I own a Alienware M18x. When I plug my power supply (240W) into the wall the light at the adapter turns blue (which is normal). When I plug it into my computer it makes a shorting noise and the light goes out. There is the smell of ozone after I do this, so I believe it is shorting/sparking. The computer recieves no power and the battery won't charge. The end of the power chord is a little frayed right in front of the blue light, but still works well enough to power the light, and it has been frayed for a long time (I know, I should have replaced it). I am looking for opinions, has anyone else had this issue, do you think fixing this problem is as simple as ordering a new power supply or is the problem in the computer?
Thanks.
Well from what you said it sounds like the ac adapter needs to be repaired or replaced. If it makes a sound like it is shorting out and you can smell it then that is not good. It could be a fire risk. I think it's time to replace it.
Shorting/Sparking
Smells
Frayed wire
Makes a shorting noise
Does not work
I'm going out on a limb here but my guess is the AC adapter is bad lol
Lets face it. The AC adapter is 100% toast. You wil need to replace it no matter what so replace it and then see if the laptop works. I would also make sure not to plug it into the wall anymore. You don't want to wake up in the middle of the night to a house on fire.
Thanks for your input, I had already ordered a new adapter before posting as it needed to be replaced even if it wasn't causing the issue. I am not sure it will solve the problem however as the battery reads that it is fully charged and the computer won't run off it. When the computer quit working it failed immediatley and did not run off the battery first (you can tell when it starts to run off the battery as everything slows down immediatly because it runs off a different video card to save power and I never noticed this, I was gaming when it occurred). At any rate, I took it to a computer repair shop today, it's warranty ended 2.5 weeks ago :(
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morblore
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2.4K Posts
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November 4th, 2012 15:00
Well from what you said it sounds like the ac adapter needs to be repaired or replaced. If it makes a sound like it is shorting out and you can smell it then that is not good. It could be a fire risk. I think it's time to replace it.
I'm going out on a limb here but my guess is the AC adapter is bad
lol
Lets face it. The AC adapter is 100% toast. You wil need to replace it no matter what so replace it and then see if the laptop works. I would also make sure not to plug it into the wall anymore. You don't want to wake up in the middle of the night to a house on fire.
Grooven
7 Posts
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November 5th, 2012 13:00
Thanks for your input, I had already ordered a new adapter before posting as it needed to be replaced even if it wasn't causing the issue. I am not sure it will solve the problem however as the battery reads that it is fully charged and the computer won't run off it. When the computer quit working it failed immediatley and did not run off the battery first (you can tell when it starts to run off the battery as everything slows down immediatly because it runs off a different video card to save power and I never noticed this, I was gaming when it occurred). At any rate, I took it to a computer repair shop today, it's warranty ended 2.5 weeks ago :(
Grooven
7 Posts
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November 20th, 2012 12:00
The new AC adapter didn't fix the problem, turns out its a bad motherboard
NataliaatAW
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835 Posts
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November 20th, 2012 14:00
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