Studio XPS 1640 AC Adapter not charging battery

My  battery is charging but have had message couple of times that I do not have correct adaptor (the one that came with it).  Says I need a 93w or some such.  I looked at the one I got and it is a 90w.  Have not yet contacted them re this.  We might call and ask for a 93w.  I know they sold out of this system pretty  quick  when I bought mine.  Maybe hard to keep these available or something.  

If a new adapter did not solve the problem, the mainboard needs to be replaced.  Call for warranty repair.

After an hour or so on the phone today they figured it was most likely the motherboard so they're sending me out a box to ship the unit out for repair.

I seriously hope they have a good turn around time?!?!

I bought the laptop now because I'm leaving in mid-April for a 5 week course that I need the computer for.  They were talking 7-10 business days on the phone.  Anyone know if the Canadian repair depot has a quick turn around time?

I had the same problem the day after I received my new 1640. Called Dell support and within 15 minutes there was a new system board on the way and a contact for the local technician who would replace it in my home. The system board showed up overnight and the technician came out at 6:30 PM to replace it. It happened to be the wrong part in a box with the correct part number on it. Again Dell overnighted the correct part as well as a new power supply just in case.

The poiwer supply did not cure the problem so the same technician came out that evening, again at 6:30 PM, and replaced the system board. Problem solved.

I felt Dell handled this problem as rapidly and professionally as possible. All is well with the battery charging system now.

Bud

I got this problem 2 weeks out of warranty, both the AC adapter and battery is unrecognized.  Dell customer service suggested I BUY A NEW SYSTEM.

I am completely and utterly disgusted with Dell's customer service.  They were rude, hung up on me, and were generally a horror to deal with.

I will never buy a Dell product again, though I have been a loyal customer since the late 90s.

I bought a Studio 1737 last year and several months later started getting the same message. Unfortunately  my warranty expired 4 days before I called about the problem and because the warranty had expired I couldn't even talk to customer service. I finally took it for repairs at a local shop and they said that it would probably have to have a new motherboard. It really makes me mad because I have a computer that's only a little over a year old and I've already spent over $100 for repairs and it's still not fixed. I waited a long time to be able to afford a new laptop and got the Studio because it had so many great features. I even went so far as to recommend it to a couple of friends who went out and bought the same model. So far no problems with theirs. Don't know what I'll do now. Guess I'll have to start saving money for the motherboard. 

I had the exact same problem on an XPS 1640. Here is the fix:

If you will notice the DC adapter plug is barely going into your computer's charging JACK, the slightest move and the connection is lost.

There are three (3) connections required from the DC ADAPTER to the laptop in order for the laptop to charge: the outer ring, inner ring and the center pin.

The plug must go in (all the way) to establish the center pin's identity. In order to get the DC plug all the way into the computer JACK, I had to trim off an 1/8" of the rubber insulator off the end of the DC ADAPTER JACK, thereby exposing more of the metal connector and allowing this DC PLUG to go farther into the laptop.

I had the exact same problem on an XPS 1640. Here is the fix:
If you will notice the DC adapter plug is barely going into your computer's charging JACK, the slightest move and the connection is lost.
There are three (3) connections required from the DC ADAPTER to the laptop in order for the laptop to charge: the outer ring, inner ring and the center pin.
The plug must go in (all the way) to establish the center pin's identity. In order to get the DC plug all the way into the computer JACK, I had to trim off an 1/8" of the rubber insulator off the end of the DC ADAPTER JACK, thereby exposing more of the metal connector and allowing this DC PLUG to go farther into the laptop.