If the system is in warranty, call Dell - if it's not, try a new Dell adapter first.  At $50 or less, it's the cheapest first attempt at repair.  If a new adapter doesn't solve the problem, you're in for a much more expensive mainboard repair or replacement.

ok so I had the adapter checked ant it read something like 19.6 V on output.  I then removed the battery from the laptop and powered up the laptop and it has power.  So I guess I can safely assume then that the ac adapter is good.  Should I start looking into the battery being bad?

I wouldn't assume that the adapter is OK - while it puts out the correct voltage, there's a center pin in it that must complete a circuit to the mainboard for the battery to charge and the adapter to be detected.  Try a new Dell AC adapter first.  If it doesn't solve the problem, the mainboard is the faulty part (a bad battery won't produce the "unrecognized AC adapter" error).

Since the adapter costs less than $50, while a mainboard will be $350-400+, try a new Dell adapter first.