Battery/charging problem, help! (E6420)

Question

I have a Latitude E6420. My charger is not charging the battery, and it's gone through a few stages in the last few days. If you tl;dr, just look at "Second Problem" since that's the current state.

Conjectured possible cause of this whole mess: I used somebody else's charger a few days ago, only for ~30 min. The computer did its standard response; it recognized that the adapter was wrong, did not charge the battery, and ran a bit slow. This may or may not be related, I'm just putting it out there.

First problem: Maybe a day or two later (perhaps the next time I ran the computer while not plugged in), when I tried charging the laptop with my own correct adapter, the adapter powered my computer but would not charge and gave me the "plugged in not charging" message on the power icon in the taskbar. However, on two occasions, the battery did receive a charge, at least for a limited time. (I don't really know what I did special those two times. Crazy machines.) The battery ran fine when the adapter was not plugged in.

During this time the battery light above my keyboard (with the lights indicating power, wireless activity, etc.) would light up for a second or two when I plugged in the charger, and then would stay off.

Second problem: Now an hour or two ago, I decided to update the BIOS. Suddenly the computer cannot run with only the battery in. The AC adapter must be plugged in or else the computer instantly turns off. The computer still recognizes that the battery is in: the taskbar power icon still says the battery is in and power is plugged in but not charging. (It also recognizes when the battery is not plugged in but still works fine.)

The battery light above my keyboard (with the lights indicating power, wireless activity, etc.) is rapidly blinking in orange.

I also briefly checked 'under the hood', and on a cursory look everything seemed to be in order. But I should mention, after doing the BIOS thing on the startup setup screen, it told me something along the lines of Battery Is Functional But Degraded. I think all it meant was that my battery was too old to last for too many hours. However, on 100% battery (as of last week) my laptop could still easily last up to 5 hours.

Help! I realize this may be a common problem (hopefully with a common solution!), so even linking me to someone else's case would be appreciated.

Thank you,

Funti Mepperson

DELL-Babita S · Answer

Hi Funti Mepperson,

Welcome to Dell Community Forum.

I understand the frustration this may have caused you. The third-party ac adapter may have triggered the issue you are facing right now. As illustrated below, a constant blinking amber light indicates fatal battery failure. This means you may need to replace the battery.

Battery Status Lights:
If the computer is connected to an electrical outlet, the battery light operates as follows:

• Alternately blinking amber light and blue light — An unauthenticated or unsupported non-Dell AC adapter is attached to your laptop
• Alternately blinking amber light with steady blue light — Temporary battery failure with AC adapter present.
• Constantly blinking amber light — Fatal battery failure with AC adapter present.
• Light off — Battery in full charge mode with AC adapter present.
• Blue light on — Battery in charge mode with AC adapter present.

Click on this link for a Dell article on Laptop Battery or Power Problems. You may find the information and troubleshooting steps helpful.

http://dell.to/11thBSa

Please let me know regarding your attempt to update the BIOS. Was the update successful?

Thanks and regards,
Babita S
#iworkforDell

For easy access to drivers, manuals and product updates, please visit our Support Site .

DELL-Babita S · Answer

Hi Funti Mepperson,

Unfortunately we have not received feedback from you on this topic. If you need continued support, please respond to my post.

Thanks and regards,
Babita S
#iworkforDell

For easy access to drivers, manuals and product updates, please visit our Support Site .

funtimeperson · Answer

Thanks for the follow-up.

I updated the BIOS before writing the inquiry. For whatever reason, after I did that the battery's fatal error came about. I ran the battery diagnostic on the link you gave, and strangely it said the battery was fine.

At this point I've done nothing to clear it up. I'm hoping there's still some way for my battery to work. I'm still convinced it can be recognized and work again, because I saw the battery work and I saw the battery (briefly) charge after the event with the foreign charger. I'm not sure what I could possibly do though.

DELL-Babita S · Answer

Hi Funti Mepperson,

Thank you for your reply.

If the system is under warranty, please contact me through a private message by clicking on my name highlighted in blue. On the next page, click the envelope icon and provide your service tag and contact information (for e.g., the registered owner's name, shipping information and telephone number) so that I may access your system records.

However, if the system is out of warranty then you need to contact our Expired Warranty Support at the link below:

http://dell.to/12LmNBq

If you have any further queries please feel free to contact us.

Thanks and regards,
Babita S
#iworkforDell

For easy access to drivers, manuals and product updates, please visit our Support Site .

DELL-Babita S · Answer

Hi Funti Mepperson,

Unfortunately we have not received feedback from you on this topic. If you need continued support, please respond to my post.

Thanks and regards,
Babita S
#iworkforDell

For easy access to drivers, manuals and product updates, please visit our Support Site .

funtimeperson · Answer

I should mention, this is probably always when the battery is totally charged. I haven't had time to play around to see what it does in different situations. So I don't know what would happen if the battery were only partly charged and I tried charging it with my computer shut off. I'll try that.

funtimeperson · Answer

Hello!

Update: I bought a new battery. Functionally, all is well. But: I am getting an error message.

If both the battery and the charger are in my computer, and if the computer is shut off/hibernating, the charging light above my keyboard flashes orange. Does this mean anything? Should I be worried?

DELL-Babita S · Answer

Hi Funti Mepperson,

Thank you for your reply. We are sorry to know that you are still facing issues with the battery. Hopefully, with the steps mentioned in the links below, the issue would be resolved.

Please let us know what is the error message you see?

Click on the links below for some frequently asked questions and troubleshooting steps for laptop batteries. We are sure you will find the information helpful.

Laptop Battery FAQs: http://dell.to/16RT51G

How to extend your Dell laptop battery life: http://dell.to/12aVdjK

Laptop Battery or Power Issues: http://dell.to/11thBSa

Please keep us posted on the results so that we may assist you further.

Thanks and regards,
Babita S
#iworkforDell

For easy access to drivers, manuals and product updates, please visit our Support Site .

DELL-Babita S · Answer

Hi Funti Mepperson,

Unfortunately we have not received feedback from you on this topic. If you need continued support, please respond to my post.

Thanks and regards,
Babita S
#iworkforDell

For easy access to drivers, manuals and product updates, please visit our Support Site .

m.usman · Answer

When i connect my adapter to my dell e6420 laptop first time laptop's charging light doesn't blink so when i remove adapter and connect it again second time with the lapotop it starts blinking.

why it doesn,t connect first time or desn't blink charging light first time,

I am too worry please tell me its solution any body.

My adapter is dell's compny "Slim 90W" Model no:FA90PE1-00.

My email account "<ADMIN NOTE: Email id removed per privacy policy>" i am from pakistan.

karirissanen · Answer

So let me get this straight

The recent bios update enforces authentication on the ac adapter?

My ac adapter doesnt appear to have this authentication

Both my home adapters are dell

They're both exhibiting this behaviour

They both worked fine before the bios update

So dell decided to remove compatibility, with their own products?

To remove aftermarket competition and lock in customers?

If that's the case, you've lost me as a customer

Waiting for a response

Patiently

Locked Topics – Laptops General

Battery/charging problem, help! (E6420)

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