Judy's dashboard

Forget Dell: once the warranty runs out that's it. There have been recalls for batteries that have overheated and caused fires, but your best bet for an adapter is a universal one from The Source or some other similar kind of store. Just make sure your laptop is listed on the package. We have gone through 3 Dell laptops and all the problems. Why are we so brand-loyal? Because they used to have the best tech support in the world. We are no longer willing to handle adapters that are literally too hot to handle, and batteries that get so hot the idea of a laptop actually sitting on a person's lap is impossible. Our next laptop will be an HP I think.

We had the same problem and got new adapters every time this happened until the warranty ran out, then we went to The Source and bought a universal one which has worked perfectly. We also found that the cord would bend and break just after the point where it goes into the computer. Electrician's tape covers the broken part of the cord, but if they designed a cord with a hard rubber-encased right angle, that problem would be solved, also. For all that Dell says it listens to customers, sometimes it doesn't.