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  • problem

    stephlouise replied on March 12, 2009 19:18 to the problem "XPS M1210 battery won't charge and AC adaptor not recognized" in Dell:

    stephlouise
    A new adapter doesn't solve the problem. At least not for the problem I think most of us are experiencing. I've been through 4 adapters. No change from one to the next.
    A new motherboard solves the problem for a short while. Until it happens again.

    It is unconscionable for Dell to continue to sell these systems and refuse to provide proper support for them. The poor quality of their products is beyond disappointing. I replaced my M1210 with an M1330 in October 2008 when I first posted this problem. It already functions worse than my first Inspiron did after three years of use.

    And HP isn't always much better. The only difference is that they are willing to stand behind most of their systems IF you purchase their extended warranty. One month after purchase of a $1000 laptop system from them it stopped turning on. The motherboard was shot there too. Only they replaced it and paid for all the shipping expenses.
    Do you think this solves the problem? Mark it as solved
  • problem

    A comment on the problem "XPS M1210 battery won't charge and AC adaptor not recognized" in Dell:

    stephlouise
    That worked for me at the very beginning too. Then even that was hit and miss. After awhile, it won't even work when plugged into the wall, it just won't recognize power at all.

    Oddly, after not touching my M1210 for at least a month, I had to move it into another room, so on a whim, I plugged it into the wall. And it charged! I even tried my 9-cell battery and it is now completely charged as well. Granted this doesn't help solve the problem long-term, but it might help understand the cause and thus help to find a solution. My XPS always ran REALLY hot (I put it on my lap and ended up with burns on my legs a few times) and I rarely turned it off because I was so reliant on it. After sitting cold for awhile, the adapter was recognized and the battery charged.

    Either way, it's ridiculous that after a mere two years we should have to invest another large chunk of money into a system that was pricey to begin with. – stephlouise, on December 16, 2008 20:03
  • problem

    A comment on the problem "XPS M1210 battery won't charge and AC adaptor not recognized" in Dell:

    stephlouise
    That's great information to know. I am definitely interested in finding out if it's possible to solve the problem without Dell because of the cost, and to find out how successful the repair ultimately is. Please let me know how it works out. I'll be following this for awhile! I am intensely dissatisfied with my new XPS M1330 so I'm eager to repair the old one and cut my losses!

    Thank you! (and I'm sorry to hear you're having the same problem..) – stephlouise, on November 12, 2008 03:16
  • problem

    A comment on the problem "XPS M1210 battery won't charge and AC adaptor not recognized" in Dell:

    stephlouise
    Thanks consueloDASA, I'm looking at replacing the motherboard on mine as well, but now I'm a little concerned, since you say you've done that but it stopped working again. Could you keep me posted on what Dell has to say, or if any other viable solutions are offered? By viable, I do mean something that actually works as opposed to just replacing the adaptor :-) Which I'm sure you've heard as much as I have!
    Keep me "posted"! Thanks! and good luck! – stephlouise, on November 08, 2008 23:12
  • problem

    A comment on the problem "XPS M1210 battery won't charge and AC adaptor not recognized" in Dell:

    stephlouise
    That coincides with what I've heard. Can you provide any input on how to go about replacing the motherboard? On a desktop I'd be fine, but I'm not sure how to go about it with a laptop, especially the M1210. It's pretty tough to access its innards. Where would I find the right motherboard, and is it worth the cost?

    Thank you for your reply and input. I really appreciate it. – stephlouise, on November 08, 2008 23:10
  • problem

    stephlouise replied on October 24, 2008 19:21 to the problem "XPS M1210 battery won't charge and AC adaptor not recognized" in Dell:

    stephlouise
    Yes, the warranty has expired.

    It was a refurbished system to begin with, but beyond replacing the DVD player 3 times (within warranty!) I hadn't had any problems, so I let the warranty expire.
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  • problem

    stephlouise reported a problem in Dell on October 24, 2008 05:18:

    stephlouise
    XPS M1210 battery won't charge and AC adaptor not recognized
    I have a Dell XPS M1210 that just turned two years old.
    After one year, my 6-cell battery started to falter, so I purchased a new 9-cell Dell battery. This worked fine until a couple of months ago when I noticed that my 65W adaptor was frayed. I bought a new 65W Dell adaptor and it worked well for about a week until I noticed that my battery wasn’t charging at times. If I was patient, or unplugged the adaptor and plugged it back in, the battery began charging and all was saved.

    This lasted only a short time until my battery wouldn’t charge at all for long periods of time, and sometimes the computer wouldn’t turn on, even if plugged into the wall. I thought it might still be the adaptor, so I borrowed a fully functioning 90W Dell adaptor from a family member to test the system. This worked better, but still not great. When I removed the battery and started only from AC power, the functionality was also intermittent. Usually, if the computer actually started, I received the start-up error “The AC Adaptor Type could not be determined, etc. etc. etc.” After pressing F1, the computer booted, but if the battery wasn’t in, the computer didn’t usually last long before shutting off. Unsure if maybe the battery was the problem, I put the 6-cell battery back in, and it too wouldn’t charge, although (together with the 90W adaptor) my computer would at least start more consistently if plugged in. The error remained however, and sometimes the system stops recognizing power and switches to my ever dwindling battery power until the adaptor is recognized again.

    I called Dell. No help. I checked Dell forums. No help.
    I perused Google and it was far more helpful than Dell, yet yielded no results (beyond the usual, buy a new adaptor, buy a new battery [check, check]) except to flash the BIOS. So, I updated my BIOS from its A05 version to the A08, and anxiously awaited the reboot... when I received the adaptor error once again. I have run all fathomable diagnostics and everything comes back squeaky clean (except the battery/adaptor test, naturally).
    Clearly, the battery isn’t the issue, the adaptor isn’t the issue, the BIOS is fine, and there isn’t any visible damage to the power jack on the system itself. Everything is intact and fully functioning. Just not as a single unit. The only other thing I can think of is the motherboard ... but the diagnostics come back clean, so ... I’m confused.

    In sum:
    Dell XPS M120
    OS: Windows XP Media Center (latest SP ... 3, I think)
    6-cell & 9-cell battery
    65W adaptor (x 2) & 90W adaptor
    BIOS A08

    Any input, thoughts, ideas, additional confusion? I’ll take what I can get.

    Thanks!!