plugged in not charging ? bios flash without battery ?

please advice, and please tell me how to flash my bios with out getting the msg of my battery being <10% !

thank u

OK I'm not an expert so please research this yourself before proceeding...  I had to re-flash my BIOS to test a cooling fan issue.  But the Dell hard drive flash package would not allow flashing the same BIOS level over the existing one (A011 over A011).  So I found that there is a way to override this kind of check.  When I ran the BIOS executable, I had to choose No so that it would create a floppy (if no floppy, you need to figure out how to get the files onto a bootable CD-R).  Then I booted off the floppy.  It told me it had updated the BIOS (but of course it didn't, it ran way too fast for that, and this is what I expected from reading online postings).  So in the DOS environment that I booted to, I did DIR and found the executable for the BIOS flash.  Mine was something like I8200A11.exe.  Then I had to execute it in the DOS screen as follows:

I8200A11 /forceit /forcetype

There is also some "jabil" option but the above worked for me.  It flashed the BIOS over the same version (which I was worried was corrupted).

BE AWARE THAT FLASHING THE BIOS WRONG CAN TURN YOUR COMPUTER INTO A PAPER WEIGHT!  Look into this yourself and proceed at your own risk.  It worked for me, but it might not work for you.  Do a search on "dell bios forceit forcetype" and some other searches and learn all about it.  Good luck, hope you find a solution.

Thx for the replies.

I called dell support, for 50 minutes ! during which,  i was transferred 5 times ! they did not tell me anything i didn't know, insisting it seems to be a "dead battery".

I am still not convinced that my battery just went dead overnight ! it was and has been always working fine, and i barely use the computer on battery (like once every 3 weeks maybe ! ) on a computer that is a year old only. with no major decline in battery life, just one shot down into 4% plugged in not charging issue.

unfortunately i don't have a friend who already have a similar battery and i know it is not available in stores (best buy) (unlike other brands, hp...etc.). so i have to buy a new battery, and see what i can do. perhaps if it charged, then i will flash the bios properly and see for myself what the issue was exactly.

that could be safer than risking going into the hassle of a new mother board which warranty doesn't cover...

thank you again !

i hope it is possible to "downgrade" ? bios.

I just started experiencing the same exact issue with my M1530 as well.  Mine is nine months old.  I recently updated the BIOS as well, but I had no issues with that process.  I can only imagine that it is the cause.  I'm now on A12 as well.  Perhaps it's not an improper BIOS flash, but rather the BIOS itself?  I'd buy that more than the former. 

I too have been having this same problem with my laptop (m1530, bios A12) for about a month now.  I have two batteries, and like you, they just stopped charging one day (no degradation over time).  Could it be the day I upgraded the bios to A12?  It's possible, but I didn't notice there was a problem until both my batteries were dead.

My laptop is 15 months old and out of warranty, but talking to dell xps support, they said I could extend the warranty for the remainder of the 2nd year and they would replace the motherboard.  I hate to do that if the problem can be fixed with bios A09.

I've been doing research as well and this appears to be the most promising solution, but I have not had any luck so far booting to flash drive.

Has anyone overcome the problem?

lrguitarman

Flashing your BIOS is not without risks; and should be a last resort. The Dell forums are full of people who flashed and wished they hadn't. What is the source that flashing will definitively solve the problem?

If the power cord is removed, will the LT continue running on battery until it is down to "0"? Does the LT run well otherwise with the battery removed? How sure are you that the battery does not have a problem?

The power adapter seems unlikely to be the problem.

SUCCESS AT LAST!!!!!!

Using this tutorial I was finally able to make a workable usb boot disk.  Then copied Bios A09 to the root of the flash drive.

Then restarted and from the cmd prompt I ran "1530_A09.exe /forceit"

The bios flashing was uneventful and upon restarting the battery started charging again. 

Good luck to the rest of you guys.

I downgraded as well and the battery seems to be fine.  I expect to see A13 in the near future.  :emotion-2:

Hi guys, I have had a really similar problem with my xps 1330.  Overnight the battery stopped charging.  I find it hard to believe its just died suddenly.  Is reverting back to a previous BIOS likely to resolve the issue?  I have already upgraded from a14 - a15 without success.

I've had this problem three times now with my xps.  First two times were under warranty so I didn't sweat it, this time it's on my nickle.  The first time it took about a week of back and forth with dell to get someone out, they replaced my motherboard.  The second time they had a record of the problem so I had a guy out the next day, again replaced the motherboard. The tech told me that it was the wrong ac adapter that they sent me... I'm using a different ac adapter now and now I have the problem again.  I hope this is something they are trying to fix so that it doesn't happen with their newer models. 

Verify that the fans are running -F12 at powerup, Dell diagnostics.  If they are and the shutdown problem continues, consider extending the warranty - you're in for an expensive repair (replacement mainboard; $400-500).

laptop : Dell XPS M1530 had it only for a year or less. battery was fine until two days ago, plugged in, not charging , stuck at 4%. did a LOT of research online, tried all the methods & combination of removing / reinstalling ,...etc. none worked. read that if i flash bios then it should work. problem is that i can not flash bios since battery is (perceived by the system) less than 10% . how to fix this ??? would system restore / restore to factory settings resolve this ? please help . i'm quite sure the battery it self is fine and this is rather a software thingy....... can't be the power adapter, when I ran the diagnostics it is clear for the adapter, and the system is working fine if the adapter alone is plugged in, tried different wall outlets, no difference. - the messages i get: If only adapter plugged in : "The AC adapter and battery MUST be plugged in before the system bios can be flashed" If adapter and battery plugged in : "Make sure the battery is more than 10% charged to flash bios" ..............please help !

OKAY GUYS.

SO AFTER I SPENT 3 PAINFUL DAYS OF TRYING EVERY SINGLE POTENTIAL SOLUTION I FOUND ONLINE, AND AFTER CALLING INTERNATIONAL TECH SUPPORT (50MINUTES OVER THE PHONE, NO BODY ASKED ME WHAT'S MY PROBLEM UNTIL AFTER 40 MINUTES) , I ORDERED A NEW BATTERY.

The new battery seemed to resolve the problem, everything is back to normal, until.....

UNTIL TODAY, (almost 2 month since the whole incidence started), i was on battery power, 73% battery, and started a game, for only 3 minutes before the laptop simply turned OFF !!!!! ???

I noticed the laptop as if NOT recognizing the battery ..... it says 73% charging, but it is stuck there !!!  if i unplug the charger , teh system goes off. the battery diagnositcs is fine. no errors.

what IS this thing ? software ? vista ?

I AM EXTREMELY DISSATISFIED, AND WOULD LIKE A REAL PROFESSIONAL DELL TECH SUPPORT TO SOLVE THIS, 'cause it's really rediculous !

THank you

Luay

The dell diagnostics were taking over an hour and still at the memory testing stage, so i aborted.

I downloaded "Speedfan" and it did not detect my laptop fan.  I downloaded "I8KfanGUI" which has manual fan control, and the fan doesn't seem to respond whatsoever, i'm not sure if it's functioning or not.

I unscrewed the back of the laptop to have a better look at the fan, on startup the fan is working, but seems to be at a constant speed, it works and stops quietly....

i don't know..

would u please suggest the next step, what should i do ?

To recap, my problem is : when I remove the charger plug (while the battery is installed of course) the computer turns off immediately as if there's no battery at all. the meter shows 73% charging (although not really charging, it's stuck). the battery is new , less than 2 months.

please help.....................

Thanks

L

If the battery has a charge, and the system shuts down when you unplug the power, check/clean the contacts on the battery.  If it still continues to cause problems, again verify that the battery has a charge AFTER the system shuts down.  If it does, the mainboard is faulty - replace that.