim s/w it looks easy to program a new chip and replace the duff one. Dell are sending me out a new PSU under warranty but it'd be nice to get a second PSU for work so I don't have to lug it around.

For those people in the UK, why not threaten Dell with the Small Claims Court and the Sale Of Goods Act where something has to be of merchantable quality and should last a reasonable amount of time. AC adapters should last five years at the bare minimum! I'm sure they'd prefer to send you a new PSU rather than risk an appearance in court. Of course, tell the magistrate about the *full* cost of a replacement unit and the known defect in the dead one.

I may try looking at the PSU but failing that I am on the verge of tearing this POS apart and selling the parts on e-bay to cut my losses. The balance I guess is just the cost of doing business with Dell. A mistake I WILL NOT repeat. Laptops this expensive should not die of obvious manufacturer defects just after the warranty expires and $50 bucks just to talk to someone from India who in the end has no real clue beyond charging you more money for repairs you should not need is total CRAP!

It says at the top of this page "Dell Employees are here to help" well start with some integrity and address this issue!?!?!?!?!

I recently got the dreaded "The AC Power Adapter cannot be determined" error message on a Dell type PA-10 replacement product after six months of use. The Adapter was noted to be very hot, almost too hot to touch, and emanated a pungent hot electrical smell. I immediately replaced it with another one I had available, and that resolved the error message.

I had bought this Dell type PA-10 replacement product on eBay for $18.99, including shipping to Canada and with a one year guarantee. Consequently, I contacted the vendor, and without hesitation, they shipped me another one.

These Dell type PA-10 replacement units look exactly like the original Dell products, and weight the same, so I think they could be manufactured by the same factory in China.

If you want to save some costs, check out eBay, or go directly to the vendor's site at http://shop.vendio.com/batterygallery...

I have had my XPS M1330 for a year and a half. In that time Dell has replaced the motherboard three times, replaced the memory twice, and I've had to buy a new battery. Now my adaptor won't charge the battery. I got the dreaded error message two days ago and my adaptor is very hot. I'm traveling and have been on hold (using Skype) waiting for customer assistance for an hour now as my battery drains. I will never, ever, buy another Dell product. This model should have been recalled. I would gladly join a class-action lawsuit against this crap company.

Service tag H30SDF1

I got this message a few days back... first only randomly.
now its on the regular.
so, I googled, found my way here.
I will say after 10 minutes on the phone with XPS tech supprt They said Id have my new power supply monday, tuesday at the latest (Now friday)

but, heres what Ive found.
the oddest series of things will get the unit working properly.
no rhyme or reason.
whats worked the best is shutting down the unit and doing the "degauss" move.
IE take battery out, disconnect power. hold down power buttom for 15 seconds.
then start the unit by battery power.
then plug in the power, error message, unplug power, re-plug in power.

bingo.
dont know why, maybe its pure serendipity.
but after doing this, sometimes once...sometimes 12 times it works.

but whats this say about the problem?
it certainly cant be hardware only, otherwise some simple things like
this would NOT remedy it...right?

hopefully once I get the new power supply this will be the end of my XPS1730 ac adapter headaches!

co-incidently I had Upgraded to Dell's bios version 10 about 2 weeks ago.

coincidence???

after reading more and more this seems VERY VERY plausible!

I've taken both the PSUs apart and found they both have a working memory device! The memory device is connected to the centre pin of the power jack, tracing this back I found the red wire (this carries the data signal from the PSU) was broken right next to the strain relief sleeve on the PSU. There was no external damage to the cable. I soldered on the section of cable after the break and hey presto it works! Unless Dell change the type of wire for the data signal, then I think there's going to be lots of other people getting this problem.

I tried the, as Ive seen, the push the strain relief sleeve into the brick, then re-connect.

bingo.
worked again.
although, could be complete luck

Same lame problem with the adapter, only I noticed if I bend the wire close to the poweradapter a little, I may get it to work. I'd love to disassemble the adapter and see if there is a loose wire, but I can't seem to find the screws...

My own opinion, after having this problem with my M1730, is that it boils down to an insufficient connection between the power cord and the motherboard. I found that when I get the "does not recognize" message, if I physically push the power cord harder into the computer, the power supply is then recognized.

A stiff breeze is still enough to cause the error message again, though.

I also found the problem to be the red signal wire that goes to the centre pin in the jack breaking by the strain relief on the PSU cable..

Mine failed after 9 months, Dell would NOT fix the problem under warranty as I was the second user and the laptop was not registered to my address !?!

So howcome they contacted me a few days after the warranty ran out asking if I wanted to extend it ?!?

I have purchased around 10 pc's for my family and business through Dell but never will again.

BTW - Indian call centre = Fail

A few pics of the PSU with the Heath-Robinson repair and the location of the broken signal wire.

only 5 minutes on the phone with dell xps and i had a new power supply being over-nighted.

new unit works like a charm!!!!

Enjoy it while it lasts -- because it won't.

Same problem here.
I bought a new adapter and I still get the same message when starting.
I have unplugged the battery. and done every self check possible on the computer but no problems detected. Do

Does anyone know if the hardware checks on this machine is able to detect a problem with the motherboard?

I also am out of warrenty. Got the "AC adaptor type can not be determined" message. My battery still charges. However the system has slowed down significantly. I tried a friends XPS M1730 brick. It makes no difference. Also his M1730 thinks my brick is just fine. That pretty much means its on the motherboard.

I agree, with many poster's, a premium machine should get better support from Dell. I have had Dell's in the past and service was great. In the last few years it has been very poor.

I can afford another system, but I shouldn't have to buy one. Even a refurbished motherboard costs $250 for the M1730.

This will be my last Dell laptop. I hope their desktops are still good.

My adapter just peaced out the other day, bah! Found the forum because this shit happened to me back maybe 6-8 months ago. They shipped it overnight which was excellent, but was on the phone for awhile. I'll call them in the morning and have shit shipped again, but I just renewed my warranty when they reminded me not even a month ago. I'm cheesed because I renewed it thinking "oh yeah, shit, the battery might get fucked again and that'll be costly... can't risk it" and I rocked the warranty. My problem with this is that its blind robbery.

Wouldn't it be twiddly-dee wonderful if we could make products that have a long record of being peaced out, and charging our customer's up the ass to satisfy that worry? Even worse, charge our 'crrrazy customers without no warranty' for a fresh tit that we knew damn right was gonna run out of milk in no time - and its not going to happen just once... MUahhahahahahah!

Bah. I like their express shipping though.

This is the 2nd time I've had this problem. It seems to happen every 6 months. It is out of warranty. It is just over ONE YEAR OLD! Currently the battery will randomly charge. The laptop will sometimes take over 10 minutes to boot up if it is telling me about the a/c adapter.

The problem with this is that they have a chip on the motherboard that talks to something in the power adapter, so that they know you are using THEIR overpriced, oversized adapter. Since the laptop overheats, that chip on the motherboard fries. Once it fries, it can no longer tell which adapter you are using, so it assumes it is NOT the 230watt one, and the computer begins to run like crap. I have already had one motherboard replaced. THis is a $3000+ piece of junk and tech support is non-existent. You will NEVER get someone on the phone or email from the United States. They do not care, and only want to sell you an extended warranty and a new motherboard and power adapter.

Now my sons Studio 17 has done the same thing one week out of warranty.

Dell have a problem that they are not willing to sort out, they are the worst company for customer service and shoddy products that I have ever known.

Hi , i had the same problem with both adapters, within two weeks from each other. One month after guarantee.

I fixed it in both cases , by cutting open the jack of the PSU (the one that goes into the laptop) and connecting the PSID , red cable, back to the jack by soldering. Just remmember to use heat shrinking tube later on to give isolation.

This issue happens because this cable is notorious for breaking, If it is broken laptop does not get PSID and thinks that he needs to downgrade the performance. It will happen to you especialy if you use your laptop as a miobile device, in bed, or move it a lot.

I still have connection issues though, meaning i have to play with the jack to really give juice to the laptop.

So at least for me replacing mobo was not needed.

Can someone post a step by step or photos on soldering the red cable back i've got the same problem with my m1730

Just got off the phone with dell, this is the 4th adapter that has died on me. They are having me send the laptop in again...for the third time. First time they just sent me an adapter no questions asked. 2nd time i sent in the laptop and they did nothing but replace the adapter. 3rd time the sent me a new adapter. 4th time they replaced the systemboard and the adapter. Over 1.5 years and 4 adapters. Now they are having me send in the laptop yet again. The dell rep on the phone assured me they would fix it properly this time, as im sure they did the other 3 times,
whats the point of getting an xps1730 ($3000) and getting crappy parts. Wheres the recall, wheres the engineering changes, im sure the handful of people on this page arent the only ones to have the problem. to top it off the rep tried selling me windows7 ultimate ($230) to help solve the problem.....i called the support line not the sales department. How on earth is this remotely a software problem. i could load linux on this laptop and my problems will not go away.
This is clearly a horrible design, if the adapter has to communicate with the laptop and thats is most common break point, why do this, why not make some other means of proprietary plug, either way we cant buy an aftermarket or 3rd party adapter
All i can say is thank goodness for extended warranty, 1 year to go and when its done so am i with dell, I have a dell 30" monitor and if/whne it does,dell has lost me as a customer

Death to Dell, Im all for a class action suit.

i think those of us who use our machines for business can easily get 50 grand and a new improved machine with our old hard drives. this is flipping ridiculous yes ,my psid wire ( red ) broke @ the laptop end also.

if you are with a law firm please by all means contact me @ Corp @ BusybeeAds.com

this is not just a canadian problem this is a dell problem we need to make them pay for their shoddy work and get this solved.

Thomas Wotring

Not sure what to say other than that I've got the exact same problem as everyone else. my M1730 is just a month out of warranty, and I started getting the error message a week ago. This really is so totally unacceptable. for those of us in the States, would the Better Business Beauro be someone to contact? I'll give it a shot. Perhaps contacting a local news investigative reporter?

I am filing a report with the Better Business Beauro. I encourage anyone in the US or Canada to do the same. Hopefully this will get us some results.

Hi, I've had this problem recurring for the past year. I'm based in Ireland and use it for business purposes. I've have the adapter replaced twice and the motherboard replaced once. The problem recurred about 2 months after motherboard replacement.

However, there are a few tricks I have learned to make this livable. Firstly, I bring two power cords with me, you know, the cable that goes from the power transformer into the wall. At my office I have two of these plugged in at all time so when I plug in my laptop and it gives the AC Cannot be Determined error I just plug out the power cord from the transformer and plug in the other one. This works 90% of the time I would say. Solves the problem. When that doesn't work I do the following.

Boot into Windows (XP in my case). Unplug the power from the laptop.Restart the computer. Just when the bios is loading up plug the power into the laptop again. For whatever reason this works about 50% of the time.

There's a few other things that are less successful. But this seems very unusual as to why it can come and go like this and can usually be solved by replacing the power cord.

I would also consider a class action case as I paid approx €2400 for this laptop.

Nick

for those of us in the US and Canada, I filed a report through the BBB, and within a week of filing my report I received a call from someone at Dell. I will be talking to him tomorrow about the issue. I'm impressed by the quick response, so my first impressions are that this is a good rout to take!

Kyle

Same issue--and within a week of warranty expiration. This power adapter is so flimsy and poorly designed--it started cracking and falling apart within a few months of purchase. Frankly, this is going to be my last Dell unless they offer a replacement.