Hi,

I have a Dell XPS m140 when I use the ac adapter without the battery inserted the laptop powers up fine. When I insert the battery and the ac adapter the adapter turns off after a few seconds. If I unplug the ac adapter and do it again the same thing occurs. When I remove the battery and use the ac adapter after I unplug it from the wall the laptop will power up again. I don't know if the ac adapter is not  strong enough to charge the battery and boot up. I tried just having the battery in and not turning on the laptop to see if the battery would charge and the ac adapter turns off after a few moments. Can a battery have a short in it to cause this or is the adapter finally going south? I tested the adapter and it shows 19.5v. when the adapter light goes off it tests 0. After I unplug it and replug it,  it shows 19.5v again.I don't know where to go from here, new battery or new adapter.

Thanks,

John