XPS M1730 'The AC power adapter type cannot be determined' & cannot flash bios

Question

All,

unfrotunately my XPS M1730 reports on both adapters I have for it the same error “The AC power adapter type cannot be determined". Understand this is down to a chip in the adapter not being able to communicate to the chip in the laptop via the middle cable. I have seen a few posts that advise to update the bios which I have tried (currently on on A09 trying to go the latest A10). When I try this I receive the following error:

Application Error Returned 0x00000610
Windows Error Return 0x0000042D

I have rebooted and tried again, which fails with the same error code.

Can anyone advise:

1) Any pointers to what the above code mean & any suggestions on how to overcome the issue

2) Bar replacing adapter, motherboard is there any soultion to the adapter issue as one of my batteries is now totally dead and I have no way of charging it. I believe (though could be wrong) that leaving a battery totally flat for a length of time damages it.

thanks in advance

ejn63 · Answer

You can't 'bar' those two solutions - one of them will be needed to fix the problem.  Try a new Dell AC adapter first - if it doesn't fix the problem, then the mainboard will need repair or replacement.

ejn63 · Answer

There is no bypass - you must use a Dell adapter.

watcher60 · Answer

Thanks for the reply. I said bar as while this is a hardware check to ensure you are using a Dell branded adapter it is something that could be possibly disabled at the bios level (the adapter is giving the correct voltage & the laptop runs without issue on the adapter). I wont descend in to the rights & wrongs of this lock in as a quick web search turns up enough on the topic, even with the person that unsoldered the chip from the adapter and soldered it in to the laptop & all the others with the various cable wiggilng. I was posting to ensure that there was not other soultuions bar what I have stated to the issue. I presume from your reply that you are not aware of others & I presume that you do not believe updating the bios which I believe I have seen Dell support advise others to do is worth while? regards

ronnydh311 · Answer

Hi There!! I am a Dell Studio 1535 owner and I recently experienced an issue with my laptop concerning the AC Power adapter. When I would turn on the power adapter I would receive this message in the boot sequence.

“The AC power adapter wattage and type cannot be determined. Your system will operate slower and the battery will not charge. Please connect a Dell 65W AC adapter or higher for best system operation”

This problem had me a little perplexed. The system is a little over a year old and out of its warranty. I started doing some research on line and found that I am not the only one that is experiencing this problem!! Needless to say, there are some very angry customers out there.

Well to solve this problem I initially ordered a new AC adapter. This adapter lasted about a month and the same problem occurred.

So I decided to do some dissection of the adapter. I broke open the brick that held all the electronics and converters for AC to DC. I tested each connection and found no problem. Then I started to test the cord that plugged in to the laptop its self. I first tested the ground. This is the outer metal casing around the plug that fits in to the laptop. No problems there!! Then I tested the inside metal casing that is for the lead power. That one tested fine. I almost didn't notice it but there is a third line in these units. It is a very tiny pin located in the center inside the plug. I tested this line as well and low and behold I had found the problem. That little tiny wire in the middle had a break in it somewhere.

After cutting apart the plastic around the plug head I found that that little wire must have gotten hot and burned its self up. The inside of the plug showed the markings of a short.

The overall design of this cord is flawed. After looking at the wire connections I noticed that the pin in the center is just that a pin that the wire was soldered on to. There were no signs of a crimping mechanism, looping hole or anything that would give the wire stability against tugging or kinking. Needless to say that if the cord were accidently pulled out or bent at the connection area the tiny little wire in the center would break away and short out.

You may ask what this tiny little wire is. Well it is simple, there is a little chip in the brick that sends a signal to the laptop telling it that the adapter connected is in fact a dell 65W or higher adapter and is allowed to charge the battery. If this wire gets broken then the adapter cannot send the signal and the laptop essentially thinks that there is an "UNKNOWN" adapter connected.

These adapters are smart; they sense when the battery is fully charged and send a signal to the laptop to divert power away from charging the battery and towards running the laptop more efficiently. This method conserves battery life.

So if you are having this problem I am sorry but there is little to do about it but order a new adapter and be careful not to tug, bend or kink the line. I however having no warranty and being knowledgeable about these types of electronics have fixed the problem by re-soldering the tiny wire back together. Although this is not very pleasing to the eye; due to the fact that you have to cut apart the casing and then cover it back up with electrical tape or some other means of guarding the wires. But over all I am pleased that I could fix the problem myself.

On another note I did order a new AC power adapter from dell and plan on being more careful with this one in the future.

P.S.

If the problem is in the adapter Like the one I just discribed, Updating the BIOS will not fix the problem it will only make it worse!!! First try to replace the AC Adapter and take very good care of it!! Then seak out other options.

ronnydh311 · Answer