Battery not present issue on Inspiron 3543

If the system is in warranty, call Dell for warranty repair.

If it's out of warranty:

Unplug the system, remove or disconnect the battery and hold the power button for 30 sec.

Is the AC adapter recognized?  F2 at powerup to check. If it's not,  try a new OEM Dell adapter.  If that doesn't get the adapter recognized, replace the DC power jack in the system.  That should get the adapter recognized.  If not, replace the mainboard.

If the AC adapter IS recognized, next step:  replace the battery with a new one.

Thanks for the quick reply. No, the system is not under warranty. The warranty ended on 6th of this month. 

I tried disconnecting the battery and then holding down the power button for 30 seconds and then reinserted the battery but it just didn't help.

Yes the AC adapter is recognized. 

If recognized, the battery easily gives me a charge of about 3 hours. But then again it starts displaying that stupid message the next time I restart my laptop. 
I have a friend with inspiron 3542.. Would his battery be compatible with my device for testing purpose?

Any updates ROY.....:emotion-2:

I tried using another laptop's battery but that didn't work. Also tried another adapter but still no good. I guess it's the motherboard but the laptop works just fine without the battery. In fact I'm typing on the very same laptop I'm facing this issue on with a direct input from the adapter and obviously without the battery stuck at it's rear. 

There is a row of pins on the mainboard to which the battery connects - check those for damage or corrosion.  If that doesn't solve the problem, and you haven't done a system reset (ac out, battery out, hold power button for 30 sec) try that.

If you still get nothing, given that you've already tried another battery and adapter, it's just about 100% certainly the mainboard.

Already performed the battery reset thing and I don't see any sign of corrosion on the pins. The pins are pretty much inside the casing except the golden interface, sticking out, so can't really tell if there is a damaged pin.

What really intrigues me is that if it was a faulty motherboard then why would it continue to run on the adapter, i.e. without the battery inside. Will I have to change the entire motherboard or is it repairable because there is no other issue with the working of the device except it not detecting the battery?

It's unlikely repairable -- or it will cost as much or more in labor as a replacement board will.  The mainboard contains just about everything inside the system - part of which is the battery charge circuitry.

Does the system run OK on battery and charge the battery?  If so, you're probably set for now -- except that the battery meter won't produce accurate readings.

At times the laptop runs on battery without any issues but then the same problem shows up. However, the laptop runs as good as new if I remove the battery and run it on the adapter. Is it likely to cause any further damage to the motherboard if I continue to run it on the adapter without any battery inside?

If recognized, the battery easily gives me a charge of about 3 hours. But then again it starts displaying that stupid message the next time I restart my laptop.

:emotion-2:

Your battery should be charged of about 7 hours. In my humble opinion, your battery is failing or you're experienced some type of software issue that causing the battery error. You should check battery health in the BIOS. Look under the Advanced tab and stroll down to battery health, it should say" Your battery is performing normally". If it says any other message then it most likely you need to purchase a brand new genuine Dell battery that compatible with your system. You can borrow your friend battery again and check that battery in BIOS as well. Keep in mind, your friend battery can be failing as well and at the same time run well with no battery error message yet.

:emotion-2:

Check Desktop and longevity mode as well.

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You can also try uninstalling/reinstalling the battery in Device Manager:

1. Press the windows key plus X key at the same time [windows 10 ?]

2. Click on Device Manager, and then expand the Battery category.

3. Right click the Microsoft ACPI Compliant Control Method Battery, and then uninstall

4. On the Device Manager taskbar, click on Action, and then Scan For Hardware Changes.

:emotion-2:

I'm assuming you have windows 10....

You can also check Battery health and status in Battery meter app on the system. Right click the battery icon at the bottom of taskbar. The battery meter should look exactly like the one pictured below. If there's a checkmark in box by "Enable Dell Extended Battery Life" then uncheck it and restart computer.

I tried reinstalling the battery driver but that didn't help. This is what the battery options appear as.

The funny thing is that I've been using the laptop in this state for over an hour now and its been working fine without any issues, except that incorrect battery meter off course.

Sometimes, the battery meter shows a X sign on it and the brightness level changes erratically.

:emotion-2:

You can also check windows Mobility Center. Please type windows mobility center control panel onto [Cortana] search bar. Desktop mode battery charge should be turn off.

:emotion-2:

Please click on Disable and Remind Me When The Battery Is Often Charged. Click on Apply, and then OK. Power off computer, disconnect AC adapter and all peripherals. Remove battery, press "Power On" button for 15 seconds then release. Replace battery, adapter and then power on system. Hopefully battery is charging now.

Desktop mode should look like the picture below:

By the way, I have a Inspiron 3543 as well. Love it so much that I bought 4 for my children and grand kids.