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Battery won't charge
I have an inspiron E1505 laptop, roughly two years old. Recently the power cord got a short in it, so i replaced it with a universal one from best buy. it worked fine for a month or so. then one day, I had the computer unplugged and when it started to get low on battery, i plugged it in. I was given an error message that said the computer can not identify the charger and that it was incompatible and the battery will not charge. it says to reset the charger.
so, the power cord powers the computer but will not charge the battery. there is no reset on the power cord other than to unplug it, which of course i have done a million times since then.
-the power cord worked fine when i first got it
-the battery was working just fine when this happened
-the power cord will power the laptop
can anyone point me in the right direction? do you think this is an issue with the power cord (even though it still powers the computer) and I should try to contact the manufacturer for a replacement? or is this a software issue? if so, where do i start to look to fix it?
i'm not sure what info about the computer would be helpful. here's what i can think of.
inspiron E1505
core2 dui processor
windows vista premium
the power cord i have is made by targus
Thank you in advance for any help you may be able to provide.
Melissa
melj28
7 Posts
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April 13th, 2009 15:00
hmmm. the battery actually worked even after this happened. it was just low on power from being unplugged. even after the short in the original cord, the battery worked. then i got a replacement cord and the battery still worked. then this error message and the battery still worked until it eventually ran out of power completely (the power cord accidentally became unplugged one day and i didn't realize it and eventually the battery died altogether.
also i can do the diagnostic on the battery's health and it says it's fine. and this isn't the original battery. i've already replaced that once.
so, let's assume it's not the battery. what else can i do? i definitely need the mobility.
thanks.
Mary G
4 Operator
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April 13th, 2009 15:00
It sounds like the battery has failed. It might have just worn out or it was zapped by the short, too. Just use the power adapter and remove the battery. This will work if you don't need the mobility. You don't need to have the battery installed if you are using it like a desktop. You may want to replace it, but it's expensive.
ejn63
9 Legend
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87.5K Posts
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April 13th, 2009 15:00
Assuming the system is out of warranty, the least costly path:
Buy a new Dell (NOT third party) adapter, about $35.
If that doesn't work, then the next least costly part is the battery - $100-150.
If a new battery won't charge using a new adapter, the mainboard is faulty - repair, if possible will run $200 or so; replacement, $400-500.
kirkd
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5.2K Posts
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April 13th, 2009 21:00
See if you can check the charger in another similar Dell. If it doesn't work there, replace it. The problem is the charger is "universal" and not designed to work with Dells. The Dell DC power plug has three wires: positive, negative and information. If the charger doesn't send the correct info to the computer/battery, then you get problems. If the charger is OK in another Dell, then you possibly have a power siocket problem on the system board. The solder connections can break, leading to a variety of persistant or intermittant problems. Lots has been written on these forums about this.