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Flashing orange battery light
I just replaced the battery in my Inspiron B120. I was told to condition the battery by letting it run out and then charging it fully three times. On the second time of charging it I noticed the battery light starting rapidly flashing orange while it was still plugged in. It was solid green to begin with (per the manual), then flashing green (also per the manual), but then started flashing orange. I unplugged it and it stopped. It had charged the battery to 98% when I turned the computer on, so it seems that it's properly charging. I never had the orange light come on with my first battery, this is completely new and I have not been able to find any answer to why it's doing it. The manual indicates that it should flash orange when the battery is low and not plugged in. For me, the computer is plugged in and charging and the orange light comes on.
Does anyone have any idea why this is happening? Is there something wrong with the new battery I bought?
bnikolov
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November 23rd, 2016 01:00
I updated my E5540 BIOS and now battery is charging, no blinking orange indicator
Video with Troubleshooting the Battery:
kirkd
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January 9th, 2009 19:00
Where did you purchase the battery?
If not from Dell, it could be a used battery that has been "reconditioned" and is probably no good.
Run the battery down and not how long it runs before completely discharged.
You (should) have a Lithium Ion battery, which does not need to be recharged multiple times to achieve full charge. This was true for Nickel-Cadmium batterys and to a lesser extent Nickel-Metal Hydride.
theappleman257
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February 23rd, 2009 18:00
Ya I have the same problem, only mine seemed to come out of nowhere. I think it may have something to do with the fact that I literally timed my battery life on my b120 and it lasts for exactly 6 seconds at 100% charge before it dies. I have it plugged in 24/7 and now the battery light blinks orange. my battery is the original dell battery that it came with so I don't know what could be causing this.
jmcohen23
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May 4th, 2009 09:00
I too have experienced the same issue after installing a new battery (purchased off e-bay from battery monster).
the charge seems to hold, but then the computer shuts off completely without warning once the power gets low.
any thoughts?
ilean50
3 Posts
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May 18th, 2009 13:00
I just joined this forum for this same problem. The only thing is, my battery is still the one that came with my Dell Inspiron 9400, I have it for a few yrs, but it just started doing the flashing thing yesterday. My power meter reads 100% but as soon as I unplug my computer, poof it turned off. And then when I reboot I get the safety window wanting me to start back up in safe mode.
Is this something I can just ignore except for the flashing light, or do I have a problem that I have to get taken care of?
speedstep
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May 18th, 2009 14:00
Flashing Yellow means the battery is not going to charge anymore. Its toast.
ilean50
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May 18th, 2009 17:00
Thanks...I guess....thats what I was afraid of.
petermounsey
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May 21st, 2009 10:00
My Inspiron 4000 is flashing 4 amber and one green. Otherwise it is working fine, battery lasts about an hour and the light flashes whether its on mains or battery. Why don't Dell publish the cause of these 'messages'?
mtaylor6275
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May 30th, 2009 13:00
My M90 is flashing four amber, one green as well. It is the original battery and is almost two years old. The LEDs on the battery do nothing. The battery meter says the battery is performing normally and is charging. If I unplug it from AC, it shuts off instantly. Is my battery toast or is it something else? I haven't found anything definitive in the help section. How can I determine if it is the battery or the charger?
kirkd
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May 30th, 2009 19:00
Try your charger and battery individually in another laptop. If both are OK, you probably have a system board DC power socket problem.
ejn63
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May 30th, 2009 19:00
Check the battery - when it fails to power the notebook, is there any charge left in it (there should be a charge meter on the battery). If not, and there is no sign of other trouble - such as a failure to recognize the AC adapter, replace the battery. At two years old it's time for a new one.
richard543
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July 7th, 2009 12:00
I have a similar problem. I have an inspiron 1521 and the battery Led light on my laptop started blinking orange, but not continuous. It is blue for a few seconds then flashes orange several times then goes back to blue. The Led lights on the battery show all green when I check the battery. The monitor shows 85% available and charging. When I disconnect the power cord my laptop shuts off immediately. I don't have an addional battery or laptop to test. Is this possibly a battery problem or something else? I'm not sure what to do. Don't want to buy another battery if that's not what the problem is. This is the original battery and I've had my laptop for about 1 1/2 yrs.
Any ideas?
ejn63
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July 7th, 2009 16:00
If you know the battery has a charge and the system shuts down when unplugged, the mainboard is faulty.
richard543
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July 9th, 2009 21:00
Thank you. Is this something major to repair? This just started doing it all of a sudden.
ejn63
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July 10th, 2009 06:00
It's expensive enough ($400-500) to replace that on a budget model like this one, a replacement system may be a better idea.